Thinking, Planning and Language Flashcards
how does our brain interpret perception(the first filter for all the info)
by comparing them to memories of past experiences an observations
where does our brain store memroies of these past experiences and observcations
- short-term memory
- capacity is limited, so it builds fairly simple representations of people, places objects and event as references.
how are we able to identify varibale perceptions
- via a complex network of associations assembled from prior experience.
constructing memeories
- relies on sematic memory
- form of declarative knowledge that includes general facts and data
concept cells
- these specififc single cells may fire when someone looks at a something recognizable, but treamins quiet of other photos of other people. animals or objects (unrecognizable things)
- ex. the cells encoding the concepts of needle, thread, sew and button may be interconnected
- these cells form the basis of our semantic memory and work together in assemblies
where are concept cells located
- in the temporal lobe which sepcializes in object recognition.
what was DBO’s brain issue
- he had damaged his brain in ways that prevented visual input from being conveyed to the anterior temporal regions where semantic processing occurs
- thus, he couldn’;t name objects he could see but only ones he could touch
agnosia
- damage to certain areas if the temporal lobes leads to problems with recognizing and identifying visual stimuli.
- occurs in several forms depending on the exact location of the brain damage.
fusiform face area (FFA)
- located on the underside of the termpoal lobe
- critical for recognizing faces]-
- responds more strongly to images with faces rather than without
Prosopagnosia
- face blindness
- bilateral damage to this the FFAarea
parahippocampal place arewa
- responds to specific locations such as pictures of buildings or particular scenes
what else can activate other areas of the brain
-certain inanimate objects, body oartsm ior sequences of letters
how is information organized in these areas
- into hierarchies
- complex skind representations are built up by integrating information from simpler inputs
regions that encode words
- posterior parietal cortex, parts of the temporal lobe, adn regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)
- aka the sematic sustem together
- responds more strongly to words than other sounds, and especially natural speech than to aritiicaly garbled speech
semantic system
- occupies a significant portion of the human brain especially in comparison the the brains of other primates
- might help explani human’s unique ability to use language
functional magnetic resonance imagin (fMRI)
- measueres brain acitivty
- in this case in response to words
- found that more extensive activation in the elfft hemisphere in response to words compared with the right
what happens when words are presented in a narrative or other context
- both sides of the brain eleict fMRI activity
written language
- involves additional brain areas
-
Visual word from area (VWFA)
-in the fusiform gyrus recognizes written letters and words
connections between VWFA area and brain areas that process visual info
- creates a link between meaning and written language
specififc areas that represent numbers and their meaning
- these concepts are represented in the pareital cortex with input from the occipitotemporal cortex (region that participates in visual recgonition and reading)
- together, the regions will indetify the shape of a written number or symbol and connect it to its concept (often broad)
damage to particular regions within the elft hemisphere
- produces specifc kidns of language disorders
- aka aphasias
Broca’s area
- portion of frontal lobe where Patient Tan’s lesion was located
- vital for speech prodcution
Broca’s aphasia
- aka “non-fluent) aphasia because speech production is impaired byut comprehension is mostly intact
what can produce non-fluent aphasia
- damage to the left fronal lobe
- speech output is slow and halting
- requires great effort,
- often kacks complex word or sentence strugutre
- they will be comprehend spoken language, but may have poor understanding of complex sentences
Wernicke’s aphasia
- damage in termpoal lobe that causes difficulty in comprehending speech, but not in producing it
- aka fluent aphasia
- sounds somewhat normal in terms of tone, speed but speech will have many errors, made-up words and can be incomprehendable
pure wrod deafness
- anotehr type of aphasia
- caused by damage to the superior temporal lobes in both hemishperes
- patiens are unable to comprehend heard speech on any level
- BUT NOT DEAF
- They can hear, even can detect tone, emotion and even the gender of the speaker (pitch?)
- ## cannot link the sound of words to therir menaing
can people with pure word deafness make meaning of written wrod since they cannot make meaning of heard wrod?>
- they can, because visual informatino bypasses the damaged audiotry comprehension area of the termpoal lobe.
what involves botht he elft and right temrporal lobes
- recognizing speech sounds and inidcual words
left hemsiphere
- porducing complex speech depends on this
- also includes the frontal lobe as well as the posterior regions in the remporal lobe.
- all are cirtical for accessing appropraite words and speech sounds
reading and writing
- involve additional brain regions- those controlling vision and movement,
- requires many of the same centers involved in speech comprehension and production
- also involve input from visual areas that analyze the shapes of letters and words as well as output to the motor areas that control the hand
sensory processing of written wrods includes,,,
- connections between the brain’s language areas and the areas that process visual perceptions
FOXP2
- language=assoicated gene codes for a special tupe of protein that switches other genese on and off in particular parts of the brain.
- rare mutations in FOXP2 result in difficulty making mouth and jaw movements in the sequences required for speech
- accompanied by difficulty with spoken and written language
where have many insigths into human speech come from
- studies of birds
- here, it is posisble to induce genetic mutations and study thier effects on singing
- baby birds must be able to have auditory feedback- t he ability to hear their own attempts at imitation of an adult bird.
- FOXP2 can disrupt song development in young birds as they do in humans
FOXP2 in the basal ganglia
- disruption of the gene can really affect the signaling in the dorsal striatum which is part of the bg located deep in the brain
- specialized neurons here will express high levels of the product of FOXP2
what do mutations of FOXP2 do
- they interrupt the flow of informatoin through the straitum and result in speech defecits.
- thus, FOXP2 is so imporant in regulating signaling between motor (basal ganglia) and speech regions in the brain
what is a possible explanation as to why humans speak and chimpanzees don’t…
- changes in the nucleotide sequence of FOXP2 might have infleunced the development of spoken language in humans
other regions that participate in accessing the meaning of words
portions of the middle and inferior temporal llibe
anterior temporal loeb
- might participate in senetnce-level comprehension
snesory-motor circuit for speech
- located in the elft posterior temporal lobe
- thought to help communication between the systems for speech recgonition and speech production
- involved in speech development
- likely to support verbal short-term memory
why do children’s brains function differntly from those of adults
- the PFC (responsible for some of the most complex processes in the brain)
- is one of the last regions of the brain to develop, not reaching full maturity until adulthood.
- execitobe function takes palce here
- supervises brain’s actions
- takes in sensory and emotional information and uses the informatio to plan and execute decisions and actions.
- ## specific areas will have dfiferent functions such as selecting, rehearsing, and monitoring information being retreived from long-term memory
what must the PFC interact with in order to serve all its functions
- large network of posterior cortical areas that encode specific tyupes of information (i.e. vosual images, sounds, words and the spatial location in which events occurred)
executive function in other primates
- studying nonhuman primates has shown that neruons in the PFC keep info active or in mind, like in working memory of humans (also a form of executive function)
executive function core skills blen
- inhibition, working memory, and shifting (mental flexibility)
inhibition (exec function|)
- abliity to suppress a behaviour or action when it is inappropriate
- even toddlers demonstrate hints of a developing inhibition ability
Lucia’s hand game
- children in preschool must make a fist when shown a finger and vice versa
- requires inhibiting their more automatic imitation of adults
- as people grow older they show this skill with more skill
Lucia’s hand game 2
- game relies on woking memory
- wm=ability to hold a rule in mind while you decide how to act
- ## opposite the demonstrator in this case
where does information initially enter
- new experiences infomration initially enters working memory,a transient form of declarative/concious memory
depends on both he PFC and the pareital lobe - one has ability to maintain and manipulate info over a brief period of time without external aids or cues (remembering a phone number without writing it down)
working memory requires…
- active rehearsal and conscious focus to maintain
- strings of numbers or orders can be memorized and recited over a brief period of time but someone that is distracted or there is a time lag of many minutes/hours—- chances are, they will forget.
mental flexibility
allows you to adjust ongoing behavrious when conditions require it
- e,g, when eating breakfast, and there is no milk left, we run over a variety of options when the original plan is altered with an unexpected change
- when u ring the doorbell and u infer that no one is home… understanding this, and looking for a solution is mentail flexibilty
what happens when there is damage tothe Pre Frontal Cortex
- they have great deal of diffiuclty with mental shifting
-
Children’s successful menatl shifting developes through adolescense
- preschool children can handle some shifts
- ability to monitor one’s errors is evident during adolescence
- mid-adolescnece- more complex task switching reaches adult-like level;s
what does maure shifting (from complex mental tasks)
- needs many cognitive processes
- ## likely involves a network of activity in many regions of the PFC
what happens to the acitvity level assoicated with executive function over the course of childhood to adolescnces
- acitivity level associated with exec function decreases as children and adolescents mature
- reflects the fact that these circuits become more fine-tuned and efficient as the neruon networks mature.
- not much work is needed after since the brian is somewhat used to it?
decusion making
- has baiss of same three skills
- ## requires the weighing of values, understanding rules, planning for the future, and making predictions of our choice;s outcomes
types of decision making
- some rely on logical reasoning (determining the quickest path.route)
- affective decision making: emotional consequences are at stake, your desire to be accepted may sometimes outweigh your rational consideration of an action,
what areas are important for these two types of decision making?
- the prefrotnal ortex
- activity in the lateral PFC is very important in overriding emotional responses in decision-making
lateral PFC
- has strong connections with brain regions related to motivation + emotion
- amygdala, nucleus acumbens
when is the latreal PFC more active
- in pepople declining a small monetary reward given immediately for a larger one in the future…. does this mean that they are able to put logical decision making over emotion?
What is one of the last areas of the brain to mature
- the lateral prefrontal cortex
- matures usually in late 20’s which is why teens have trouble regulation emotions and controlling impulses
orbitiofrontal cortex
- region of PFC located just behind eyes
- appears to be important in affective decision making (emotional consequences at stake)
= very important in decisions that involve reward and punishment - implicated in addiction as well as social behaviour
social neursociense
- study of nerual functions that underlie interpsonal bnheaviour
- essentially HOW we behave in a social setting
mentalizing
- a process that tneitals readong social cues, understanding social rules, choosing socially-appropriate responses, and understanding onself and others
- this is making sense of you own thought processes as well as that of others
- UNDERLIES EMPATHY, and understanding the mental states of others as well as the reasons behind their actions
what areas are involved in mentalizing skills
- the medial PFC and some areas of the lateral PFC
how do we understnand the mental states of others
- by observing thier actions
- requires brain to see and recognize others’ movement and facial expressions
- draw inferences about the feelings and intentions that drive them
what area helps us make judgements about ourselves and others
- several regions in the medial prefrontal cortex
temporoparietal junction
- border of temporal and aprietal lobes
- focuses on others and not on the self
- also activated when watching others engage in actions that seem at odds wither intentions, or action t that are intended to be deceptive
mirror neruons
- discovered in the 1990s, they discovered heurons in the motor cortex of rhesus macaques that fired when the monkeys performed a specific action
- the neruons also fired when the monkeys watched another person or monkey perform the same action
- these are speculated to be what underlies our ability to understand the actions of others
- studies
