Languages I / Language in the Brain
Practice question · Sort into groups

Sort each source of evidence about language in the brain by whether it is LESION-based or NON-LESION.

Groups: Lesion evidence · Non-lesion evidence

Hints
  1. One column depends on something having gone wrong.
  2. The Wada test anaesthetises temporarily rather than damaging.
Show the answer

Lesion evidence: Broca's 1861 patient, Conduction aphasia after damage to a connecting tract, Recovery patterns after stroke

Non-lesion evidence: Functional imaging during sentence reading, The Wada test before surgery, Event-related potentials to anomalous words

Why

The distinction matters because the two kinds of evidence answer different questions. A lesion shows what is necessary; imaging shows what is engaged, which is a much weaker claim, a region can activate during a task without being required for it.

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