Language Structure
What is the smallest unit of sound in a language?
Phoneme
What term refers to the ability to recognize speech sounds despite variations in pronunciation?
Speech invariance
What term describes the pauses our eyes make while reading?
Fixations
What theory suggests language processing occurs in distinct, independent modules?
Modularity hypothesis
What brain area is associated with speech production?
Broca’s area
What is the smallest unit of meaning in a language?
Morpheme
What is the term for the phenomenon where we hear a word even when part of the sound is missing?
Phonemic restoration effect
What is the typical span of words processed during a single fixation?
7-9 characters
What model argues that language comprehension involves both syntax and semantics simultaneously?
Interactive processing model
What brain area is linked to language comprehension?
Wernicke’s area
What is the term for the rules governing sentence structure?
Syntax
What theory explains that we recognize speech by comparing it to stored auditory templates?
Template-matching theory
What is the cognitive process of predicting upcoming words in a sentence?
Lexical prediction
What term refers to the mental activation of multiple meanings for an ambiguous word?
Lexical ambiguity
Damage to which area results in difficulty producing fluent speech?
Broca’s aphasia
What component of language deals with meaning in context?
Semantics
What effect demonstrates that visual information influences what we hear?
McGurk effect
What condition affects the ability to read despite normal intelligence and vision?
Dyslexia
What theory explains how word meanings are accessed in a hierarchical structure?
Spreading activation model
What is the condition where individuals speak fluently but with nonsensical meaning?
Wernicke’s aphasia
What is the study of the practical aspects of language use, such as conversation rules?
Pragmatics
What model proposes that speech perception is both top-down and bottom-up?
Interactive activation model
What term describes when a reader goes back to reread previous text?
Regressive saccades
What hypothesis suggests that language influences but does not determine thought?
Linguistic relativity hypothesis
What pathway connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas and is involved in repetition?
Arcuate fasciculus