Understanding structures of different complexity in language and action: Parallels in development and neurocognitive processing across domains

在语言学中，描述不同复杂程度的语言结构有着悠久的传统。这种描述最近也被应用于动作领域。特别是，有人认为，处理层次结构的能力构成了语言和行为理解的核心特征，并且结构处理依赖于领域通用能力。然而，到目前为止，行动处理和语言结构之间的相似之处、差异和相互依存关系在很大程度上尚未得到探索。该项目包括一系列实验，追踪学龄前和成人在不同结构复杂性水平上的行动和语言处理的发展。依靠动作产生和表演任务，我们将评估动作和语言的层次结构的发展是否相互关联。利用近红外光谱和脑电图，我们将评估大脑对不同复杂结构的反应，以描述语言和行动领域的神经认知相关子结构加工。研究结果将为结构复杂性的处理是否具有跨领域的可比性以及类似的神经认知机制是否支持语言和行动中的结构处理提供经验证据。

There is a long tradition in linguistics to describe language structures at different levels of complexity. Such descriptions have recently also been applied to the action domain. In particular, it has been argued that the ability to process hierarchical structures constitutes a core feature of both language and action understanding and that structure processing relies on a domain-general capacity. Yet, the parallels, differences and interdependencies between the processing of action and language structures are so far largely unexplored. The proposed project comprises a series of experiments that trace the development of both action and language processing at different levels of structural complexity across the pre-school period and in adults. Relying on action production and act-out tasks, we will assess whether the development of hierarchical structures in action and language relates to each other. Using fNIRS and EEG, we will assess brain responses to structures of different complexity to describe the neurocognitive correlates subserving structure processing in the language and action domain. Results will provide empirical evidence to the so far unsettled question whether the processing of structural complexity is comparable across domains and whether similar neurocognitive mechanisms subserve structure processing in language and action.