LCC final terms (from summary)

Addressed Phonology

A reading route where the pronunciation of a whole word is retrieved directly from memory, often used for irregular words or logographic systems like Chinese characters.

AnBn Grammar

A type of formal grammar characterized by nested dependencies, where 'n' occurrences of one element are followed by 'n' occurrences of another (e.g., AAABBB), requiring hierarchical processing.

Anterior Attention System

A frontal brain network (including frontal eye fields, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate) involved in voluntary, goal-directed attention control, crucial for initiating joint attention (IJA).

Argument from Poverty of the Stimulus (APS)

The idea that the linguistic input children receive (Primary Linguistic Data) is insufficient to explain the rapid and complex acquisition of grammar, suggesting innate linguistic knowledge.

Assembled Phonology

A reading route where pronunciation is built up from letter-sound rules (phonics), typically used for regular words or alphabetic systems like Pinyin.

Attractor

In syntax, a noun that intervenes between a subject and its verb, often misleading agreement decisions (e.g., "The key to the cabinets is rusty").

Automaticity

A cognitive process that occurs without conscious control or significant attentional effort.

Bayesian Model

A probabilistic computational model that updates beliefs or hypotheses based on new evidence, often used to simulate how humans combine different sources of information.

Broca's Area (BA 44/45)

A frontal brain region in the left hemisphere traditionally associated with speech production, but also implicated in syntactic processing, verbal working memory, and semantic processing.

Central Executive

The attentional control system in Baddeley's working memory model that coordinates and integrates information from the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer.

CHILDES

(Child Language Data Exchange System) A large, standardized database of child-adult speech interactions, used as input for computational models and empirical studies of language acquisition.

Clause Wrap-Up

A phenomenon observed in reading, where readers tend to slow down or fixate longer at the end of a clause or sentence due to increased demands of integrating information.

Cognitive Niche

An ecological role or lifestyle that emphasizes the use of intelligence, reasoning, cooperation, and tool-making as primary means of adaptation and survival.

Computational Model

A computer program designed to simulate and test hypotheses about cognitive processes, such as how language is acquired or processed.

Computational-Representational (CR) Theory

A theoretical framework in linguistics and cognitive science that models language as a system of formal rules (computations) acting on abstract symbols (representations).

Connectionist Model

A computational model, often a neural network, that learns patterns by adjusting the strength of connections between nodes, mimicking aspects of brain function.

Correlational Neurolinguistics

A level of inquiry that seeks to establish statistical relationships between linguistic theories/phenomena and observed brain activity patterns (e.g., using fMRI or EEG).

Cultural Transmission

The process by which information, behaviors, and knowledge (including language) are learned and passed down across generations within a society.

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs)

Advanced computational models, inspired by the brain's neural networks, capable of learning complex patterns from large datasets, often used in natural language processing.

Diagnostic Classifier

A simple computational model trained to extract or "decode" specific linguistic information (e.g., subject number, syntactic role) from the internal representations of a larger neural network.

Dorsal Pathway

A neural pathway in the brain (e.g., connecting posterior superior temporal cortex to Broca's area) primarily involved in processing complex syntax and supporting speech production; matures around age 7 in humans.

Distributional Semantics

A theoretical and computational approach to meaning that posits that the meaning of a word can be inferred from the contexts in which it appears (i.e., its patterns of co-occurrence with other words).

Dual-Route Model (of Reading)

A theory proposing that skilled readers use two main pathways to convert written words into meaning

E-Z Reader

A prominent computational model that simulates eye movements during reading, accounting for factors like word frequency, length, and, in later versions, higher-level comprehension processes.

Early Left Anterior Negativity (ELAN)

An ERP component appearing very early (100-200 ms post-stimulus) in the left frontal brain regions, associated with the automatic detection of syntactic category violations or phrase structure errors.

EEG (Electroencephalography)

A non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp, providing high temporal resolution.

Embodied Cognition

A theory that suggests cognitive processes, including understanding meaning, are deeply rooted in and influenced by the body's sensory and motor experiences.

Episodic Buffer

A component of Baddeley's working memory model that integrates information from the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and long-term memory into coherent, multidimensional "episodes."

ERP (Event-Related Potential)

A specific brain response, extracted from EEG data, that is time-locked to the presentation of a particular stimulus or event.

Explanatory Neurolinguistics

The most ambitious level of relating linguistic and neurobiological theories, where properties of the brain's structure or function actively explain why language computations are structured in a particular way.

Externalization

The process of converting internal linguistic representations (thoughts, syntax) into overt forms of communication, such as speech or gesture.

Faculty of Language in the Broad Sense (FLB)

According to Hauser, Chomsky & Fitch, the comprehensive language system encompassing sensory-motor systems, conceptual-intentional systems, and recursion.

Faculty of Language in the Narrow Sense (FLN)

According to Hauser, Chomsky & Fitch, the minimal, abstract computational system of language, which they argue consists solely of recursion and is uniquely human.

Filler-Gap Dependency

A syntactic relationship where a moved element (the "filler," e.g., "who" in a question) corresponds to a missing element (the "gap") later in the sentence (e.g., "Who did you see ____?").

Finite-State Grammar

A simple type of grammar that generates sequences based on local dependencies, often represented as a chain of states (e.g., ABAB patterns), lacking hierarchical structure.

fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

A neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation and flow (BOLD signal), providing good spatial resolution.

FOXP2 Gene

A gene strongly implicated in human speech and language development; mutations are associated with severe articulation and grammatical impairments.

Frontal Eye Fields

A region within the frontal cortex involved in the voluntary control of eye movements, particularly in initiating joint attention (IJA).

Granularity Mismatch Problem (GMP)

A conceptual challenge in linking linguistic and neurobiological theories, stemming from the fact that linguistic theories often describe fine-grained structures while neurobiological studies typically examine broader brain regions or networks.

INCDROP

A highly accurate word-recognition computational model for speech segmentation that uses an optimization strategy to reduce memory load by minimizing the number of novel units.

Initiating Joint Attention (IJA)

A type of joint attention where an individual uses gaze or gestures (e.g., pointing) to direct another person's attention to a shared object or event.

Integrated Neurolinguistics

A level of inquiry where brain data are used to adjudicate between competing linguistic theories or to refine theoretical models of language.

Internalization

The mental construction of syntax and meaning, which can occur independently of external speech or gesture.

Intuitive Theories

Innate or early-developing cognitive biases that provide basic frameworks for understanding the world (e.g., folk physics, folk psychology).

Island Constraint

A grammatical rule that prevents certain types of linguistic elements (e.g., wh-phrases) from being extracted out of specific syntactic structures (e.g., complex noun phrases).

Iterated Learning

A learning process where the output of one learner becomes the input for the next, across generations, allowing for the cultural evolution and shaping of language.

Joint Attention (JA)

A social cognitive skill involving two or more individuals sharing a common focus on an object or event, crucial for social learning and language development.

Language Modeling

A computational task where a model learns to predict the next word in a sequence based on the preceding words, often used as an unsupervised training method for deep neural networks.

LAN/ELAN (Left Anterior Negativity / Early Left Anterior Negativity)

ERP components observed in the left frontal lobe, indicating the brain's detection of grammatical or morphosyntactic violations, with ELAN appearing earlier.

Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA)

A computational model of distributional semantics that analyzes patterns of word co-occurrence in large text corpora to represent and compare word meanings.

Lateralization

The tendency for certain brain functions (e.g., language) to be localized predominantly in one hemisphere (e.g., the left hemisphere for most right-handed individuals).

Learning Bottleneck

The idea that limitations in a learner's cognitive capacity or the nature of the linguistic input constrain what aspects of language can be transmitted effectively across generations.

Lexical Processing (L1/L2)

In E-Z Reader, L1 refers to an initial, rapid familiarity check of a word, while L2 refers to the full lexical access and meaning retrieval.

LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory)

A type of recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture specifically designed with "gates" to better learn and retain long-range dependencies in sequential data, such as sentences.

Merge

A fundamental computational operation proposed by Chomsky that combines two syntactic objects to form a new, larger one, recursively building hierarchical linguistic structures.

Metaphorical Abstraction

The cognitive process of understanding and reasoning about abstract concepts (e.g., time, emotions) by mapping them onto concrete, physical schemas (e.g., spatial movement).

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire both when an individual performs an action and when they observe someone else performing the same action, implicated in imitation and understanding others' intentions.

Mismatch Negativity (MMN)

An ERP component reflecting the brain's automatic detection of a change or deviation in a repetitive auditory stimulus, even without conscious attention.

Modality Switching

The cognitive cost (e.g., increased reaction time) incurred when a task requires rapidly shifting between processing information from different sensory modalities (e.g., visual to auditory).

N400

A negative-going ERP component peaking around 400 milliseconds, primarily associated with semantic processing difficulties, such as unexpected or anomalous word meanings.

Native Language Neural Commitment (NLNC)

Kuhl's theory that early exposure to a native language "locks in" neural patterns, optimizing the brain for native phonemes but making it harder to acquire non-native sounds later.

Neurobiological (NB) Theory

A theoretical framework that explains cognitive functions in terms of specific brain structures, neural circuits, and physiological processes.

Nonrival Good

A type of good or resource (e.g., information, language) that can be consumed or used by multiple individuals simultaneously without diminishing its availability to others.

Nonword Repetition

A common task used to assess phonological working memory, requiring individuals to repeat sequences of unfamiliar but pronounceable phonemes.

On-line Model

A computational model that processes input sequentially as it arrives, similar to real-time human cognitive processing, rather than processing a large batch of data at once.

Ontological Incommensurability Problem (OIP)

A conceptual challenge in linking linguistic and neurobiological theories, arising from the fundamental difference in their basic units of analysis (e.g., "morpheme" vs. "neuron").

P600

A positive-going ERP component peaking around 600 milliseconds, typically associated with syntactic reanalysis, grammatical violations, or structural ambiguities in sentences.

Perceptual Magnet Effect

Kuhl's theory that infants' perception of speech sounds becomes "magnetized" around native language prototypes, making it harder to discriminate between similar non-native sounds.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another (e.g., /p/ and /b/ in "pat" vs. "bat").

Phonetic Gesture

The coordinated movements of the vocal articulators (tongue, lips, jaw, etc.) that produce specific speech sounds.

Phonological Loop

A subsystem of Baddeley's working memory model specialized for the temporary storage and rehearsal of verbal and auditory information.

Phonotactics

The set of language-specific rules that govern which combinations of phonemes are permissible in a given language.

Phrase-Structure Grammar

A type of grammar that uses hierarchical rules to combine words into phrases and sentences, allowing for recursion and nested structures.

Posterior Attention System

A brain network (involving parietal and superior temporal cortices) primarily associated with reflexive attention, including responding to joint attention (RJA) and gaze-following.

Postlexical Integration

In E-Z Reader, the higher-level cognitive process of integrating a word's meaning and syntactic role into the overall sentence or discourse context.

Pre-adaptation

A trait or feature that evolved for one purpose but later became useful or essential for a completely different function (e.g., imitation as a pre-adaptation for language).

Predictability Strategy

A computational strategy for speech segmentation where word boundaries are inferred at points where the statistical predictability (transitional probability) between adjacent syllables drops sharply.

Primary Linguistic Data (PLD)

The actual linguistic input (e.g., speech heard, sentences read) that children are exposed to during language acquisition.

Probabilistic Model

A computational model that learns and operates based on the statistical likelihood or probability of events or relationships (e.g., word sequences).

Probing Classifier / Structural Probe

Techniques used to analyze the internal representations of deep neural networks to determine if and how they encode specific linguistic information (e.g., syntactic structure).

Prosodic Cues

Features of speech such as stress, pitch, intonation, and rhythm that help listeners identify word and phrase boundaries, as well as convey meaning and emotion.

Pyramidal Cells

A type of neuron with a distinctive triangular cell body, whose synchronized electrical activity is a major contributor to the signals measured by EEG from the scalp.

Reciprocal Altruism

A form of cooperation where individuals help each other with the expectation of future reciprocation, often fostering social bonds and stability in groups.

Recursion

The ability to embed structures within similar structures (e.g., a sentence within a sentence), allowing for the generation of an infinite number of complex expressions from a finite set of elements.

Regression (in Reading)

A backward eye movement (saccade) during reading, where the reader moves their gaze to an earlier part of the text, often triggered by comprehension difficulties.

Responding to Joint Attention (RJA)

A type of joint attention where an individual follows another's gaze or pointing gesture to shift their attention to the same object or event.

RMSD (Root-Mean-Square Deviation)

A statistical measure used to quantify the difference between values predicted by a model and observed values, indicating the goodness of fit.

Saccade (Reading Saccade)

A rapid, ballistic eye movement that shifts the fovea (area of sharpest vision) from one point of fixation to the next during reading.

Selection Footprint

A genetic signature or pattern in the genome that indicates a particular gene or trait has undergone recent positive selection due to evolutionary pressures.

Selective Attention

The ability to focus conscious awareness on a particular stimulus or feature while ignoring others, crucial for managing cognitive resources.

Semantic Processing

The cognitive processes involved in understanding the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences.

Sequential Learning

The ability to recognize, remember, and process items or events in a specific order, a foundational skill for acquiring syntax and language.

SLI (Specific Language Impairment)

A developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in language acquisition and use that cannot be attributed to other cognitive, sensory, or neurological impairments.

Social Cognition

The mental processes involved in perceiving, interpreting, and responding to social information, including understanding others' thoughts, feelings, and intentions (Theory of Mind).

Spandrel

In evolutionary biology, a trait that arises as a non-adaptive by-product of other evolutionary changes, rather than being directly selected for its own function.

Statistical Learning

A cognitive mechanism by which individuals (especially infants) detect patterns and regularities (e.g., transitional probabilities) in the input they receive, used to learn word boundaries and grammatical rules.

Syntax

The set of rules governing the combination of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences in a particular language.

Temporal Resolution

In neuroimaging, the ability of a technique to precisely track changes in brain activity over time (e.g., EEG has high temporal resolution).

Time-Locking

The process of aligning brain activity data (e.g., EEG signals) to the precise moment a stimulus or event occurs, allowing for the extraction of event-related potentials.

TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)

A non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses magnetic fields to temporarily excite or inhibit activity in specific brain regions, allowing for causal inferences about brain-behavior relationships.