Descripción y contextualización de la asignatura

Neuropsychological assessment; Production deficits; Agrammatism; Comprehension deficits, Single case studies vs. group studies; Language deficits in dementia

Temario

How can language processes be affected by neurological impairments? What can we learn from the study and the systematic analysis of brain-damaged patients and neurological patients with dementia? Why are cross-linguistic studies of language disorders crucial for the development of neurocognitive sciences?

This course aims to address these issues by first giving an overview of the classic neuropsychological approach to assess and investigate acquired language deficits. We will study neurological patients with deficits selectively affecting a given language function (e.g., oral naming or reading, semantic or grammatical processing). The systematic analyses of language deficits can be used to constrain models of language processing and to develop theories about the functional architecture of language mechanisms in the brain.

Bibliografía

Materiales de uso obligatorio

Each class will have assigned readings (primarily textbook chapters and articles from scientific journals). You are expected to come to class having read the chapters/articles assigned for class.

Bibliografía básica

Coltearth, M. (2001). Assumptions and methods in cognitive neuropsychology. In B. Rapp (Ed.), Cognitive neuropsychology, Psychology Press.

McCloskey, M. (2001). The future of cognitive neuropsychology. In B. Rapp (Ed.), Cognitive neuropsychology, Psychology Press.

Dell, G. S. (1990). Effects of frequency and vocabulary type on phonological speech errors. Language and Cognitive Processes, 5, 313-349.

Rapp, B., & Goldrick, M. (2000). Discreteness and interactivity in spoken word production. Psychological Review, 107, 460-499.

Posner, M. I., & Raichle, M. E. (1994). Images of mind. Scientific American Library. Chapters 3, 4, and 5.

Indefrey, P., & Levelt, W. J. M. (2000). The neural correlates of language production. In M. Gazzaniga (Ed.), The new cognitive neurosciences. MIT Press.

Caplan, D. (1999). Language: structure, processing and disorders. MIT Press.

Caramazza, A. (1997). Cognitive Neuropsychology, 14, 177-208.

Levelt, W.J.M. (1989). Speaking: From intention to articulation. MIT Press.

Rapp (Ed.), Cognitive neuropsychology, Psychology Press.

Levelt, W. J. M., Roelofs, A., & Meyer, A. S. (1999). A theory of lexical access in speech production. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 1-75.

Levelt, W. J. M. (1999). Models of word production. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 223-232.

Pinker, S. (1999). Words and Rules. The ingredients of language. Basic Books.