Neurolinguistic BaseS

Originated in: 1960's

Scientists/Theorists Related to Base: 

1. Lenneberg (1960's) -  Formed the Critical Period Hypothesis theory and believed that we are born with language abilities, but we must learn it before puberty or our ability to learn diminishes.

2. Chomsky (1960's) - Hypothesized that people are born with a natural set of rules called 'Universal Grammar' which can be learned at any age with the right environment.

3. Bloom (1970's) - Believed that language is a reflection of how children understand and interpret their non-linguistic knowledge. Learning a language requires effort, but a child's interaction with their surroundings encourages them to put in that effort.

4. Fodor (1980's) - Argued that human language can be classified as a module - a distinct and specialized mental organ that has developed to process specific information.

5. Bates (1990's) - Believed language acquisition and other forms of development are not based on specific brain modules but on a range of broader mental abilities such as visual, motor, and concentration skills. For example, people are able to drive cars because of the combination of these skills, not because of a specific driving module in their brain.

6. Pinker & Jackendoff (1990's) - Believes every language is based on a universal grammar inherent in the human brain, and he disagrees with the idea that we are born with empty minds.

Language is an innate ability in humans. Our brains are built to learn language!

Many parts of our brains coordinate and work together to produce and understand language. Although our brains are not completely compartmentalized, certain processes are more strongly correlated to specific parts of the brain. 

If certain parts of the brain are not developed correctly for any reason, there's any damage, there's a  disease, or brain damage due to trauma, there is a likelihood that the child might present with language difficulties. 

Critical Period Hypothesis: It is important a child is exposed to language and many social opportunities in their first few years of life so that the areas of the brain that are critical for language properly develop. Although it is possible to gain language after this period, without any language input, it would be much more difficult

Humans have an incredible system of language!

The human brain is elaborate from thousands of years of evolution that led to humans having this complex language system. We have advanced neural networks working to create meaningful connections from the external input they get from senses, connecting each area of the brain to create speech and language. Mechanisms in the brain allow us to use these connections and strengthen the important ones needed in our surroundings. Each system or function has its own job, but together, they work to create the incredible system of language that we all use one way or another!

Neurolinguistic Bases: 

Basic Information Processes

Originated in the 1950's & 60's

Scientists Related to Base:

• George Armitage Miller - Developed the Information Processing Theory that used computer processing as a metaphor for how the human brain works. He was also one of the original founders of cognition studies.

• Richard Shiffrin - Developed the Atkinson-Shiffrin model (multi-store model/modal model) which is a memory model that says the human memory has three components: short-term store, long-term store, and sensory register.

• Richard Atkinson - Developed the Atkinson-Shiffrin model (as noted above).

• Charles Osgood - His model builds on the theory that we communicate in a two-way street with a sender and receiver in conversation taking turns. Suggested that communication is not linear but is instead circular. Also suggested that the language acquisition process involved coding and decoding of psychological structure in a language.

How does information processing describe the nature of language?

• Attending- listening and paying attention

• Encoding- taking in those words 

• Storing - entering memory (short or long term)

• Retrieving - the ability to bring them into awareness at a later time 

When participating in conversation with a communication partner we are using all of these processes at once. In order for us to engage in conversation, make comments, or ask questions we must be attending, encoding, storing, and retrieving information at the same time. These executive functioning skills allow us to divide cognitive resources and focus on several things at once. 

What your base suggests about why humans might be particularly gifted at language?

• Support for Innate Language

  • Osgood proposed that language areas in the brain have crucial or sensitive times for human language development.

  • Sensitive Period

  • There is a development window that corresponds to the maturation of a certain portion of neuroanatomy/neurophysiology, where language skills in humans are learned via a sensory and/or motor capacity. 

• Neural Plasticity

The brain's malleability: 

Synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning enable the brain to organize and remodel itself. This is observed in two situations:

1. Expectant plasticity: brain modifications that develop as a result of typical sensitivity periods and exposure (i.e. brain structures prepared for particular kinds of input).

2. Experience-dependent plasticity: changes in the brain that occur as a result of exposure to certain events and information (individually).

With age and input, the capacity for plasticity in the brain varies. 

What do basic information processes suggest about language disorders?

As Charles Osgood researched, communication is not linear but circular, incorporating language processing, use, and development. The language acquisition process involves coding and decoding the structure of language, which suggests breakdown or difficulty acquiring information can happen at any level. The steps for acquiring language depend on underlying cognitive skills such as visual and auditory memory, visual reception and association, and auditory discrimination and closure.

References

G. Schwartz (Ed.) (2009).  Handbook of Child Language Disorders (pp. 201-215).  New York, NY: Psychology Press. 

Cognitive/Perceptual Bases: 

Piaget's Stages

Socio-Communicative Bases: 

The role of Play

Mildred Parten Newhall was a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota. In 1932, she completed a study that created  the stages of play development in children. The six stages are solitary play (0-2 years), spectator and parallel play (2-3 years), associate play (3-4 years) and cooperative play (4-6 years).

Toys and Activities to Support Play Development 

Why is Play Important to Language Development?

  There is a relationship between cognition and language. Westby (1980) explains that the development of cognition is vital to the development of language in which good cognitive skills drive meaningful and purposeful language skills for communication. During play, a child is required to mentally represent reality using toys in a symbolic way such as playing with a doll to represent a baby. These symbolic play skills are not adequate to develop abstract language skills but they are the prerequisites or building blocks in which children will develop meaningful communication skills.  

Westby, E., Carol. (1980). Assessment of cognitive and language abilities through play. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 11(3), 154-168. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461.1103.154. 

Why might humans be particularly gifted at language? 

Play becomes more complex with age, therefore the language included becomes more complex as well. Through the various stages of play, a child is soaking in a lot of the language and interactions that are happening around them. Children will be able to apply this language during more complex play later on. A child might be particularly gifted at language if they are able to watch and absorb all of the interactions happening around them to be able to use when the time comes. In addition, having the ability to observe what is happening around them gives the child more opportunities and access to grow their language. 

What does socio-communicative play suggest about language disorder?

There is a lot to be said about a child that interacts and engages with kids around them. It provides them with social skills such as turn-taking, pretend or imaginative play, or sharing of materials that otherwise aren't specifically taught. Socio-communicative play is designed as stages of development, with age there are more complex interactions and knowledge being built. In the first six years of a child's life, their play goes from primarily independent to working with their peers on shared activities and games. Children with autism often have difficulty joining in with their peers to play or are overwhelmed with the idea. Around age 3-4, children should be interacting with their peers and completing shared activities. If some of these actions are not happening it could lead to further questions and concerns about their social developments regarding play.

Socio-Communicative Bases: 

Joint Attention

Joint attention refers to the ability of two or more individuals to share and coordinate attention around a central object, event, or topic. Joint attention is a fundamental social-communicative skill that typically develops in infancy (usually emerging at around 6 months) and plays a crucial role in human communication and social interactions. The idea of joint attention was first described by three researchers: Vygotsky, Adamson, and Chance.