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Lateralization of function

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refers to the idea that each hemisphere of the brain is specialized for different functions

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Each hemispheres is generally connected to

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the contralateral (opposite) side of the body

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An example of lateralization

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skin receptors and muscles on the right side of the body are connected to the left hemisphere

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Each hemisphere processes visual information from the _____ side of the world.

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opposite

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The left and right hemisphere exchange information primarily through a set of axons called the ____

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corpus callosum

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Other areas that exchange information include

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The anterior commissure, hippocampal commissure, and a few other small ommissures.

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The two hemispheres are not ____ of each other

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mirror images

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Division of labor between the two hemispheres is known as ____

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lateralization

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In most humans the left side is specialized for ___

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language

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The corpus callosum allows each hemisphere of the brain access to information from

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both sides

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Each hemisphere of the brain gets input from the opposite half of the

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visual world

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The visual field is what is ____ at any moment

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visible

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Light from the ___ of the visual field shines into the ___ of both retinas

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right half, left half

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Light from the ____ visual field shines onto the ____ of both retinas

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left half, right half

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The left half of each retina connects to the ___ hemisphere and the right half of each retina connects to the ___ hemisphere

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left, right

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Half of the axons from each eye cross to the opposite side of the brain at the _____

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optic chiasm

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The auditory system is arranged differently in that each ear sends the information to ____ sides of the brain

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both

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Damage to the corpus callosum interferes with the _____ between hemispheres

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exchange of information

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Epilepsy

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a condition characterized by repeated episodes of excessive synchronized neural activity Mainly due to decreased release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA

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Physicians once cut the corpus callosum to prevent the seizure from spreading to the ____ of the body

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opposite side

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People who have undergone surgery to the corpus callosum are referred to as _____

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split-brain people

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Spit brain people maintain normal intellect and motivation but they tend to

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Use hands independently in a way others cannot. Respond differently to stimuli presented to only one side of the body.

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Because the left side of the brain is dominant for language in most people, most split brain people they have difficulty _____

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naming objects briefly viewed in the left visual field

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Immediately after surgery, each hemisphere can only quickly and accurately respond to information that reaches it ___

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directly

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Right hemisphere is better at perceiving ...

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emotions

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Damage to parts of the right hemisphere causes

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difficulty perceiving other's emotions, failure to understand humor and sarcasm, and often speak in a monotone voice

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Left hemisphere damage increases ability to

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accurately judge emotion

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The right hemisphere is also better at comprehending

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spatial relationships

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In general, the left hemisphere seems to focus more on_____, and the right hemisphere focuses more on ____

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visual details, visual patterns

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The corpus callosum matures gradually through the first

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5 to 10 years

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Being born with a condition where the corpus callosum does not completely develop results in extra development of the following

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Anterior commissure, Hippocampal commissure

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Anterior commissure

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connects the anterior parts of the cerebral cortex

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Hippocampal commissure

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connects the left and right hippocampus

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The left hemisphere is dominant for speech in ____ of right-handed people

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95%

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Most left-handers have

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left- hemispheric speech

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Human language is a __ form of communication

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complex

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Compared to other species, human language has high

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productivity

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Productivity

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the ability to produce new signals to represent new ideas

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Chimpanzees use language but it differs from humans

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Seldom use symbols in new original combinations. Use of symbols lacks productivity. Use of symbols is primarily used to request and not describe. Production of requests is better than understanding other's requests

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Bonobos

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Show better comprehension of human language

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5 key things that make bonobos show comprehansion of human language

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- Understand more than they can produce. - Use symbols/names to describe objects. - Request items not seen. - Use symbols to describe past events. - Make original, creative requests.

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The African gray parrot show a great ability

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for imitating sounds and also using sounds meaningfully

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Studies of nonhuman language abilities

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Give insights to how best to teach language to those who do not learn it easily Illustrate the ambiguity of our concept of language

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Two categories of theories attempt to explain the human ability to learn language more easily than other species

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1. "Language as a by-product of overall brain development." 2. "Language as a brain specialization."

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Problems associated with the "language as a by-product of increased intelligence" theory

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1. People with a full-size brain and normal overall intelligence can show severe language deficits. 2. People with impaired intelligence can have normal language skills

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Williams syndrome is characterized

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by mental retardation but skillful use of language.

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Chomsky (1980) further suggests the poverty of stimulus argument

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children do not hear many examples of some of the grammatical structures they acquire.

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Research suggests a sensitive period exists for the learning of language

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No early language exposure can lead to permanent impairment

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Learning of a second language differs as a function of age

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Children excel at learning pronunciation and unfamiliar aspects of grammar

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No sharp cutoff exist for second language learning

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Earlier the better

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Broca's area

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a part of the frontal lobe of the left cerebral cortex near the motor cortex.

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Broca's area damage

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results in some language disability

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Aphasia

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a condition in which there is severe language impairment

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Broca's aphasia/nonfluent aphasia

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serious impairment in language production, usually due to brain damage

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Symptoms of Broca's aphasia/nonfluent aphasia

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have comprehension deficits when sentence structure is complex Omission of most pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs, tense and number endings during speech production. Difficulty understanding the same kinds of words they omit (prepositions and conjunctions).

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Wernicke's area

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an area of the brain located near the auditory part of the cerebral cortex.

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Wernicke's/ fluent aphasia

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characterized by impaired language comprehension and the impaired ability to remember the names of objects Sometimes called "fluent aphasia" because the person can still speak smoothly

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Typical characteristics of Wernicke's aphasia include

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1. Articulate speech / fluent speech except with pauses to find the right word. 2. Difficulty finding the right word • anomia refers to the difficulty recalling the name of objects. 3. Poor language comprehension - difficulty understanding spoken and written speech (especially nouns and verbs).

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Language areas in temporal and frontal cortex grow thicker than average in those that are fluent in

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two languages from early childhood

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Bilingual speakers

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process multiple languages in the same areas of the brain

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Those that are more adept at one language, show greater brain activity for the

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second language

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Switching between languages activates the

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frontal cortex, temporal cortex and basal ganglia

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Consciousness (operational definition)

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If a person reports the presence of one stimulus but can not report the presence of the second, he or she was conscious of the first and not the second

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phenomenon of inattentional blindness

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While observing a complex scene, you will not notice if something changes slowly

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Consciousness depends upon the amount of

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brain activity

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A conscious stimulus also induces a precise synchrony of responses in neurons over

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various areas of the brain

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Binocular rivalry

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slow and gradual shifts of attention from one eye to the other in the presence of conflicting patterns

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_____ stimuli capture our attention faster than ____ stimuli

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Meaningful, meaningless

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Much of brain activity is

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unconscious

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"Inattention" or "neglect" is the opposite of

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attention

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Spatial neglect

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tendency to ignore the left side of the body and its surroundings or the left side of objects associated with damage to the right hemisphere of the brain.

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Exact location of the damage to the right hemisphere can affect

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the details of what the person neglects.

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Damage to the inferior part of the right parietal cortex leads to

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leads to the neglect of everything to the left of their own body

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Damage to the superior temporal cortex

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neglect the left side of objects, regardless of location.

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Problems of neglect are associated with ____ and not ____

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attention, sensation

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What procedures can increase attention to the neglected side

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- telling the person to pay attention to the left side. - telling the person to look left while feeling an object with the left hand or hearing a sound from the left side - A touch stimulus briefly increases attention to one side of the body or the other. - Crossing of the hands in front of the body also decreases neglect to the left side.

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Many patients with spatial neglect also have deficits with

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spatial working memory and with shifting attention, even when location is irrelevant.

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problems associated with neglect extend to many aspect of attention rather than simply the

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left-right dimension

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