Search Abstracts | Symposia | Slide Sessions | Poster Sessions
Neural correlates of depiction in somatosensory & parietal cortex
Poster Session A, Wednesday, September 30, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, Wangari Maathai
This poster is part of the Sandbox Series.
Laurel Aichler1, Paul Dudis1, Lorna Quandt1; 1Gallaudet University
Depiction is a type of iconic, embodied sign language use grounded in our human experience that takes advantage of the iconic and spatial features of sign languages (Fauconnier 1994, Taub 2001, Wilcox 2000). There has been scarce research on the neural correlates of depiction to date, though depictive signing lies at the heart of how our embodied experience and our ability to use language influence and mediate one another. The planned study will look for evidence of embodied cognition when American Sign Language (ASL) signers are shown video clips of depiction. Recent research has examined how the iconicity and embodiment present in sign languages, how our physical embodiment gives rise to our experiences of the world, how language co-opts these shared experiences to create meaning, and how sign languages use space and the human body to show referents, processes, or concepts that the interlocutors can use to build shared understanding (Cormier, Fenlon, & Schembri 2015; Dudis, Hochgesang, Shaw, & Villanueva 2020; Thompson 2011; Cartmill & Goldin Meadow 2012). It is currently unknown how the brain uses sensory experience to enable us to create complex shared mental spaces rich with depictions, ranging from characters in dialogue to the abstract concept of a calendar. The planned study will examine whether observing videos of sign language, either containing or not containing ASL depiction, evokes differences in activation in the brain in the somatosensory cortex. We will measure EEG alpha-range rhythms to assess cortical engagement over central electrodes overlying the parietal and sensorimotor cortices, as alpha rhythms in these locations are known to be sensitive to embodied processing of observed actions, including the movements of signed languages. Participants (n = 30 Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or hearing fluent signers) will watch ASL videos while wearing an EEG cap. We will examine the degree of power in alpha range rhythms in the bilateral parietal lobes (involved in spatial processing) and primary sensorimotor cortices. We expect that due to the more embodied nature of depictive signing, sensorimotor cortices and parietal regions will be more active while viewing depiction, even compared to viewing the movements comprising non-depictive signing. This research has the potential to contribute to our understanding of how humans learn through language processes. References Cormier, K., Fenlon, J., & Schembri, A. (2015). Indicating verbs in British Sign Language favour motivated use of space. Open Linguistics, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2015-0025 Dudis, P., J.A. Hochgesang, E. Shaw, M. Villanueva. (2020, November). Introduction to "Motivated Look at Indicating Verbs in ASL (MoLo)" Project. HDLS14 Poster Presentation. DOI 10.17605/osf.io/h8gk4/ Fauconnier, G. (1994). Mental spaces aspects of meaning construction in natural language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Taub, Sarah (2001). Language from the body: Iconicity and Metaphor in American Sign Language. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Thompson, R. L. (2011). Iconicity in language processing and acquisition: What signed languages reveal. Language and Linguistics Compass, 5(9), 603–616. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2011.00301.x Wilcox, Phyllis P. (2000). Metaphor in American Sign Language. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Topic Areas: Multisensory or Sensorimotor Integration, Signed Language and Gesture