Week 9 - Language Flashcards
describe, with examples, some similarities and differences between how animals and humans use language
4 human qualities that define language
1: Discreteness - small units or sounds that we use to create words. When combined they help us communicate ideas.
2: Grammar - the system of rules that govern how we combine individual sounds/words
3: Productivity - the ability to produce an unlimited # of communications from these sounds and word units
4: Displacement - the ability to talk about something either in the past or future or as an abstract idea.
Animals use some but not all of these qualities.
describe the notion of linguistic relativity and how language might constrain the way we think
Linguistic relativity hypothesis - people can only reflect on a concept when they have the appropriate language to describe that concept.
It can handicap performance but doesn’t always.
Linguistic determinism - Language determines our thoughts.
describe how certain patterns of aphasia may arise from damage to different areas of the brain
Aphasia - Language disturbance that occurs as a result of a stroke or other brain impairment.
Steps affected by Aphasia - selection of appropriate word and how that words phonemes go together. Both steps can be independently affected in Aphasia.
Selection problems result from damage to middle temporal gyrus
Phoneme problems result from damage to the superior temporal gyrus
Broca’s aphasia - construction of sentences and articulation from damage to left frontal lobe (Broca’s area)
discuss how these patterns of aphasia may tell us something about the organisation of language
Damage to certain areas, resulting in specific language impairments shows which areas of the brain are responsible for language elements.
describe the dual-route cascaded model of reading
Non lexical route/Route 1 - sound out the individual sounds of each letter. “C-a-t” This happens the first few times we learn a word.
Lexical/semantic route/Route 2 - Use of lexicon (mental word bank) and semantics to produce word
Lexicon route/Route 3 - After the first few times we use this route where we have visually and audibly mapped this word in our memory and we retrieve it in its entirety.
explain how the dual-route model accounts for surface dyslexia, phonological dyslexia and deep dyslexia
Route 1 reliant = surface dyslexics (problems reading irregular words)
Route 2/3 reliant = phonological dyslexics (problems reading unfamiliar/non-words)
Deep dyslexia - problems reading unfamiliar and non-words with striking semantic errors (ship read as boat) These patients often use the right hemisphere for reading (normally its the left)
list some of the limitations of the dual-route model.
Vague involvement of semantics Does not exhibit learning Assumes phonological processing of words occurs slowly No individual differences considered Cant be applied universally.
