Manuela Macedonia, Karsten Müller,
"Exploring the Neural Representation of Novel Words Learned through Enactment in a Word Recognition Task"
, in Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 7, Nummer 00953, 2016, ISSN: 1664-1078
Original Titel:
Exploring the Neural Representation of Novel Words Learned through Enactment in a Word Recognition Task
Sprache des Titels:
Englisch
Original Kurzfassung:
Vocabulary learning in a second language is enhanced if learners enrich the learning experience with self-performed iconic gestures. This learning strategy is called enactment. Here we explore how enacted words are functionally represented in the brain and which brain regions contribute to enhance retention. After an enactment training lasting 4 days, participants performed a word recognition task in the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner. Data analysis suggests the participation of different and partially intertwined networks that are engaged in higher cognitive processes, i.e., enhanced attention and word recognition. Also, an experience-related network seems to map word representation. Besides core language regions, this latter network includes sensory and motor cortices, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. On the basis of its complexity and the involvement of the motor system, this sensorimotor network might explain superior retention for enactment.