PSYC303
Brain Structures and Functions: Music and Languages
PSYC303
Cognitive Psychology
American Military University
I remember going to school in Brazil, and both my science teachers loved immersing
themselves regarding to how powerful and truly complex the brain and nervous systems were,
they would often remind us that they are the most curious and important organs in our body, even
when compared to the heart. The brain unanimously controls how we perceive the world, how
our dreams develop, how we learn. The brain is responsible for how we view life before us,
currently, and after! Admittedly, organs manage and oversee our consciousness and
subconsciousness, rarely do we solemnly consider how it functions, operates and allows us to
develop. Honestly, I personally speak multiple languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
and I can read French), I have never stopped to consider how the brain digests this and gives me
the ability to understand them. Even when it comes to reading music, or dancing to them in a
choreography, my ignorance never considered how I can absorb this and regurgitate it back into
existence. What I intend to accomplish, is for this paper to examine two learned activities and
immerse regarding to specific brain structure and/or functions the allow or impede the
mentioned learned activities. The sequence will be presented as such, the first activity will be
regarding the playing of a musical instrument (piano), the second activity will be regarding
languages. I intend on detailing and identifying the functions and their structure involved in
each activity, then I would like to explain how they help us obtain new skills with various
cognitions.
, Language acquisition is the intricate linguistic skill that humans developed and which in turn
has set us apart from other animals. Now, there are species in which they use a finite amount
vocal variance, there are no species known that can express themselves like we can. To gain a
better understanding of how languages work as a part of cognition, we must truly understand
our foundation of how we communicate. When asked how communication is measured, the
common reply would be “an exchange of words”. When learning a new language, especially as
an adult, we must be able to read, then recognize the words, digest the sentences/phrases and then
respond adequately.
For children, this process is eerily similar however, it is financed. This is due to children
learning from a variation of their home environment (family) and ambiance (surroundings).
In its essence, now I know why I cannot use profanity around children, they do not solely learn
by one means, as a matter of fact they rely heavily on observational learning. When considering
how children learn their native tongue, their language acquisition is conducted informally. Just
like anything else, once the foundation has solidified, they will gradually build upon the prior
teachings until they can graduate and move into more intricate aspects of language learning.
Learning a language whether it be your native tongue or a secondary, requires more than simply
remembering how to develop sentences and its vocabulary. This ability alone requires thought,
speech development, memory and even emotions. More importantly, we require reciprocity
between a multitude of parts within our brain and nervous system, safe to assume the brain and
its nervous system is our “hub”. The central hub consists of both nervous and peripheral nervous
systems. The central hub or system consists of the spinal cords and the brain, meanwhile
the peripheral system is a unique network that travels through parts of the body. It
Brain Structures and Functions: Music and Languages
PSYC303
Cognitive Psychology
American Military University
I remember going to school in Brazil, and both my science teachers loved immersing
themselves regarding to how powerful and truly complex the brain and nervous systems were,
they would often remind us that they are the most curious and important organs in our body, even
when compared to the heart. The brain unanimously controls how we perceive the world, how
our dreams develop, how we learn. The brain is responsible for how we view life before us,
currently, and after! Admittedly, organs manage and oversee our consciousness and
subconsciousness, rarely do we solemnly consider how it functions, operates and allows us to
develop. Honestly, I personally speak multiple languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
and I can read French), I have never stopped to consider how the brain digests this and gives me
the ability to understand them. Even when it comes to reading music, or dancing to them in a
choreography, my ignorance never considered how I can absorb this and regurgitate it back into
existence. What I intend to accomplish, is for this paper to examine two learned activities and
immerse regarding to specific brain structure and/or functions the allow or impede the
mentioned learned activities. The sequence will be presented as such, the first activity will be
regarding the playing of a musical instrument (piano), the second activity will be regarding
languages. I intend on detailing and identifying the functions and their structure involved in
each activity, then I would like to explain how they help us obtain new skills with various
cognitions.
, Language acquisition is the intricate linguistic skill that humans developed and which in turn
has set us apart from other animals. Now, there are species in which they use a finite amount
vocal variance, there are no species known that can express themselves like we can. To gain a
better understanding of how languages work as a part of cognition, we must truly understand
our foundation of how we communicate. When asked how communication is measured, the
common reply would be “an exchange of words”. When learning a new language, especially as
an adult, we must be able to read, then recognize the words, digest the sentences/phrases and then
respond adequately.
For children, this process is eerily similar however, it is financed. This is due to children
learning from a variation of their home environment (family) and ambiance (surroundings).
In its essence, now I know why I cannot use profanity around children, they do not solely learn
by one means, as a matter of fact they rely heavily on observational learning. When considering
how children learn their native tongue, their language acquisition is conducted informally. Just
like anything else, once the foundation has solidified, they will gradually build upon the prior
teachings until they can graduate and move into more intricate aspects of language learning.
Learning a language whether it be your native tongue or a secondary, requires more than simply
remembering how to develop sentences and its vocabulary. This ability alone requires thought,
speech development, memory and even emotions. More importantly, we require reciprocity
between a multitude of parts within our brain and nervous system, safe to assume the brain and
its nervous system is our “hub”. The central hub consists of both nervous and peripheral nervous
systems. The central hub or system consists of the spinal cords and the brain, meanwhile
the peripheral system is a unique network that travels through parts of the body. It
