language - LIFG Flashcards
what is the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus?
Contains Brocas area ~ is crucial for language processing, particularly speech production
is the LIFG more active in high selection (hard) or low selection words?
High selection words. more active in competitive conditions where you think of lots of words that associate with a word
Why are high selection conditions harder?
In the high-selection condition, generating the action word is harder because there are several possible alternatives and the process is less automatic
When Ps had to say what a bowl or tray was, which was harder?
competitive word understanding bowl = 50/50 of meaning action or object - bowling vs dish if you activate in context less activation in both meanings
tray less ambiguous
does the LIFG respond more to ambiguous or non-ambiguous words?
ambigious words = more activation in these areas
do verbs or nouns get more brain activity?
VERBS ARE MORE COMPLEX - MORE ACTIVITY
when saying whether candle relates to flame vs bald or exist vs halo which one more activity?
first
What do hubs, convergence zones, or control regions do in the brain?
They receive features from neighboring areas and carry out semantic processing in various contexts.
What is true about the processing routes of ATL areas?
Both processing routes are close to one another on the loop.
What brain regions are activated during sentence comprehension?
the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus (LIFG) and the posterior temporal gyrus are involved, similar to semantic processing.
what is key in sentence comprehension?
Selection of relevant features in context of other words is involved in sentence comprehension
Modern view of language processing?
Language is distributed; Broca’s area (LIFG) helps with syntax & working memory, while posterior temporal regions process meaning.
Why does sentence comprehension activate Broca’s area (LIFG)?
LIFG is involved in syntactic processing and working memory, helping analyze sentence structure.
Role of posterior temporal gyrus in comprehension?
Processes word meaning and integrates words into sentences for understanding.
Why are both LIFG and posterior temporal regions involved in comprehension?
Comprehension requires both syntax (LIFG) and semantics (posterior temporal regions).
What does sentence comprehension activate in the brain?
A network of areas, including the LIFG (syntax, working memory) and PMTG (semantic processing, meaning integration).
How do neuroimaging studies support the involvement of multiple areas in comprehension?
fMRI scans show simultaneous activation of LIFG and PMTG during sentence comprehension.
What pathways are more involved in speech production?
The dorsal pathways, which connect frontal and motor-related regions for speech planning and articulation.
What were the two tasks in the sentence processing study?
Production task (completing a sentence) and comprehension task (reading & answering questions).
What was the difference between easy and hard conditions in the production task?
Easy: “the movie that the director …” (simpler structure)
Hard: “the director that the movie …” (more complex structure)
What was the difference between easy and hard conditions in the comprehension task?
Easy: “the movie that the director watched was good”
Hard: “the director that the movie impressed was good” (more complex structure)
Why were easy and hard conditions compared?
To see which brain regions worked harder in sentence production vs. comprehension.
What did participants do in the production task?
They were given a visual prompt (phrase) and had to complete it into a full sentence.
What did participants do in the comprehension task?
They simply read sentences and later answered comprehension questions.
