Researchers describe language as having six different properties.
- Describe the six properties.
- Explain which two properties you think are the most important.
Researchers have learned a lot about the physiology of language through lesion studies in humans.
- Find at least one scholarly research article that utilized lesions studies and one scholarly article that studied language with an alternative method.
- Describe the rationale for using lesion studies to understand physiological functions such as language and speech.
- Explain some of the problems with using lesion studies.
- Describe some of the alternative methods to lesions studies.
Respond to at least two of your classmates responses to discussion.
Valerie Jeffcoat posted Mar 1, 2022 4:46 AM
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Researchers describe language as having six different properties.
· Describe the six properties.
1. Reflexivity- Allows language to be used to think and talk about itself
2. Displacement- Allows user to talk about things and events not present in the immediate environment
3. Arbitrariness- There is no natural connection between a linguistic form and its meaning
4. Productivity- Allows users to create new expressions
5. Cultural Transmission- The process where knowledge of a language is passed from one generation to the next
6. Duality- A property of language where linguistic forms has two simultaneous levels of sound production and meaning
· Explain which two properties you think are the most important.
In my opinion I think that reflexivity and cultural transmission are two of the most important properties of language. Reflexivity enables us to learn new language and to comprehend certain word qualities (Goldstein, 2018). Cultural transmission is one of the fundamental traits that distinguishes human language from animal communication. One of the best ways cultural transmission works is through observation.
Researchers have learned a lot about the physiology of language through lesion studies in humans.
· Describe the rationale for using lesion studies to understand physiological functions such as language and speech.
One of the most well-established and prominent methodologies in neuroscience is studying the impact of brain injuries on behavior and cognition. Case studies of individuals with localized brain injury in the 19th century offered the first evidence that complex cognitive processes, such as those underpinning language, have dissociable components that are dependent on various brain areas (Vaidya et al, 2019). Lesions may provide a close look into the inner workings of certain brain systems. Injury patient data can aid in the understanding of complex brain networks, as well as the location and functions of various learning systems (Goldstein, 2018).
· Explain some of the problems with using lesion studies.
You can’t directly explore the functions of a specific brain region since you only looking at how the rest of the brain works without that area.
· Describe some of the alternative methods to lesions studies.
In addition to lesion techniques, analyzing the electrical activity produced by the brain’s neurons may be used to understand more about it. Placing detectors in the brain to study the responses of specific neurons is one method, which is mostly used with animals. Electroencephalography is a less intrusive method that may be used on living people (EEG). Because brainwave patterns change in each condition, an EEG can reveal whether a person is sleeping, awake, or anesthetized. EEGs can also track the waves produced when a person is reading, writing, or speaking, and they’re useful for diagnosing brain disorders like epilepsy.
Referecene:
Dronkers, N. F., Wilkins, D. P., Van Valin, R. D., Redfern, B. B., & Jaeger, J. J. (2004). Lesion analysis of the brain areas involved in language comprehension. Cognition, 92(1), 145–177. https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2003.11.002
Goldstein, E. B. (2018). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience, (5th ed.). Cengage. ISBN: 9781337408271
Nordquist, Richard. (2020). The Cultural Transmission of Language. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-cultural-transmission-1689814
Vaidya, A. R., Pujara, M. S., Petrides, M., Murray, E. A., & Fellows, L. K. (2019). Lesion Studies in Contemporary Neuroscience. Trends in cognitive sciences, 23(8), 653–671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.05.009
