New Quizlet Added: Thinking & Language

Sorry for the delay, but here's the link to the Quizlet on Thinking & Language! From here on out you will be able to find it on the "Commonly Used Course Links" list on the left hand side of the blog.

Talk with a Chat Bot: Ultra Hal

Today in class we conversed with Ultra Hal, a chat bot who is designed to "learn" from the conversations you have with him.

Hal's developers are marketing software that will allow you to "talk" with your computer, much like having a virtual assistant. Apparently, Hal also has a Facebook presence and a character on 2nd Life.

He sounds like a busy guy, but if you want to catch up with him for a brief chat, here's the link!

Dyslexia Info

Today's class discussion and lecture, which featured information about how the brain processes language, sparked many questions about reading and language difficulties, particularly dyslexia.

For those interested in additional information about dyslexia research, the APA website has a number of links to information about the disorder.

For example, this article by Beth Azar describes two areas of difficulty that seem to accompany dyslexia: deficits in phoneme awareness (an inability to distinguish between different basic sounds in language) and slowed processing speed, which may be a more general problem for some (i.e. not limited to just language tasks).

Interestingly, researchers have developed ways for children to overcome some of these processing difficulties using video games. The games systematically train children to distinguish between similar sounding phonemes (e.g. "ba" and "pa"), a task essential for learning reading and writing. This may offer an alternative to costly and time-consuming speech therapy that was previously the popular treatment choice. fMRI scans have revealed changes in brain function following these video treatments.

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) may also be a good source of information for those with further questions.

Here it is! Steven Pinker on "Nature" & Child Development

Here's what I was looking for! A couple years ago Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker made an appearance on The Colbert Report to hype his (at the time) latest book: The Blank Slate. In the book, Pinker makes the case for genetic predispositions in human behavior (both as a species and within individuals).

The interview with Colbert delved into developmental psychology and all the exciting work being done with infants these days. It provides a nice discussion of how crucial the nature-nurture issue is within developmental psychology. And they talk about swearing. Enjoy.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Steven Pinker
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Your Questions Answered: Aphasia, Language & the Brain

Today's discussion of brain areas associated with language use sparked a lot of great questions from my students. Here, an attempt to provide some answers that I didn't have readily available:

• First, a good primer on aphasia, including prevalence rates and types.
• Compare this to dyslexia, another language (reading) impairment that was brought up. In considering the causes of both, dyslexia seems to have much more complicated causal factors (injury, genetics, other organic dysfunction) than aphasia, which is almost always due to injury or stroke.
• Another interesting language-related illness: Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, which is related to abnormal electrical activity (seizures) and occurs in children. This is a much more rare condition and less is known about the causes, as only 160 cases have been reported since 1957.