Brain Signatures of Communication (BraiSiCo)

大量的神经科学研究已经解决了单词和句子的含义如何在大脑活动中显现的问题。然而，由于语言结构可以是不同目的的工具，理解一个词或句子在不同交际语境中可能具有的不同交际功能的机制是至关重要的。语言学语用学理论将这些功能描述为言语行为和交际语境，通过行为的顺序结构、相关的承诺和交际伙伴共享的知识(共同点)来定义这些功能。在这里，我们使用语言-语用大脑理论来模拟与言语行为相关的认知和语言过程及其潜在的神经机制，并通过实验测试结果模型的关键预测。具体的实验将考察在不同的语境中，相同的话语所执行的言语行为的理解和产生的认知和大脑关联。EEG、脑磁图、功能磁共振成像和认知行为测试将被用来寻找言语行为的神经认知相关性，并计划对特殊人群(失语症患者、自闭症患者)进行额外的工作。重点将集中在指令的语言语用范畴的交际行为上，这将与断言和表达进行对比。该项目的主要目的是将特定的言语行为类型及其关键的语言语用成分映射到大脑在空间和时间上的激活模式，并利用这些结果来阐明语言语用理论。

Substantial neuroscience research has addressed the question how the meaning of words and sentences is manifest in brain activity. However, as linguistic structures can be tools for different purposes, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms underlying the different communicative functions a word or sentence can have in different communicative contexts. Linguistic pragmatic theories characterise these functions as speech acts, and the communicative contexts defining them, in terms of sequential structure of actions, related commitments, and knowledge shared by communication partners (common ground). We here use linguistic-pragmatic brain theory to model speech-act related cognitive and linguistic processes and their underlying neuronal mechanisms and experimentally test crucial predictions of the resultant models. Specific experiments will investigate the cognitive and brain correlates of understanding and production of speech acts performed with the same utterances in different contexts. EEG, MEG, fMRI, and cognitive-behavioural testing will be used to find neurocognitive correlates of speech acts, and additional work with special populations (aphasics, autists) is planned. A focus will be on communicative acts from the linguistic-pragmatic category of directives, which will be contrasted with assertives and expressives. The projects main aims are to map specific speech act types and their crucial linguistic-pragmatic components on brain activation patterns in both space and time and to use these results to inform linguistic-pragmatic theory.