CONCEPTS AND LANGUAGE

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议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了关于世界的大量知识，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在一起？我们将在事件知识的背景下考察这个问题，这些事件在语言中由动词和主题关系描述。这些研究的核心假设是，简单的空间图式可以代表事件的“前语言”。下面的具体目标将测试这个一般假设，并调查这些图式的推导和一般效用： 1)建立事件的概念知识不同于事件的语言知识。我们将对左右半球脑损伤的患者进行研究，以检验以下假设：患者可能在语言或前语言概念水平上对事件的知识存在缺陷。2)确定事件的概念知识是否是空间结构化的，以及这种结构是否来自文化习惯或来自侧化大脑的特性。正常的美国和以色列受试者（包括那些只阅读从右到左的语言）将被调查的认知行为任务，以确定是否空间图式事件知识的基础是来自文化习惯或属性的偏侧化的大脑。3)为了确定大脑中专门用于视觉空间处理的区域是否部分介导了对事件的知识。正常的美国受试者将在功能磁共振成像实验中进行调查，涉及事件的知识的几个任务。这一信息与来自患者调查的病变位置数据相一致，将有助于识别介导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。正常的美国和以色列受试者将被调查的记忆任务，以帮助确定是否行动的方向影响回忆和识别的事件。 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.