PHONOLOGICAL AND VISUAL PROCESSING IN DEAF SIGNERS

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The ability to comprehend and produce language stands as a defining characteristic of human cognition. It is this ability which enables the transfer of knowledge and culture within human society. A proper characterization of the human capacity for language is required for the development of interventions which may be used to remediate those individuals who have failed to achieve, or who have lost competence in, a full range of language behaviors (e.g. effective interpersonal communication, reading, writing, etc.). Cognitive psychologists have made great strides in understanding the functional and neural mechanisms underlying the use of spoken language. These studies have led to a wide range of effective educational and clinical programs for enhancing language behaviors. However, equivalent knowledge in the domain of signed languages is lacking. The long-term objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive neurocognitive model of sign language processing derived from behavioral and functional brain-imaging studies. Such a model would have practical educational value; it would guide the development of effective strategies and programs targeted toward improving specific language behaviors in deaf individuals who come from a variety of language backgrounds. It would also benefit basic science, providing insight into how sensory deprivation and early language experience impacts the development of neural systems. Finally, this model would benefit cognitive scientists interested in models of the functional neural specialization underlying human language. The development of a neurocognitive model of sign- language processing will require knowledge from several fronts, as sign language processing lies at the intersection of visual, linguistic, and motor processing domains. Construction of this model will require an understanding of not only the very general functional neural changes that may co-occur in response to early auditory deprivation, but also the modifications and specialization which may be specific to processing a visual-manual language. The current application proposes a hierarchy of studies ranging from the visual- sensory domain to the linguistic.cognitive domain likely to underlie sign language processing. These processing levels have been motivated by recent findings in cognitive neurosciences which argue for neuro-functional differences in the processing of visual movement and form.