Brain and Language (U01506)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : PPL-4-BL-PS

How do we use language? What are the brain bases of language? This module endeavours to provide a state-of-the art survey on the current knowledge of the way the brain organizes itself to represent and process various types of language-related knowledge (from words to sentences, spoken or written).

It draws on methods from a variety of different disciplines, Neuroanatomy, Cognitive Psycbology, Computational modelling, Cognitive Neuropsychology, Functional neuroimaging techniques, and the interconnection of them all, Cognitive Neuroscience. These various approaches to data and theory will be used to provide a survey of current issues in the correlates between language use and specific brain areas and functions. We will not attempt to cover all current research in the field - no course could come close to accomplishing this. Instead, we will aim to give students a sense of what the major issues are, and how researchers currently address them.

The issue central to this course will be whether we can find in the brain areas with functions that match the ones used by psycholinguists when analysing linguistic tasks.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Normally Psychology Methodology 1 (U00651) or equivalent.

? Prohibited combinations : Cognitive Neuroscience of Language (MSc Informatics)

? Costs : None

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Psychology, (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, Schedule I)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 5 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Friday	14:00	15:50	Central

? Additional Class Information : Weeks 1-6.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of these lectures, students should have some knowledge of the fundamentals of brain neuroanatomy and have an overview of the most prevalent neuropsychological disorders.

They should have gained a solid base of knowledge about the various study methods used in cognitive neuroscience (case studies of brain-damaged patients, experimental approach, functional neuroimaging techniques.

They should be able to distinguish and critically evaluate the contribution that each of the fields (cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, computational modelling, and brain-imaging) makes to the study of the question of the correlates between brain and language. They should be able to assess why neuroscientists decided to take a multi-displinary approach by which they obtain evidence of different sorts to address their questions.

They should have an appraisal of the major issues in the domain of brain and language and they should be able to discuss the relevance of studies involving brain imaging for psycholinguistic theories. They will not be required to know the minutiae of each experiment we consider, but rather to understand the Big Picture: to explain why the questions we consider are important; to understand how those questions have been (or could be) answered; and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence which bears on those questions.

They should be able to discuss the issue of the correlates between language functions and brain areas at three levels (a) Can we isolate brain areas with very specific functions, as for instance a word-form area? (b) Is there evidence for independent components, modular in nature, for the processing of syntax and semantics? (c) Is there evidence for a processing component dedicated to language of a modular nature, largely encapsulated from other aspects of cognition and behaviour.