COGS 154 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Jargon, Language Testing, Aphasia
18 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
An acquired impairment of language underlying production and/or comprehension & caused by damage to areas of the brain that are primarily responsible for language function. Aphasia, by itself, leaves non-language processes of reasoning, attention, memory, general intelligence, etc. , supposedly intact. Two (major historical) types: broca"s aphasia, wernicke"s aphasia. In the mid 1800"s, paul broca met a patient who had lost his ability to speak except for one word: tan Autopsy performed after the patient passed away --> a lesion in the left inferior frontal area. Broca claimed that this was the brain area for speech. In addition to broca, wernicke was researching the link between brain and language. He noticed that the brains of some patients with a different language disorder were damaged in a different spot. 1860s to 1960s: aphasia was typically broken down into nonfluent & fluent types and presumed to have underlying deficits in motor & sensory processing, respectively.
