CONCEPTS AND LANGUAGE

描述(申请人提供)：本研究的目标是了解思维、感知和语言之间的关系。如果我们通过我们的感觉和运动系统获得大量关于世界的知识，并且这些知识可以用语言表达，那么显而易见的问题是，感觉-运动系统如何与语言联系起来？我们将在事件知识的背景下研究这个问题，事件是通过动词和主题关系在语言中描述的。推动这些研究的中心假设是，简单的空间图式可以在语言之前代表事件。以下具体目标将检验这一一般性假设，并调查这些模式的派生和一般效用： 1)确立事件的概念性知识不同于事件的语言知识。我们将研究左半球和右半球脑损伤的患者，以检验患者可能在语言或语言前概念水平上对事件的知识存在缺陷的假设。2)确定事件的概念性知识是否在空间结构上，以及这种结构是来自文化习惯还是来自偏侧化大脑的特性。正常的美国和以色列受试者(包括那些只读从右到左的语言的受试者)将接受认知行为任务的调查，以确定事件知识背后的空间图式是来自文化习惯还是偏侧化大脑的属性。3)确定大脑专门负责视觉空间处理的区域是否在一定程度上调节了对事件的认识。正常的美国受试者将在几个涉及事件知识的任务上进行功能磁共振实验。这些信息与患者调查中的病变位置数据相结合，将有助于识别参与这一知识的神经基质。4)确定用于表征事件的空间图式是否也服务于其他认知领域。美国和以色列的正常受试者将接受记忆任务的调查，以帮助确定行动方向是否会影响对事件的回忆和识别。 这些研究将促进我们对简单空间图式和事件知识的功能结构和神经中介的理论理解。这些研究将对概念发展和推理的模型具有理论意义，并对失语症患者的治疗具有实际意义。

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.