Section 2- neuropsychology of language

Question 1

What and when was Franz Galls localization theory?

Answer 1

1798
he claimed that the cortex was made up of functionally distinct areas

Question 2

what is Paul Brocca’s Aphesia (1861) and broccas Area?

Answer 2

• examined on Tan- discovered that damage of the left frontal lobe was linked to language production
  Brocca’s Aphesia = agrammatism = broken speech and reduced syntax complextiy (plurals, past tense etc.)
• Broccas area= assosciated with inability of language production although language comprehenssion remains

Question 3

what was Carl Wernickles (1874) contribution and the wernickle area?

Answer 3

His work revealed left hemisphere dominance of language functions and the right hemisphere had no role
- idea of hemispheric splitting of functions e.g., left= verbal, right= non-verbal
- damage to left hem = unable to comprehend speech, however no impact on language production (cortical desination of temporal lobe and auditory nerve)
wernickles area= in left hemisphere and responsible for language comprehenssion

Question 4

What were the chalenges of the Brocca/Wernckle area?

Answer 4

• too much focus on single word rather than whole sentences
• in 70s and 80s MRI scan revealed that other areas of brain were more damaged

Question 5

whats did leision studies discover about language?

Answer 5

discovered that the facuilties of language were in the frontal and left temporal areas of the brain

Question 6

what were the challenges of leision studies?

Answer 6

identical lesion locations were very rare
few detailed studies that included leision
the production and comprehension of language involve dynamic areas across the brain

Question 7

what were results of the birth of neurolinguistics?

Answer 7

Shift away from postmodern inferences to live experimental studies of the brain (using neuro-imageing)

Question 8

what are the 3 examples of neuro-imageing techniques?

Answer 8

EEG- detects electrical activity across the surface of the scalp
PET- detects gama rays
FMRI- measures oxygen levels and blood flow

Question 9

what are the universal language areas?

Answer 9

left hemisphere= dominant for word processing tasks
right hemisphere= dominant in discourse processing tasks

however- reliance on other areas of the brain for both

Question 10

inatism vs cultural? Is language innate or learned?

Answer 10

neurolinguistics challanges innatism as they theorise than language has universal areas in the brain whcihc are shaped by culture

Question 11

Does localization vary according to age or proficiency?

Answer 11

Bilingual studies show varying activation based on proficiency (but not age of acquisition)

Focal activity in the left hemisphere was determined by expertise, not by age of acquisition