CONCEPTS AND LANGUAGE

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed research is to understand the relationship between thought, perception and language. If we derive considerable knowledge of the world through our sensory and motor systems and this knowledge can be expressed in language, then the obvious question is how are sensory-motor systems linked to language? We will examine this question in the context of knowledge of events, which are described in language by verbs and thematic relations. The central hypothesis driving these studies is that simple spatial schemas can represent events 'pre-linguistically'. The following specific aims will test this general hypothesis and investigate the derivation and general utility of these schemas: 1) To establish that conceptual knowledge of events is distinct from linguistic knowledge of events. We will study patients with left and right hemisphere brain damage to test the hypotheses that patients may have deficits of knowledge of events at either a linguistic or a pre linguistic conceptual level. 2) To determine if conceptual knowledge of events is structured spatially and whether this structure derives from cultural habits or from properties of a lateralized brain. Normal US and Israeli subjects (including those that only read a right-to-left language) will be investigated on cognitive behavioral tasks, to ascertain if the spatial schemas that underlie event knowledge are derived from cultural habits or properties of a lateralized brain. 3) To determine if brain regions dedicated to visual-spatial processing in part mediate knowledge of events. Normal US subjects will be investigated in fMRI experiments on several tasks involving knowledge of events. This information in concert with lesion location data from patient investigations will help identify the neural substrate mediating this knowledge. 4) To determine whether spatial schemas used to represent events also serve other cognitive domains. Normal US and Israeli subjects will be investigated on memory tasks to help determine if directions of action influence recall and recognition of events. The proposed studies will advance our theoretical understanding of the functional architecture and neural mediation of simple spatial schemas and knowledge of events. These studies will have theoretical implications for models of conceptual development and reasoning and practical implications for the treatment of aphasic patients.