Mechanisms of Word Retrieval in Spoken Language Production

口语产生中的词检索机制

• 批准号: 1349042
• 负责人: Bradford Mahon
• 金额: $ 23.02万
• 依托单位: University of Rochester
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-03-15 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1349042&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mechanisms; Word; Retrieval; Spoken; Language

Basic questions remain unanswered about the cognitive and neural processes that underlie language processing. One issue that all cognitive and neural theories of language processing must answer is how a speaker is able to quickly and efficiently retrieve a given word during spoken language production, from the tens of thousands of words that she knows. The goal of the proposed research activity is to test hypotheses about i) how the system resolves which word should be uttered, and ii) how the system determines when that word should be selected for speech. The proposed research activity involves a series of experiments in which response latency is used to test hypotheses about the cognitive processes involved in language production. Experiments are conducted with native English speakers at the University of Rochester (USA) as well as with native Italian Speakers at the University of Padova (Italy). In addition, an Electroencephalography (EEG) study of the processes underlying overt language production will be conducted at the University of Padova and a parallel functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study will be conducted at the University of Rochester. These two neural studies will answer basic questions about the temporal and anatomical organization of the processes involved in retrieving words in overt speech production.Fulfillment of the aims of this research activity will address the fundamental nature of the cognitive and neural processes that support word retrieval spoken language production. This will have implications for rehabilitation of language abilities in brain damaged patients, improvement of protocols for facilitating the acquisition of second languages, and will place important constraints on computational models of language processing. Furthermore, undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to participate in an international exchange program to expand their research skills and interests.

关于语言处理基础的认知和神经过程的基本问题仍未得到解答。所有语言处理的认知和神经理论都必须回答的一个问题是，说话者如何能够在口语产生过程中从她所知道的数万个单词中快速有效地检索出给定的单词。拟议研究活动的目标是测试以下假设：i) 系统如何解决应该说出哪个单词，以及 ii) 系统如何确定何时应选择该单词进行语音。拟议的研究活动涉及一系列实验，其中使用响应延迟来测试有关语言产生中涉及的认知过程的假设。实验是在罗彻斯特大学（美国）以英语为母语的人以及帕多瓦大学（意大利）以意大利语为母语的人进行的。此外，帕多瓦大学将进行一项关于显性语言产生过程的脑电图（EEG）研究，罗切斯特大学将进行一项并行功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究。这两项神经研究将回答有关公开语音生成中单词检索过程的时间和解剖组织的基本问题。这项研究活动目标的实现将解决支持单词检索口语生成的认知和神经过程的基本性质。这将对脑损伤患者语言能力的康复、促进第二语言习得的协议的改进产生影响，并对语言处理的计算模型产生重要的限制。此外，本科生和研究生将有机会参加国际交流计划，以扩展他们的研究技能和兴趣。