Analogical representation and language structure

Neuropsychologia
G GeminianiM L Rusconi

Abstract

Severe impairment of the analogue of mental representation is not compensated for by putative language-based cognitive processes in non-dysphasic brain-damaged patients. This undermines the hypothesis of an independent role for language in the generation of thought. Against this view it may be contended that there seems to be no obvious way in which analogical mental representation can decide between alternative syntactical structures available for the expression of thought. We performed a visual imagery experiment in which we asked 40 subjects to imagine visual scenes representing the meanings of simple utterances presented to them. The subjects then had to indicate the relative position, in each visual image, of two objects mentioned in each utterance. Series of utterances were presented differing syntactically (active or passive phrase) and semantically (specifying in different ways the spatial and temporal relations between the objects mentioned). The results of this mental imagery experiment indirectly support the hypothesis that syntactical structures can be represented in a nonlinguistic analogue medium.

References

Jan 1, 1976·Brain and Language·A CaramazzaD DeLuca
Jan 1, 1987·Neuropsychologia·M Grossman, S Haberman
Nov 1, 1969·Journal of Experimental Psychology·H H Clark
Apr 1, 1995·Cognition·W G Hayward, M J Tarr
Oct 21, 2000·Progress in Neurobiology·G Kerkhoff

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Citations

Mar 20, 2002·Neuropsychologia·Anna M BarrettKenneth M Heilman
Jun 26, 2008·Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·Anna M Barrett, Catherine E Craver-Lemley
Jun 17, 2003·Psychological Science·Anne Maass, Aurore Russo

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