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。这样的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动作理解的核心特征，结构处理依赖于领域通用能力。然而，到目前为止，动作加工和语言结构之间的相似之处、不同之处和相互依存关系在很大程度上还没有得到探索。这项拟议的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动作和语言处理的发展情况。根据行动生产和行动任务，我们将评估行动和语言中的层级结构的发展是否相互关联。使用fNIRS和EEG，我们将评估大脑对不同复杂性结构的反应，以描述在语言和动作领域中为结构加工服务的神经认知相关。这些结果将为迄今为止尚未解决的问题提供经验证据，即结构复杂性的加工是否具有跨域可比性，以及类似的神经认知机制是否有助于语言和动作中的结构加工。

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.