Week 3, The Brain and Language Part 2 Flashcards
(16 cards)
What lobe is Wernicke’s aphasia
temporal lobe
Wernicke’s aphasia: semantics, syntax, comprehension
Semantics (meaning): not ok
Syntax (structure): ok
Comprehension: not ok
Writing: not ok
Broca’s aphasia writing characteristics
few words, but they make sense
Wernicke’s aphasia writing characteristics
many words but they make little sense
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Takes a series of images of the brain over time (every three seconds)
Functional refers to creating a movie of brain imaging
How does an MRI machine work
The machine measures changes to the magnetic properties of anything inside the magnet
How does and fMRI work?
When neurons become active in a part of the brain, oxygenated blood is pumped to that area
Oxygenated blood has different magnetic properties than de-oxygenated blood, and gives a bigger MRI signal
During an fMRI, there is a period of rest and then a period of task
Helps identify what areas of the brain are active when the person is doing a task
Explain the Brain Function and Sign Language Study
Researchers made fMRI scans of the brain activation areas in people processing English and British Sign Language
Looked at three groups: hearing english subjects reading english sentences, hearing BSL signers looking at BSL sentences, deaf BSL signers looking at BSL sentences
Sign language study results
Even though sign language uses a different modality, they are still processed in the same areas of the brain
Hearing english speakers’ broca’s area and wernicke’s area very active
Hearing BSL signers: broca’s areas and wernicke’s area both active
Deaf BSL signers: broca’s area and wernicke’s area lighting up
Evidence of disassociation between language and intelligence
- Specific language impairment
- Williams Syndrome
- Linguistic Savants
Specific language impairment (SLI)
Children with SLI often omit “function” or grammatical words like of, this, is, etc
Children may start speaking later and may be hard to understand
Children have normal IQ and normal ability in all other areas, including speech comprehension and hearing
E.g. show me knife, it not long one, meowmeow chase mice, those dog, he like me
Explain the SLI Study
Participants of 5 year old children with SLI and non-SLI younger children
Both groups of children used sentence of comparable length
Researchers recorded spontaneous speech
They evaluated plural endings on nouns and 3rd person -s endings on verbs (e.g. walks)
SLI Study Results
Children with SLI use plurals correctly 83% of the time while non-SLI used correctly 93% of the time
Children with SLI used 3 person -s correctly 36% of the time vs 54%
Williams Syndrome
have low IQ but high language abilities
Limited spatial and motor skills (may not be able to tie shoes or cut with a knife)
Extremely social and friendly
High level of vocabulary and grammar; sometimes slightly “off” semantics
Overall IQ: 40-90, Average: 55
Better than average in facial recognition
Often loves music
Struggle to reproduce drawings
Williams Syndrom Study
Ask the person to come up with as many homonyms (a word that sounds like another word) as they can or ask them what a word means
E.g. What does “nuts mean?”
Response: There are two kinds of nuts, a peanut and nuts and bolts
Demonstrates an ability to come up with homonyms for quickly
Linguistic Savants
have low general IQ but very high linguistic abilities
E.g. Christopher: IQ nonverbal 60-70
Cannot take care of himself, button his own shirt, walk across the street alone
Can learn and recognize dozens of languages, read upside down, backwards and forwards
