Phonological representation and speech understanding with cochlear implants in deafened adults

In the present study cognitive performance in 15 deafened adult cochlear implant candidates was examined and related to level of speech understanding after 12 months of experience with the implant. The implant group performed on par with normal hearing controls in all cognitive tasks used in the study with one exception: Performance was significantly lower in cognitive tasks where use of a phonological representation of sound is a key task-demand. Observations of the implanted individuals’ level of speech understanding indicate that only those individuals who, pre-operatively, were in possession of phonological representations comparable to that of normal hearing could follow and understand a speaker that was out of sight. The results are discussed with respect to (a) deterioration in the phonological representation of sounds as a function of absence of external auditory stimulation, and (b) the role of cognitive factors in predicting success in speech understanding with the implant.     

语音与词义激活的相对时间进程:来自儿童发展的证据

本研究从儿童语言发展的角度．在已有研究基础上．进一步考察了汉语视觉字词加工中语音与词义激活的相对时间进程。运用启动命名技术,比较了三年级和六年级儿童在语音和语义启动中的表现。结果发现,三年级和六年级儿童都有语音和语义启动效应,且六年级儿童更为显著。但语义启动和同音启动的促进效应之间没有差异,而同音不同声调启动则可能产生抑制作用。文章探讨了这些发现对汉语视觉字词加工中词义信息提取不同观点的含义。     

发展性阅读障碍的ERP研究

发展性阅读障碍,ERP,语音缺陷假说,Oddball范式。行为实验已经发现,语音能力的缺损是拼音文字发展性阅读障碍的核心。然而近年来行为研究和神经生理学的研究也发现,发展性阅读障碍与基本知觉障碍有关。事件相关电位（event-related potentials ,简称ERP）作为一种独特的电生理学研究手段,从一个更为直观的角度验证了行为实验的结果,推动了发展性阅读障碍的进展。语言认知水平ERP研究表明,发展性阅读障碍者在存在语音加工和信息整合的缺陷。感知觉加工层次的ERP研究结果则不尽一致,有的研究发现,阅读障碍存在着基本的听觉加工缺陷;有的研究则发现发展性阅读障碍存在言语声音加工的缺陷,而对非言语声音的加工与正常读者没有显著差别;有的研究支持大细胞通路受损假说,发现阅读障碍在低对比度和低空间频率上存在视觉加工的缺陷,有的研究结果则没有发现发展性阅读障碍者与正常读者在不同对比度和空间频率上的差异。     

工作记忆中的语音回路与阅读理解的关系

语音回路是Baddeley和Hitch在1974年提出的工作记忆模型中的一个成分。由于语音回路本身的特点,人们联想到它可能和阅读理解这种复杂的认知活动有关系。为此,一些研究者从不同的角度,采用各种研究范式对这一问题进行了探讨。到目前为止,已有的大部分研究都支持语音回路对于阅读理解有作用,但也有少数研究不支持该观点。另外,对于语音回路影响阅读理解的机制问题,也存在着不一致的观点。     

ERP与语言研究

语言加工是连续的、具有多个分析层次的复杂过程。而新近发展起来的ERP技术具有精确的时间分辨率和多维探测指标,可以对语言进行连续的测量,同时对不同层次的分析有不同的敏感指标。该文着重介绍了与语音层次加工有关的ERP成分N200,与语义加工相关的RP和N400,以及与句法加工有关的LAN和P600,以期为语言领域的ERP研究提供启发和帮助作用。     

句子背景下缺失音素的中文听觉词理解的音、义激活进程（Ⅱ）

采用缺失音素的中文双字词为材料,进一步考察了中文听觉词的语音、语义激活进程。共包含两个实验：实验1考察听觉词语音能否同时激活多个与之语音相近的语音、语义结点;实验2考察在听觉词词汇提取后期,是否还存在语音的激活作用。结果表明：⑴中文听觉词的语音能够同时激活与之语音相近的语音、语义结点,这种语音作用在ISI=400ms时处于较低水平;⑵听觉词呈现结束后,语音存在着二次激活现象;⑶对缺失声母的中文听觉词理解后期,除语义背景依赖效应外,还存在明显的语音作用,两者共同作用共同实现对目标词的语义恢复。根据对句子背景下缺失声母的中文听觉词理解的实验结果,作者提出了“中文听觉词理解的激活扩散动态模型”。     

Divine Omniscience: Is God's Foreknowledge at Risk in the Context of Contemporary Science?

Abstract

Does quantum indeterminacy threaten the classical theological doctrine of divine omniscience? Certain popular interpretations of quantum physics have challenged conventional ways of thinking about time and space, being and becoming. Consequently, the traditional doctrine that God knows all things, including future contingent events, has recently come under debate. This paper explores how the way we think about time affects the way we think about God's relation to time. Theologians need to be careful when appropriating scientific theories in their theological reflections because interpretations of those theories often bring along unnecessary metaphysical presuppositions. Using an interpretation of special relativity that focuses on the Lorentz transformation, this paper shows that modern physics does not truly challenge the doctrine of divine foreknowledge. In fact, modern physical theories can actually deepen theological reflection on the classical doctrine of divine omniscience.     

Famous face recognition,face matching,and extraversion

It has been previously established that extraverts who are skilled at interpersonal interaction perform significantly better than introverts on a face-specific recognition memory task. In our experiment we further investigate the relationship between extraversion and face recognition, focusing on famous face recognition and face matching. Results indicate that more extraverted individuals perform significantly better on an upright famous face recognition task and show significantly larger face inversion effects. However, our results did not find an effect of extraversion on face matching or inverted famous face recognition.     

Learning to read and write in Spanish: phonology in addition to which other processes? / Aprendiendo a leer y escribir en español: además de la fonología, ¿qué otros procesos?

Abstract

This study reviews some of the most relevant cognitive skills related to literacy acquisition in Spanish. Beyond the well-known influence of phonological segmental skills, it highlights the growing importance of other cognitive skills needed for acquisition, whether explicit or implicit in nature, to which too little attention has been devoted, including suprasegmental or prosodic skills, morphological skills and the implicit learning of linguistic regularities. It appears that all these skills constitute relevant factors that should be taken into account in order to understand typical as well as atypical literacy development.     

Phonological false recognition produced by bottom-up automatic activation in young and older people

ABSTRACT

Two experiments explored a new procedure to implicitly induce phonological false memories in young and older people. On the study tasks, half of the words were formed from half of the letters in the alphabet, whereas the remaining words were formed from all the letters in the alphabet. On the recognition tests, there were three types of non-studied new words: critical lures formed from the same half of the letters as the studied words; distractors formed from the other half of the letters not used, and distractors formed from all the letters in the alphabet. In both experiments, the results showed that, in both young and older people, critical lures produced more false recognitions than distractors composed of all the letters in the alphabet, which, in turn, produced more false alarms than distractors composed of the letters not used during the study. These results support the predictions of the activation/monitoring models, which assume that false memories are partly due to activation spreading from items (semantically or phonologically) related to the critical words.