Where did Words Come from? A Linking Theory of Sound Symbolism and Natural Language Evolution

Where did words come from? The traditional view is that the relation between the sound of a word and its meaning is arbitrary. An alternative hypothesis, known as sound symbolism, holds that form-meaning correspondence is systematic. Numerous examples of sound symbolism exist across natural language phyla. Moreover, cross-linguistic similarities suggest that sound symbolism represents a language universal. For example, many unrelated languages affix an "ee" sound to words in order to emphasize size distinctions or express affection (e.g., look at the teeny weeny baby); other such phonetic universals are evident for object mass, color, brightness, and aggression. We hypothesize that sound symbolism reflects sensitivity to an ecological law (i.e., Hooke's Law) governing an inverse relation between object mass and acoustic resonance. In two experiments healthy adults showed high agreement in matching pure tones to color swatches and nonwords to novel objects as linear functions of frequency and luminance. These results support a degree of non-arbitrariness in integrating visual and auditory information. We discuss implications for sound symbolism as a factor underlying language evolution

Semantic Memory and Language Processing in Aphasia and Dementia; Guest Editor

ABSTRACT Semantic dementia is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of conceptual and lexical knowledge. Cortical atrophy remains relatively isolated to anterior and inferior portions of the temporal lobe early in semantic dementia, later affecting more extensive regions of temporal cortex. Throughout much of the disease course, frontal and parietal lobe structures remain relatively intact. This distribution of cortical damage produces a unique language profile. Patients with semantic dementia typically experience profound deficits in language comprehension and production in the context of relatively well-preserved functioning in domains such as phonology, executive function, visuospatial processing, and speech perception. We discuss the effects of semantic impairment on language processing in semantic dementia within the context of an interactive theory of semantic cognition that assumes the active coordination of modality-neutral and modality-specific components. Finally, we argue the need for an etiology-specific language intervention for this population. KEYWORDS: Dementia, language, semantic memory, semantic dementia Learning Outcomes: As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to describe the speech and language profile of semantic dementia. Dementia is a nonspecific term that denotes a constellation of deficits in memory, attention, and behavior that are associated with neurologic impairment. Dementia has a variety of causes, including the accumulation of neuritic plaques, hypoxia/anoxia, metabolic insufficiencies, or vascular damage. Despite such varied causes, our strongest association

Basolateral Amygdala and Morphine-Induced Taste Avoidance in the Rat

The present experiment examined the influence of excitotoxic lesions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) on morphine-induced saccharin avoidance. Neurologically intact subjects rapidly learned to avoid drinking the taste conditioned stimulus (CS), an effect that was sustained throughout the experiment. Although the BLA-lesioned (BLAX) rats showed CS avoidance over the first few trials, the effect was not sustained. That is, by the end of the experiment, the BLAX rats were drinking the same amount of saccharin after seven saccharin-morphine trials as they did on the first trial (i.e., prior to the morphine injections). Potential interpretations of the results are discussed including a disruption of the mechanism that governs drug-induced taste avoidance in normal subjects and the more rapid development of tolerance in BLAX rats

Toward the Development of a Cognitive-Linguistic Model of Semantic Dementia: Evidence from Lexical Processing

Semantic Dementia (SD) results in progressive cognitive-linguistic impairment. Little is known regarding the interaction of phonological and semantic processes in SD. However, preserved lexical-phonological processing may be critical for language recovery in this population. We propose a temporal model illustrating the cascading decline of semantic and lexical factors in SD. We report data in support of this model from auditory lexical decision, where a subtle deficit produced “reversal of the concreteness effect” despite accurate lexical decisions. Integrity of semantic processing correlated strongly with lexical decision ability. These findings illustrate the contribution of preserved phonology to lexical processing in SD

The Effect of Short-Term Memory on Measures of Semantic Knowledge

This study explored the effect of varying short-term memory (STM) demands on performance during two semantic judgment tasks. On both tests, the semantic tasks remained constant but the number of items that were required to be activated and maintained increased. Four adults with aphasia all demonstrated noticeable deterioration, beyond chance, when the testing paradigm involved more items to be held in STM. . This evidence supports the “activation maintenance” hypothesis of semantic impairments in aphasia and not degradation of the semantic representations themselves. Treatment implications are also discussed

Motor vehicle accidents in patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

Objectives.This study was designed to examine driving safety in patients at risk for sudden death after implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator.Background.Cardioverter-defibrillators are frequently implanted in patients at high risk for sudden death. Despite concern about the safety of driving in these patients, little is known about their actual motor vehicle accident rates.Methods.Surveys were sent to all 742 physicians in the United States involved in cardioverter-defibrillator implantation and follow-up. Physicians were questioned about numbers of patients followed up, numbers of fatal and nonfatal accidents, physician recommendations to patients about driving and knowledge of state driving laws.Results.Surveys were returned by 452 physicians (61%). A total of 30 motor vehicle accidents related to shocks from implantable defibrillators were reported by 25 physicians over a 12-year period from 1980 to 1992. Of these, nine were fatal accidents involving eight patients with a defibrillator and one passenger in a car driven by a patient. No bystanders were fatally injured. There were 21 nonfatal accidents involving 15 patients, 3 passengers and 3 bystanders. The estimated fatality rate for patients with a defibrillator, 7.5/100,000 patient-years, is significantly lower than that for the general population (18.4/100,000 patient-years, p < 0.05). The estimated injury rate, 17.6/100,000 patient-years, is also significantly lower than that for the general public (2,224/100,000 patient-years, p < 0.05). Only 10.5% (30 of 286) of all defibrillator discharges during driving resulted in accidents. Regarding physician recommendations, most physicians (58.1%) ask their patients to wait a mean (± SD) of 7.3 ± 3.4 months after implantation or a shock before driving again.Conclusions.The motor vehicle accident rate caused by discharge from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is low. Although restricting driving for a short period of time after implantation may be appropriate, excessive restrictions or a total ban on driving appears to be unwarranted

Frontal lobe damage impairs process and content in semantic memory: evidence from category specific effects in progressive nonfluent aphasia

t r a c t Portions of left inferior frontal cortex have been linked to semantic memory both in terms of the content of conceptual representation (e.g., motor aspects in an embodied semantics framework) and the cognitive processes used to access these representations (e.g., response selection). Progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive atrophy of left inferior frontal cortex. PNFA can, therefore, provide a lesion model for examining the impact of frontal lobe damage on semantic processing and content. In the current study we examined picture naming in a cohort of PNFA patients across a variety of semantic categories. An embodied approach to semantic memory holds that sensorimotor features such as self-initiated action may assume differential importance for the representation of manufactured artifacts (e.g., naming hand tools). Embodiment theories might therefore predict that patients with frontal damage would be differentially impaired on manufactured artifacts relative to natural kinds, and this prediction was borne out. We also examined patterns of naming errors across a wide range of semantic categories and found that naming error distributions were heterogeneous. Although PNFA patients performed worse overall on naming manufactured artifacts, there was no reliable relationship between anomia and manipulability across semantic categories. These results add to a growing body of research arguing against a purely sensorimotor account of semantic memory, suggesting instead a more nuanced balance of process and content in how the brain represents conceptual knowledge. Please cite this article in press as: Reilly J, et al., Frontal lobe damage impairs process and content in semantic memory: Evidence from category-specific effects in progressive non-fluent aphasia, Cortex (2010)

Effects of Two Different Studying Techniques on Immediate and Delayed Text Recall in Older Adults

Age-related declines in processing resources may account for older adults having poorer memory of details from text. Encouraging deep, elaborative encoding improves recall of single words and text in older adults. This study contrasted older adults’ recall when they studied text using either deep or shallow encoding techniques. Results indicated that older adults retained more information when using deep encoding techniques rather than shallow ones. Additionally, immediate testing of recall after study improved recall a day later, regardless of study technique. Deep encoding techniques may boost recall of text in other resource-limited populations (e.g., TBI, early dementia, mild aphasia)