Abstract
Naturalistic paradigms of language comprehension offer a potential wealth of information for understanding how language processing occurs in everyday use. This information, however, is not immediately apparent and can only be interpreted when considering (1) basic processes that underlie language comprehension (e.g., memory encoding, memory retrieval, integration, prediction of incoming content), (2) processes that modulate or accompany comprehension (e.g., mood effects, attentional biases, emotional responses), and (3) the relation between language-induced activity and pre-existing, semantically rich baseline processes in the brain. Considering these issues conjointly, we outline a general interpretive framework for naturalistic studies of language. We argue that ignoring such issues can lead to serious misinterpretations of neurobiological data. Introduction The study of natural language has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. As outlined in other chapters in this collection, two central aspects of this line of research have been the departure from studying processes strictly limited to the scope of single words or sentences and a strong interest in characterizing the neurobiology of language processing as it occurs in natural circumstances. Our focus in this chapter will mostly be on the contribution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to this enterprise.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cognitive Neuroscience of Natural Language Use |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pages | 228-255 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781107323667 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781107042018 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology