Language Hull & Vaid, 2006 Pre-IB

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Recent research shows that the right brain plays more of a supportive role in language than originally thought The environment even has some influence on localization of development

Bilingualism Some studies have concluded – bilingual children who learn two languages simultaneously have smaller vocabularies in each of their languages than monolingual children have in their own language But when their two overlapping vocabularies are added, their total vocab. Is similar to that of children learning a single language

Bilingualism Bilingual and monolingual children are largely similar in the course and rate of their language development Cognitive skills Middle class bilingual subjects who are fluent in both languages tend to score somewhat higher than monolingual subjects on measures of cognitive flexibility, analytical reasoning, selective attention Speed - disadvantage

Bilingualism Age is a significant factor for the ability to learn a second language Earlier is better Acculturation is a second factor that assist with the acquisition of a second language The degree to which a person is socially and psychologically integrated into a new culture Greater acculturation facilitates more rapid acquisition of the new culture’s language Bidirectional approach – Language is not only cognitive processing, but sociocultural and biological factors also play a vital role

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Broca’s Area ? Wernicke’s Area? What do these areas do and where are they located?

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Complex abstract humancognitive processing is possible only with the coordination of many smaller brain regions Damage to a specific part of the brain may lead to deficits in comprehending language (Wernicke’s Area) Does not mean that language comprehension is located in that area only The specific damage is just disruption on one part of the total process Damage to the Wernicke’s area is not sufficient to explain language comprehension problems.

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Reductionist view of localization?

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Popular culture has contributed to the common reductionist view of localization The modern research on localizationdoes not support a strict division Right-Brained

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Acquiring a second language early in life affects brain localization Neuroplasticity explains the differences. Acquiring two languages on or before age 6 stimulates more and different neural pathways than in children who speak just one language and in people who acquire a second language after age 6

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Previous studies showed that the right hemisphere was no important in language processing Hull and Vaid believed the right brain is important Studies suggested that while the left hemisphere was dominant for language processing, the right hemisphere supported the process more than was typically believed

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Meta-analysis?

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Meta-analysis – looks for themes in a large body of studies on the same topic that use different designs Makes sense of a wide range of studies on a topic It organizes hundreds of studies in such a way to make them comparable Researchers conducting meta-analysis create new data by sorting studies into categories Compare the effect size across a wide range of studies to create the best generalizations

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Hull & Vaid Examined 23 studies on a total of 1234 normal monolingual and bilingual participants All studies tested monolinguals and bilinguals speaking the same languages Aim – to see if and under what conditions second language experience affected brain development

Explain One Study Related to Localization of Function in the Brain Important findings of the meta-analysis Early experience appears the key variable Monolinguals and bilinguals who acquired their second language after age 6 showed the most left hemisphere dominance Early bilinguals were bilateral – the closer in time two languages are acquired, the more similar the brain localization There were no significant hemispheric localization differences between the proficient and non-proficient bilinguals