Discussion: Expressive vs. Receptive Language Systems
Discuss the difference between expressive and receptive language systems, focusing on neuroanatomical substrates. What types of language impairments would be seen with damage to the different brain areas? How is acquired damage to those areas functionally different from developmental language delays? When responding to your peers, think about the ways humans rely on language, and address additional ways language disruption can affect daily functioning.
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AFTER COMPLETING THE INITIAL POST, PLEASE ALSO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING TWO STUDENTS REGARDING THE SAME TOPIC!
STUDENT ONE:
The ability to understand language is critical skill needed for proper development. Receptive language relates to the ability to understand information. It involves understanding the words, sentences and meaning of what is read/said. Wernicke’s area is the part of the brain that is important for language development and understanding speech. It is located in the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain and is responsible for the comprehension of speech.
Broca’s area is related to the production of speech. Expressive language refers to the ability of converting thoughts into words and sentences in a way that makes sense with proper grammar. The circuit that subcortically connects these two areas id called the arcuate fasciculus (Carlson & Birkett, 2017). Since these areas work together to understand and produce language, if any of these areas are damaged, the loss of speech may occur in some form, referred to as aphasia. Wenicke’s aphasia has intact speech fluency, but difficulty in comprehension, whereas Broca’s aphasia shows impaired speech production, but comprehension is intact. In the latter situation, the person may become frustrated at their inability to convey their thoughts, since their working memory is clear.
Language disorders surrounding reading and writing can occur as a result of biology, not just from a physical injury to the brain. Dyslexia, for instance, is a common learning disorder in which a person has difficulty reading, which is caused by disruptions in the rear reading system in the left hemisphere. Children with dyslexia are at a higher risk of developing depression and other mental issues, perhaps because the frustration they experience during reading exercises (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014).
Humans rely on language for every aspect of their lives. Understanding language is critical in daily life. Some activities that require language include: reading street signs and signals, listening to and understanding directions, communicating with others verbally and by writing, and even something as minuscule as ordering coffee. A woman I know had a stroke a few years ago, and she lost her ability to speak. She can understand people speaking perfectly, however she can never contribute to the conversations any more. You can tell it makes her sad and stressed, since she is still “all there” mentally. Similar stress can be a result of children getting frustrated with reading. Stress typically creates avoidance, and cognitive capacity decreases, as anxiety increases.
References
Carlson, N.R. & Birkett, M.A. (2017). Physiology of Behavior (12th ed). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2014). Developmental psychology: childhood and adolescence. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
STUDENT TWO:
Receptive language is the capability to understand words and gestures. Expressive language is the capability to convey thoughts and ideas by using words and sentences. Understanding the incoming information typically consists of the optic nerve and other nerve groupings send signals from the eyes to the visual cortex. When touching something, one is using the sensory cortex, and when listening to someone speak; the auditory cortex is in use (Carlson & Birkett, 2017).
The angular gyrus in the parietal lobe, Wernicke’s area, insular cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum all help the brain understand the information coming in. The angular gyrus gathers the information to help one identify words and ideas. Wernecke’s area works with angular gyrus, insular cortex, and basal ganglia to manage words and word structures to establish context and meaning. The insular cortex is in charge of motor control, emotion and self-awareness, and processing of language. Broca’s area is essential for forming and expressing language. If there is damage to these areas in the brain, the functions they are responsible for will be impaired. The extent of the impairment would depend on how sever the damage is and how many areas in the brain is damaged (Carlson & Birkett, 2017).
Abbott (2016) used the example of a person wanting to share a message, first the person needs to think of the words they would like to share, articulate the words into a sentence, then use their lungs, vocal cords and mouth to create sounds. Areas in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes communicate what the person wants to say and the motor cortex, in the frontal lobe allows the person to speak the words.
When we are young, our brain is very pliable. For example, when one part of a child’s brain is injured, another part can learn to take over some of the lost function. When we get older our brain has to work harder to make new neural connections, making it harder to master new tasks or changeset behavior patterns (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2017). How much functionality a child may regain after an injury to their brain depends on the severity of damage to the brain, the age of the child and how much of the brain has developed. When a child has developmental language delays, typically if those delays are caught early, and the child receives therapy, there is a good possibility they can catch up with their peers and meet future milestones. In both cases, the end results of gaining full function depend on the condition and age of the child.
