概念是人类认知系统核心成分，个体知识获得主要是新概念的学习、原有概念表征的更新。研究概念学习的心理与脑基础对于理解人类知识建构至关重要。虽然学习和记忆是认知神经科学研究热点方向，但考虑到概念特点（范畴特异性、通道特异性、抽象于获得时间地点）的研究极少。本项目组建跨学科队伍，基于前期概念加工认知神经机制的工作基础，系统研究概念学习的脑基础。研究一通过比较健康被试不同范畴概念学习前后的多模态脑数据改变，初步构建概念学习的脑网络基础，并探讨不同范畴概念学习的普遍性和特异性；研究二利用先天盲人和先天聋人被试考察特定感知觉经验学习通道对概念学习神经机制的影响。本项目总体目标是揭示概念学习的普遍性和范畴特异性认知与脑基础。

Concepts are the basic elements of human cognition and are highly dynamic. The acquisition of new concepts and updates of existing conceptual representations is central to individuals' cognitive development. While learning and memory is a main area of cognitive neuroscience, the learning mechanisms are rarely studied taking into consideration of properties of the conceptual system, including the different underlying mechanisms for representing different modalities and domains of conceptual knowledge. In two lines of studies, we plan to tackle systematically, the potential domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms for concept learning: 1) the brain changes associated with healthy individuals learning six different domains of concepts; 2) the brain mechanisms underlying learning through different modalities, comparing populations with sensory deprivations of specific modalities (congenitally blind or deaf individuals). The convergent findings across the two lines of research will elucidate the neural mechanisms for new concept acquisition. The applicant and the team has rich experience in human concept research, with a publication track record on highly related topics in major journals, and are supported by institutions with full facilities for relevant researches.