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PubMed2002

Language processing: functional organization and neuroanatomical basis.

Earlier formulations of the relation of language and the brain provided oversimplified accounts of the nature of language disorders, classifying patients into syndromes characterized by the disruption of sensory or motor word representations or by the disruption of syntax or semantics. More recent neuropsychological findings, drawn mainly from case studies, provide evidence regarding the various levels of representations and processes involved in single-word and sentence processing. Lesion data and neuroimaging findings are converging to some extent in providing localization of these components of language processing, particularly at the single-word level. Much work remains to be done in developing precise theoretical accounts of sentence processing that can accommodate the observed patterns of breakdown. Such theoretical developments may provide a means of accommodating the seemingly contradictory findings regarding the neural organization of sentence processing.

Aphasia↗

PubMed2003

Précis of Foundations of language: brain, meaning, grammar, evolution.

The goal of this study is to reintegrate the theory of generative grammar into the cognitive sciences. Generative grammar was right to focus on the child's acquisition of language as its central problem, leading to the hypothesis of an innate Universal Grammar. However, generative grammar was mistaken in assuming that the syntactic component is the sole course of combinatoriality, and that everything else is "interpretive." The proper approach is a parallel architecture, in which phonology, syntax, and semantics are autonomous generative systems linked by interface components. The parallel architecture leads to an integration within linguistics, and to a far better integration with the rest of cognitive neuroscience. It fits naturally into the larger architecture of the mind/brain and permits a properly mentalistic theory of semantics. It results in a view of linguistic performance in which the rules of grammar are directly involved in processing. Finally, it leads to a natural account of the incremental evolution of the language capacity.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed1984

And all the daughters of musick shall be brought low. Language function in the elderly.

Language, including articulated speech and also, communication of ideas in writing, is liable to progressive alteration with advancing years. This process may appear early or late and may advance throughout the presenescent-senescent-senility continuum. An attempt is made to discuss these changes objectively, and from the standpoint of linguistics, their possible bearing upon the more fundamental problem as to the nature of the aging process is mentioned.

Aging↗

PubMed1991

Native and cross-language speech sounds: some perceptual processes.

Using a developmental approach, two aspects of debate in the speech perception literature were tested, (a) the nature of adult speech processing, the dichotomy being along nonlinguistic versus linguistic lines, and (b) the nature of speech processing by children of different ages, the hypotheses here implying in infancy detector-like processes and at age four "adult-like" speech perception reorganizations. Children ranging in age from 4 up to 18 years discriminated native and foreign speech contrasts. Results confirm the hypotheses for adults. It is clear that different processes are operating at different ages; however, more complex processes may come into play around the ages of 6 to 10 years; boys may use different strategies than girls, and with age, a multiplicity of processes may be concurrently active.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Event-related potential indices of semantic priming using masked and unmasked words: evidence that the N400 does not reflect a post-lexical process.

Several authors have contended that the N400 is a reflection of a post-lexical event such as that proposed by Neely and Keefe [J.H. Neely, D.E. Keefe, Semantic context effects on visual word processing: a hybrid prospective/retrospective processing theory, in: G.H. Bower (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Advances in Research and Theory, Vol. 23, Academic Press, New York, 1989, pp. 207-248.], whereby the subject compares the word on the current trial to the "context" provided by the word on the preceding trial [M. Besson, M. Kutas, The many facets of repetition: A cued-recall and event-related potential analysis of repeating words in same versus different sentence contexts, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 19 (5) (1993), 1115-1133; C. Brown, P. Hagoort, The processing nature of the N400: Evidence from masked priming. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 5(1) (1993), 34-44; P.J. Holcomb, Semantic priming and stimulus degradation: Implications for the role of the N400 in language processing, Psychophysiology 30 (1993), 47-61; M.D. Rugg, M.C. Doyle, Event-related potentials and stimulus repetition in indirect and direct tests of memory, in: H. Heinze, T. Munte, G.R. Mangun (Eds), Cognitive Electrophysiology, Birkhauser Boston, Cambridge, MA, 1994]. A study which used masked primes to directly test this possibility has been reported by Brown and Hagoort [C. Brown, P. Hagoort, The processing nature of the N400: evidence from masked priming. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 5(1) (1993), 34-44]. When the primes were masked, no priming effect was observed on the N400. When behavioral data were collected in the same paradigm, from another group of subjects, the usual priming effect on RT was obtained. Considered together, the data from the two groups of subjects indicated that activation of semantic representations had occurred without conscious awareness. As no N400 priming effect was observed, it was suggested that N400 must reflect a post-lexical process. This interpretation, however, is at odds with the findings of other studies which have reported N400 priming effects under conditions where post-lexical processes would not be thought to operate[J. Anderson, P. Holcomb, Auditory and visual semantic priming using different stimulus onset asynchronies: an event-related brain potential study. Psychophysiology 32 (1995), 177-190; J. Boddy, Event-related potentials in chronometric analysis of primed word recognition with different stimulus onset asynchronies, Psychophysiology 23 (1986), 232-245; D. Deacon, T. Uhm, W. Ritter, S. Hewitt, The lifetime of automatic priming effects may exceed two seconds, Cognitive Brain Research 7 (1999), 465-472; P.J. Holcomb, Automatic and attentional process: an event-related brain potential analysis of semantic priming. Brain and Language 35 (1998) 66-85]. The present study replicated Brown and Hagoort using a repeated measures design, a shorter SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony), and a slightly different threshold setting procedure. Significant priming effects were obtained on the mean amplitude of the N400 regardless of whether the words were masked or unmasked. The findings imply that the processing subserving the N400 is not postlexical, since the N400 was manipulated without the subjects being aware of the identity of the words.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Playing God? Moral agency in an emerging world.

Arguments against intervening in nature's ways have been used against many new technologies in the last century. Many of these arguments have employed the metaphor of "playing God." In this essay I briefly review the use of the term "playing God" in recent decades. I then examine the cosmology that lies implicit in this language. My thesis is that the language of "playing God" (or not) overlooks the dynamic, evolutionary nature of world process--the role played by the interdeterminacy of statistical probabilities. I review the notion of "emergent probability" (Lonergan) in order, in the end, to advocate an ethic of risk that both recognizes the dangers of hubris and includes an open and emergent view of creation.

Biotechnology↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of persistent otitis media on language development.

This paper suggests methods for systematically studying the short-term and long-term effects of persistent otitis media with effusion (OME) on language development and educational achievement. First, some suggestions are made about which aspects of language processing should be examined in detail during different periods of development given the nature of the hearing losses usually suffered by children with persistent OME. These aspects are phonological (speech-sound) categorization and rules and lexical (word) retrieval. Second, the factors which can interact with persistent OME to bring about long-term effects (developmental time, duration and degree of hearing loss, socioeconomic status and cognitive competence) are discussed and suggestions made for the design of studies which can examine the effects of interaction of the factors. Finally, a proposal is presented for cross-lag design, regional studies which can provide us with information needed in planning educational intervention.

Achievement↗

PubMed1993

Processing a dynamic visual-spatial language: psycholinguistic studies of American Sign Language.

American Sign Language (ASL) has evolved within a completely different biological medium, using the hands and face rather than the vocal tract and perceived by eye rather than by ear. The research reviewed in this article addresses the consequences of this different modality for language processing, linguistic structure, and spatial cognition. Language modality appears to affect aspects of lexical recognition and the nature of the grammatical form used for reference. Select aspects of nonlinguistic spatial cognition (visual imagery and face discrimination) appear to be enhanced in deaf and hearing ASL signers. It is hypothesized that this enhancement is due to experience with a visual-spatial language and is tied to specific linguistic processing requirements (interpretation of grammatical facial expression, perspective transformations, and the use of topographic classifiers). In addition, adult deaf signers differ in the age at which they were first exposed to ASL during childhood. The effect of late acquisition of language on linguistic processing is investigated in several studies. The results show selective effects of late exposure to ASL on language processing, independent of grammatical knowledge.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2000

Priming in sentence processing: intralexical spreading activation, schemas, and situation models.

A series of eye-tracking experiments investigated priming in natural language understanding. Intralexical spreading activation accounts of priming predict that the response to a target word will be speeded (i.e., primed) when strong associates appear prior to the target. Schema-based priming accounts predict that priming will occur when the target word is a component of an activated schema or script. Situation model accounts predict that priming will occur when a target word can be integrated easily into an evolving discourse representation. In separate experiments, we measured the effect of associated words, synonyms, and identity primes on processing times for subsequently encountered target words. Our designs crossed prime type (e.g., synonyms vs. unassociated words) with semantic plausibility (i.e., the target word was a plausible vs. an implausible continuation of the sentence). The results showed that identity primes, but not associates or synonyms, primed target words in early measures of processing like first fixation and gaze duration. Plausibility effects tended to emerge in later measures of processing (e.g., on total reading time), although some evidence was obtained for early effects of semantic plausibility. We propose that priming in naturalistic conditions is not caused by intralexical spreading activation or access to precompiled schemas.

Eye Movements↗

PubMed2002

Communication mode and the processing of printed words: evidence from readers with prelingually acquired deafness.

The aim of this study was to elucidate how the primary communication background of prelingual deafened readers affects the way they mediate the recognition of written words. A computer-controlled research paradigm (a semantic decision task) asking for the categorization of familiar Hebrew nouns was used to investigate the participants' sensibility to phonological and orthographic manipulations in the target stimuli. Two groups of readers with hearing impairments and a hearing control group participated in the study. Twenty-seven of the participants with deafness (mean grade 6.9) were raised by hearing parents advocating a strict oral approach at home and at school. For an additional 22 students who were deaf (mean grade 6.9), the majority of them children of deaf parents, Israeli Sign Language was the preferred means of communication. The mean grade of the 39 participants in the hearing control group was 6.5. Findings indicate that both the hearing participants and the participants with prelingual deafness who were trained to communicate orally recoded visually presented target words phonologically. No such evidence was found for participants with deafness who were native signers. Although participants from signing backgrounds seemed to generate nonphonological representations of written words, there was no evidence that for them, the absence of recoding to phonology detrimentally affected on their ability to process such representations flexibly. In all, findings suggest a causal link between an individual's processing strategy for some written words and the modal nature of his or her primary language.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1997

Cognitive neuropsychology and developmental disorders: uncomfortable bedfellows.

Cognitive neuropsychology provides a theoretical framework and methods that can be of value in the study of developmental disorders, but the "dissociation" logic at the centre of this approach is not well suited to the developmental context. This is illustrated with examples from specific language impairment. Within the developing language system there is ample evidence for interaction between levels of representation, with modularity emerging in the course of development. This means that one typically is seeking to explain a complex pattern of associated impairments, rather than highly selective deficits. For instance, a selective impairment in auditory processing can have repercussions through the language system and may lead to distinctive syntactic deficits that are seen in written as well as spoken language. Changes in the nature of representations and in the relationships between components of a developing system mean that cross-sectional data at a single point in development may be misleading indicators of the primary deficit. Furthermore, traditional cognitive neuropsychology places a disproportionate emphasis on representational (competence) deficits, with processing (performance) deficits being relatively neglected. Methods for distinguishing these two kinds of impairment are discussed, as well as other approaches for elucidating the underlying nature of developmental disorders.

Child↗

PubMed2006

Effects of retention intervals on receiver operating characteristics in artificial grammar learning.

Current theories of memory suggest that recognition is composed of separate processes of familiarity and recollection (e.g. [Yonelinas, A. P. (2002). The nature of recollection and familiarity: a review of 30 years of research. Journal of Memory and Language, 46, 441-517]). A key feature of these two processes is that they decay, or are forgotten at different rates. The dual-process model has also been useful in understanding artificial grammar learning. We obtained evidence for recollection and familiarity in artificial grammar learning by analyses of receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Furthermore we found that these were dissociated by retention intervals of 14 days. The slope of the zROC curves deviated reliably from 1 immediately after study and increased towards 1 suggesting that recollection contributed to recognition decisions but declined over the 14-day period leaving familiarity as the only basis for recognition. These data show similar patterns to those observed in word-recognition [Gardiner, J. M., & Java, R. I. (1991). Forgetting in recognition memory with and without recollective experience. Memory &Cognition, 19, 617-623; Tunney, R. J. (submitted for publication). Changes in the subjective experience of recognition over time suggest independent processes] and confirm the view that recollection and familiarity are implicated in artificial grammar learning. Moreover, the data confirm the finding that recollection and familiarity-based memory show different patterns of forgetting.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Is autism a G-alpha protein defect reversible with natural vitamin A?

Autism may be a disorder linked to the disruption of the G-alpha protein, affecting retinoid receptors in the brain. A study of 60 autistic children suggests that autism may be caused by inserting a G-alpha protein defect, the pertussis toxin found in the DPT vaccine, into genetically at-risk children. This toxin separates the G-alpha protein from retinoid receptors. Those most at risk report a family history of at least one parent with a pre-existing G-alpha protein defect, including night blindness, pseudohypoparathyroidism or adenoma of the thyroid or pituitary gland. Natural vitamin A may reconnect the retinoid receptors critical for vision, sensory perception, language processing and attention. Autism spectrum disorders have increased from 1 in 10 000 in 1978 to 1 in 300 in some US communities in 1999. Recent evidence indicates that autism is a disorder of the nervous system and the immune system, affecting multiple metabolic pathways.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed1996

Screening, diagnosis, and management of neurogenic dysphagia.

Patients with dysphagia as a result of neurologic disease can be effectively evaluated and managed, particularly if the dysphagia is recognized before any medical complications such as aspiration pneumonia appear. Management can be cost-effective and efficient when assessment not only defines symptoms but their underlying anatomic or physiologic cause and treatment is designed to eradicate the abnormalities in structure or function. The specific nature of the oropharyngeal dysphagia may also point to the nature of the underlying neurologic damage or disease process. Involvement of a speech-language pathologist early in the neurogenic patient's dysphagia care can speed recovery and reduce cost.

Deglutition Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reflections on speech-language therapists' talk: implications for clinical practice and education.

BACKGROUND: Research into the practices of speech-language therapists in clinical sessions is beginning to identify the way communication in clinical interactions both facilitates and potentially impedes the achievement of therapy goals. AIMS: This target article aims to raise the issues that arise from critical reflections on the communication of speech-language therapists for both clinical practice and clinical education of future speech-language therapists. METHODS & PROCEDURES: The paper reviews the past and current literature into the communication of speech-language therapists with their clients and provide examples drawn from the authors' own empirical research. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: It is argued that one cannot assume that the current rhetoric regarding collaborative practice matches what is currently done in clinical work. CONCLUSIONS: This paper calls attention to the need to evaluate critically the processes and nature of acculturation that occurs during the first stages of professional development as a student speech-language therapist through to the ongoing development of professional practice.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1988

Computer system for quantitative evaluation of an electrotactile vocoder for artificial hearing.

A computer-controlled experimental electrotactile vocoder system is designed to evaluate quantitatively the transmission of speech information and to test various design options for tactual vocoders. The system is composed of a digital speech synthesizer, a digital vocoder, a computer-driven electrotactile display, and an adaptive controller for psychophysical experimentation. Samples of continua representing speech contrast types occurring in natural languages are synthesized by systematically manipulating selected subphonemic features. The synthesized speech stimuli are processed using a programmable vocoder and presented to the skin with an electrotactile display belt worn on the abdomen. Transmission of significant speech parameters is quantitatively evaluated using adaptive psychophysical techniques and labeling tests. The system is used to assess the potential of speech transmission through the skin and to evaluate different vocoder configurations and processing techniques for tactual vocoders to be used as artificial hearing devices by the deaf.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI): assessment and treatment procedures used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

The purposes of this study were to identify how individuals with MTBI are assessed, to determine the referral process to and from speech-language pathologists (SLPs), to describe the frequency, structure, and nature of treatment, to identify how individuals with MTBI and their families are educated about the injury and counselled, and to assess current follow-up procedures. One-hundred and forty-three hospital and rehabilitation centre based SLPs from North Carolina and Illinois responded to a survey developed to address these areas of interest. Findings indicated current diagnostic tools used by SLPs lack the sensitivity to detect the subtle cognitive communication deficits associated with MTBI, referral and follow-up procedures are not sufficiently implemented in facilities to meet the growing needs of individuals with MTBI, and SLPs would benefit from increased training regarding the management of individuals with MTBI including educating and counselling patients and their families.

Brain Injuries↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[A critical vision about nursing diagnoses].

This article is an adaptation of a conference by the author in which she planted critical perspectives and questions about nursing diagnoses in order to see these from another viewpoint. The author introduces some new considerations related to the nursing paradigm which recognize the human nature in the treatment process centered on a relationship. This discourse is important from nursing language and practice viewpoints since they make evident basic human process in professional, ethical and practical treatment.

Nursing↗