Yao-Ying Lai & Michiru Makuuchi | Brain mechanisms of semantic/pragmatic processing of sentences

Leipzig Lectures on Language

  • Datum: 02.06.2021
  • Uhrzeit: 15:00 - 16:30
  • Vortragende(r): Yao-Ying Lai & Michiru Makuuchi
  • Ort: MPI für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften
  • Raum: Zoom Meeting
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have characteristic problems in pragmatic processing of language. We hypothesize that the differences of ASD from typically development (TD) in comprehension of a sentence stem from the difference in cognitive style, specifically in that of reasoning. To build the more focused research questions, we embrace the dual process account (DPA, Evans 2003, Trends in Cognitive Sciences) that postulates two distinct reasoning systems: the system 1 is evolutionary old domain-specific system, while the system 2 is human-unique domain general system. We try to relate the results of our recent semantic/pragmatic behavioral and fMRI experiments to the theory using Autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) of TD participants. One fMRI study, led by Dr Ma Qiong, was on the neural mechanisms of pain evaluation on a single short sentence. The study revealed contrasting brain responses to two semantically distinct types of sentences. Yao-Ying Lai will discuss the neurocognitive mechanisms of semantic composition in temporal interpretation, probed via self-paced reading and fMRI.
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