Review, Elman Lecture COGS 1 winter 08

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Review, Elman LectureCOGS 1 winter 08

• Adrienne Moore
• 3-12-08

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Info about the final exam

• Tuesday March 18, 800am-1100am 45 of your
  final grade
• Approximately 80 scantron questions
• Please bring form X-101864-PAR-L
• Half the questions will cover lecturers since
  Midterm 2
• Creel, Deak, Urbach, Elman, Poizner, Chiba
• Half the questions will cover lecturers before
  Midterm 2
• Review Session Friday 3/14, 430-650, Center
  Hall room 214

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Do our brains contain a language dedicated module?

• aka language organ
• Argument for the existence of a language organ
• 1. Only humans possess language
• Other animals communicate, but lack language
• bees, moths
• Kanzi the bonobo learned 250-400 words and
  could apply them (to cooking),
• but what about complex grammar and syntax,
  non-literal language (lies, metaphor), thoughts
  about the future contingency (all aspects of
  human language)
• And we have a HUGE vocab, based on CATEGORIES

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Argument against the existence of a language
organ

• 1. You cant argue by subtraction
• Only humans possess language, so if you subtract
  the parts of the brain that we share with
  animals, the rest of the brain must be
  responsible for language
• NO
• Only humans possess language, so if you subtract
  out the 98.2 of our DNA that we share with
  animals, the rest of our genes must be
  responsible for language
• NO
• Natural selection produces small modifications of
  existing organs

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Language module? 2

• Argument for the existence of a language organ,
  continued
• 2. Brocas area may be a language organ
• Tan selectively lost his language ability, and
  when his brain was examined post-mortem, a large
  hole in the IFG (Brocas area) was found

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Language module? 2

• Argument 2 against the existence of a language
  organ
• Tan didnt lose all his language ability
• Retained well-practiced language (counting)
• Young patients with Brocas lesions dont lose
  language ability plasticity
• Tans lesion wasnt actually to Brocas area
• It was to the white matter pathway beneath
  Brocas area, the superior longitudinal
  fasciculus

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Language module? 3

• Argument 3 for
• FOXp2 is a gene for language
• A familial speech disorder was traced to FOXp2
• Argument 3 against
• mice have almost identical FOXp2 (and dont have
  language)
• FOXp2 helps create the basal ganglia (Poizner!)
  which probably play a role the motor production
  aspect of speech
• Individual genes do little jobs that contribute
  to a larger function FOXp2 is relevant to
  language

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Conclusion

• The brain opportunistically creates new machines
  from old parts
• For example, mental rotation involves simulation
  with area MT (visual motion detection area),
• Non-linguistic abilities are recruited and
  integrated for language
• McGurk effect visual information about lips
  affects the speech sounds you hear
• Words (conceptual labels) activate relevant
  sensorimotor brain areas (e.g. action words)
• There is probably no language organ!