Language and cognition

Question 1

what does cognition mean

Answer 1

acquisition, retention, use of information that allows successful behaviour in our complex and changing environment

make sense of surroundings and do behaviours best for you

Question 2

what concepts does cognition involve

Answer 2

-perception (understand what is going on)
-attention
-memory and learning
-emotion and social cognition (maintain good relations)
-symbolic representations (writing/language)
-reasoning and problem solving

Question 3

discuss cognition with a sensory modality

Answer 3

primary areas receive unprocessed modality date
association areas determine PERCEPTUAL QUALITIES of modality

modal qualities from association cortexes are integrated with both themselves and info from other sensory modalities.
eg. pitch, volume, timbre, harmonics (sound) integrated with vision.

process level around at higher level- realise its a football and behave in appropriate manner
avoid walking into people

integration of the outside world is v important!!

Question 4

what is multiple sensory integration

Answer 4

combination of processed sensory perceptions (vision, temperature, sound) are used to determine what is happening and where

Question 5

how does multi-sensory integration work

Answer 5

eg. fire
looks like fire,
sounds like fire,
burns you

three sensory modalities arrive in the cortex at 3 primary locations

then SUB-CORTICAL and ASSOCIATION CORTICES move info

association cortices talk together and produce a synthesis of all info
to become cognisant of what you are experiencing

Question 6

describe multi-sensory integration for motor output
-eg. david beckham

Answer 6

1. sensory info about environment project to primary cortical areas (visual, somatosensory, auditory)
2. info passed to sensory association in parietal and temporal lobe for integration
3. integrated info is shared with supplementary motor cortex and and then to pre and motor cortex to allow incorporation of sensory input into planned integrated motor events

Question 7

what is the McGurk effect

Answer 7

visual sensory info is interpreted and is DOMINANT over auditory processed information

dominant sensation
changes perception of sound

auditory-visual illusion
visual input they get changes they sound they perceive

Question 8

sensory with non-sensory

Answer 8

different outcome with different inputs

vision
auditory
emotion/memory

if change memory– different outcome (happier feeling)
eg. forest example
overlay different things to understand world around you

Question 9

what is synaesthesia
what is a commonly studied type

Answer 9

conflation of sensory experiences from one sensory domain with those from another

or the mixing of two modalities of the same sensory domain

COLOUR-GRAPHEMIC SYNAESTHESIA
- specific black and white shapes are perceived in colour

Question 10

what does brocas area do
where is brocas area located

Answer 10

controlling motor cortex
element of comprehension and understanding sentence construction

anterior to primary cortex area
in frontal lobe

Question 11

what does wernickes area do
where is found

Answer 11

understanding words that are being spoken/ comprehension of speech

temporal lobe anterior to auditory cortex

Question 12

in an fmri which part lights up when words are being spoken

Answer 12

brocas
motor cortex

Question 13

in an fmri which part lights up when hearing words

Answer 13

wernickes area
auditory cortex

Question 14

what happens when you READ words

Answer 14

visual info from primary visual cortex is passed to wernicke’s (understand what you are reading)
via the ANGULAR GYRUS
then passed to broca’s area
this assesses for content and SNYTAX
control primary motor output
to speak words

Question 15

what area connects wernicke s and brocas

Answer 15

ARCUATE FACICULUS

Question 16

what happens if the connection (arcuate faciculus) between brocas and wernicke is damaged

Answer 16

CONDUCTION aphasia
-cant repeat words

Question 17

what is aphasia

Answer 17

have difficulty with their language or speech

Question 18

what is the difference between brocas, conductive, wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 18

brocas- cant form words properly
inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe

conductive- cant repeat words
arcuate faciculus

wernicke’s- word salad, speech flows but is often nonsensical
superior temporal gyrus of temporal lobe

Question 19

what happens when you HEAR words

Answer 19

afferent info at auditory cortex and wernickes area
comprehends the words and passes info to brocas area for sentence construction and syntax
brocas stimulates motor cortex to control lips and tongue

Question 20

must remember there are other associations involved

Answer 20

other areas light up which might give emotional context or subconscious context

Question 21

what is wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 21

speech flows
nonsensical mostly
REDUCED COMPREHENSION of their own speech
poor sentence meaning
quite happy
cant understand written info (visual understanding parts of temporal lobe can also be affected)

Question 22

what is brocas aphasia
motor or non-fluent aphasia

Answer 22

difficulty speaking, stuttering to find the right word
they are aware they are making little sense- frustrating
as BROCAS area has motion programs for generation of language and sentence syntax

understand context - can say “oar” but not “or” due to context

reduced comprehension of written or verbally presented functional words (put this here)

Question 23

which side are wernicks and brocas found

Answer 23

on the dominant side
therefore for most people it is LEFT

Question 24

what happens if there is dysfunction to the right side of the brain approximating to brocas and wernicks

Answer 24

change in emotional content of speech
-aprosodias

robotic/monotonic speech patterns

right side contributes to emotional content of language

Question 25

what happens to congenitally deaf patients with damage to left brain language centres

Answer 25

show signing deficits
comprehension deficits

Question 26

what happens to congenitally deaf patients with damage to the right brain areas

Answer 26

lack emotional colouring in their signing
less expressive

Question 27

discuss dominant sides with left and right handed people

Answer 27

not all cortical functions are bilateral- eg. language processing

95% right handed have dominant left hemisphere v.v. with left handed people

language produced and speech comprehended by side that is dominant

Question 28

what is the wada test

Answer 28

one side of brain is anaesthetised viz the appropriate internal carotid and the subject tested for speech

if dominant side remains awake, speech is unaffected

need to find where speech is located in each individual patient

as anaesthetic clears the language can continue

now use fmri

Question 29

describe split brain xxxx

Answer 29

corpus callosum severed eg. after really bad seizures
two halves of brain cant communicate

eg. see an image on left
right side will comprehend it
but the right side is disconnected so information cant cross to the left hemisphere where the language centres are therefore unable to speak
-cant tell u what they see as it cant cross to the left hemisphere where brocas is
but if they see image on the right
then they can tell u what they see due to the crossing in optic chiasm

look at central line
say what the image is that is being flashed on either left or right side

tactile test
hold item in left hand they wont be able to tell you what the item is
they can communicate what it is by drawing it
other side of brain controlling other arm
cant say what it is but can draw it

cant say what is seen by the left visual field
cant say what is felt by the left hand