Language Flashcards
What is pathology?
Brain Lesion Studies
What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?
-Speech is grammatically and phonetically normal but is semantically meaningless
-The comprehension is impaired
What is Broca’s Aphasia?
-speech production is not grammatically and phonetically normal
-preserved speech is meaningful, mixing words, repetitive
-Word-finding problems
-No nonsense ‘invented’ words
What evidence led to speech perception and production being studied separately?
Evidence for speech comprehension and production being supported by partially separate brain networks
what problem is consistent in both types of aphasia?
word finding problems
What led some to believe that grammatical processing is ‘separate’ from other language
functions?
since grammar is linked to Broca’s aphasia
What did Skinner sat about verbal behaviour? (psychology perspective)
Language is a learned behaviour (like any other)→ when children learn to speak, they are reinforced by positive responses and inhibited by negative resources
What did Chomsky believe about Skinner’s behaviourism and language learning? (linguistic perspective)
behaviourism cannot explain natural
language learning: (1) input is too poor/noisy; (2) poor grammar is rarely corrected yet learnt perfectly; (3) complex language unique to humans
What did Chomsky suggest about linguistics?
-Universal Grammar; suggested that
language is innate/genetic -> language module in the brain
what is a criticism about Chomsky’s linguistic perspective?
Evolution of language – usage-based accounts:
gestures AND vocalisations →for abstraction
how can modern technology allow closer study of animal communication?
speech pathologist invented ‘dog buttons’ after working with non-verbal children (Christina Hunger)
what is a mechanistic model in language psychology?
models of how language is acquired/processed/produced
what is a current experimental approach to investigate mechanistic models of language?
neuroimaging, increasingly computational techniques
Describe the Cohort model of language:
●As individual sounds come in → brain
activates multiple candidates
● Once sufficient input is present - Word is
recognised (Uniqueness point)
● Clear structure, influential
Describe Connectionist models of language:
● Informed by cognitive and computer science
● Neuro-like structure
● As each new chunk of input is presented, activity spreads along the network
connections, changing the activation values in the processing layers
● Inspiration for current neural nets like Chat GPT
Describe Computational Language Models:
like AI.
● Closely linked to connectionism
● Learn aspects of language without instruction - unsupervised learning
what limited frequencies can we hear?
those important for speech (up to 255 Hz)
What does the cochlear do?
breaks down/filters incoming sounds into different frequencies ‘Amplifies’ key frequencies and converts this information into neural code
what is meant by Transduction?
energy from outer word to the code readable by the inner world (the brain). frequencies turned into neural code
what transfers sounds into cochlea?
Vibration of the the Eardrum
where is the cochlear organ?
outer, middle, and inner ear
Describe the process of Frequency Decomposition:
Fluid in the cochlea moves when pressure is applied. Causes the Basilar Membrane
to respond in a bell-like manner. From base to apex - different frequencies. Acts like a filter
How is the cochlea and auditory pathway spatially organised?
tonotopically : high frequency sounds stimulate the hairs in the base of the cochlea, whereas low frequency sounds stimulate the high points.
-helps to recognise complex
frequency patterns map them to learned phonemes
what is the importance of hairs in the cochlea?
due to the thickness and length they are differentially sensitive to different frequencies
