Introduction to Cognitive Psychology - Department of Psychological ...

Professor Greg Francis 8/17/11Language and the brainPSY 200Greg FrancisLecture 32What’s the big deal about NimChimpsky?Language!! Properties!!grammar!!phrases!!words!! Instinct!!different from other types of learning!!special areas in the brain related to language!!evolution: can similar brains learn language?Purdue UniversityPurdue University!! Some stroke patientsshow agrammaticalspeech!! Seem to know whatthey want to sayBroca’s aphasia!!But are unable to say itRighthemisphereLefthemisphereBroca’s aphasia!! Some stroke patients showagrammatical speech!! repetition!! short sentences!! true for both written and spoken!! no problem controlling mouth»! e.g. blowing out candlesDo you drivehome on weekends?Why, yes…Thursday,er, er, er, no, erFriday…Barba-ra…wife…and, oh, car…drive…purnpike…you know…reset and…teevee.Purdue UniversityPurdue UniversityBrain damageBroca’s aphasia!! Broca’s area ==> Broca’s aphasia!! Wernicke’s area ==> Wernicke’s aphasia!! Mr. Ford!! omitted endings (-ed, -s)!! omitted function words (or, be, the)!! skipped function words when reading (or, be, the) but readsimilar sounding words (oar, bee)!! named objects and recognized names!! high (nonverbal) IQPurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityPSY 200: Intro. to Cognitive Psychology 1