Words in the brain’s language: An experimental investigation

Setola, Patrizia; Reilly, Ronan G.

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.12.007

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…At the behavioral level, the links between action and language have been assessed with regard to different aspects of language. For example, the production of syllables (Gentilucci, 2003;Gentilucci, Santunione, Roy, & Stefanini, 2004), words (Bernardis & Gentilucci, 2006) and sentences (Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002;Setola & Reilly, 2005) has been used to explore this action-language relationship. One example is the study by Setola and Reilly (2005), who examined the influence of action execution on verb recognition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and observational practices of unusual actions prime action verb processing

Beauprez

Blandin

Almecija

et al. 2020

Brain and Cognition

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Numerous studies have highlighted a strong relationship between language and sensorimotor processes, showing, for example, that perceiving an action influences subsequent language processing. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that the context in which actions are perceived is crucial to enable this action-language relationship. In particular, action verb processing is facilitated when an action is perceived in its usual context (e.g., someone watering a plant) but not in an unusual context (e.g., someone watering a computer). This difference could be explained in terms of experience; because people always practice actions in accordance with the context, they have no (visual or motor) experience related to the unusual context. The aim of the present study was to test this assumption by assessing and comparing the effect of physical practice and observational learning on the action-language relationship. The results of two experiments showed a facilitation effect of both training methods. Whereas usual actions systematically prime action verb processing, the link between action and language appears for unusual actions only after training by practicing (experiment 1, physical practice) or observing (experiment 2, observational learning). Overall, these findings support the role of experience in the activation of sensorimotor representations during action verb processing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and observational practices of unusual actions prime action verb processing

Beauprez

Blandin

Almecija

et al. 2020

Brain and Cognition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rather, words are tightly connected to the experiences we make with our bodies (Fischer & Zwaan, 2008;Gallese & Lakoff, 2005). Words thus link perception and action to form functional units (Pulvermüller, 2002;Setola & Reilly, 2005) that appear in brain imaging as distributed cortical networks (Macedonia, Müller, & Friederici, 2011). Besides the canonical language areas in yellow (Broca's and Wernicke's regions, auditory cortex) the network for orange comprises areas processing and storing visual information of different types (odor, taste, color, shape, etc.…”

Section: Journal Of Studies In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three Good Reasons Why Foreign Language Instructors Need Neuroscience

Macedonia

2013

JSE

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In the last three decades, brightly colored images of neural activity in the media have enhanced interest in brain functions. As a result, people have become more aware of the fact that cognition is not simply a black box. Instead, it consists of dynamic systems and mechanisms that respond to stimuli and which educators can exert influence on. In this paper the author shows how three areas of neuroscience are of crucial importance for L2 instruction. First a brief overview of studies is provided which show that words are not just encoded as labels for concepts, but rather are stored in brain networks together with the perceptions and actions that are relevant to them. From this point of departure the author goes on to demonstrate that sensorimotor encoding is the natural way to learn L2 vocabulary. Secondly, the concept of mirror neurons is introduced. They represent the neurobiological basis for imitation and are therefore essential for learning, particularly for the acquisition of languages. Thirdly, the author deals with brain maturation and elucidates its effects on L2-learning proficiency at different ages. These three lines of evidence suggest that knowledge of brain mechanisms is crucial for language teachers. Briefly stated, the aim of this paper is to help to bridge the gap between language instruction and neuroscience.

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A review of cell assemblies

Huyck

Passmore

2013

Biol Cybern

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Since the cell assembly (CA) was hypothesised, it has gained substantial support and is believed to be the neural basis of psychological concepts. A CA is a relatively small set of connected neurons, that through neural firing can sustain activation without stimulus from outside the CA, and is formed by learning. Extensive evidence from multiple single unit recording and other techniques provides support for the existence of CAs that have these properties, and that their neurons also spike with some degree of synchrony. Since the evidence is so broad and deep, the review concludes that CAs are all but certain. A model of CAs is introduced that is informal, but is broad enough to include, e.g. synfire chains, without including, e.g. holographic reduced representation. CAs are found in most cortical areas and in some sub-cortical areas, they are involved in psychological tasks including categorisation, short-term memory and long-term memory, and are central to other tasks including working memory. There is currently insufficient evidence to conclude that CAs are the neural basis of all concepts. A range of models have been used to simulate CA behaviour including associative memory and more process- oriented tasks such as natural language parsing. Questions involving CAs, e.g. memory persistence, CAs' complex interactions with brain waves and learning, remain unanswered. CA research involves a wide range of disciplines including biology and psychology, and this paper reviews literature directly related to the CA, providing a basis of discussion for this interdisciplinary community on this important topic. Hopefully, this discussion will lead to more formal and accurate models of CAs that are better linked to neuropsychological data.

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Words in the brain’s language: An experimental investigation

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

Physical and observational practices of unusual actions prime action verb processing

Physical and observational practices of unusual actions prime action verb processing

Three Good Reasons Why Foreign Language Instructors Need Neuroscience

A review of cell assemblies

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