Cognition, language, and brain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cognition, language, and brain - Essay Example As the brain develops, language skills are modified to a significant degree depending on particular outside influences. Therefore, â€Å"both genetic and environmental influences may contribute in varying degrees to the final shaping of the dyslexic brain† (Lishman, 2003). Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed or understood as a specific disorder which has led to misunderstandings within the scientific community and the public regarding the condition which this discussion attempts to clarify. An example of the non-specific nature of dyslexia centers on an argument regarding which part of the brain most affects the condition. Though it is widely accepted that the left hemisphere of the brain controls verbal functions and positron emission tomography scans have confirmed this assessment, others, such as Price et al (1998) hypothesize that â€Å"reading aloud involves a large number of cognitive processes including, at a minimum, visual and orthographic analysis, phonological retrieval, articulation, and hearing the sound of the spoken word† (Price et al, 1998, p. 305). Price went on to say deficits associated with dyslexia â€Å"might be the hallmarks of exclusive reliance on a right-hemisphere†¦the reading of dyslexics rely exclusively on a right-hemisphere† (Price et al, 1998, p. 305). Some type of right-hemisphere mechanism involving reading comprehension is necessary to be able to read aloud if any one of the left-sided functions such as processing s tages, orthographic, semantic or phonological functions is not capable of operating normally. That the emotional and creative side of the brain plays some type of role in reading comprehension can hardly be disputed. For example, if a child is upset or they prefer to draw animal figures from letters instead of pronouncing them, the ability to read coherently may be slowed somewhat as compared to classmates. Dyslexia concerns many facets of brain function. However, it