11 Apr BU Study Finds Existence of Three Separate Language Comprehension Mechanisms
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Vyshedskiy
Dr. Andrey Vyshedskiy, PhD
Founder and CEO of ImagiRation LLC
Neuroscientist, Boston University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The common intuitive belief is that language comprehension development follows a linear trajectory: children acquire one grammatical rule at a time.
Over 20 years ago, Dr. A. Vyshedskiy, predicted that instead of linear development, language should unfold in three steps corresponding to three language comprehension mechanisms of increasing complexity. The study of 31845 autistic individuals, published today in the journal npj Mental Health Research, validates this prediction. The implications of this discovery are reaching far and wide.
The traditional definition of language is highly ambiguous. For some philosophers, “language” is equivalent to a “communication system.” Others argue that “language” must be defined more narrowly, in a way that is unique to humans. The results of the new study streamline terminology for describing different language comprehension mechanisms. The ensuing discussion of which language comprehension mechanisms are unique to humans and which are shared with other apes is expected to be most interesting.
Regarding Paleoanthropology: The question of when and how archaic humans acquired language is hotly debated. The new empirically-identified language comprehension mechanisms open the door to questions of when each of the three mechanisms was acquired and what evolutionary forces influenced this process.
Regarding Linguistics: Mainstream linguistics assumes that grammatical language comprehension is mediated by disjointed mechanisms learned gradually one rule at a time. The alternative generative syntax hypothesis suggests that language comprehension can be simplified into a binary framework, encompassing Merge and non-Merge operations.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: The findings of the new study undeniably show the existence of three separate language comprehension mechanisms, an observation that contradicts current linguistic theories.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Language comprehension in children is commonly assessed based on vocabulary. This evaluation method can grossly misrepresent the child’s actual language comprehension progress. Moreover, it encourages therapists to focus on vocabulary training at the expense of exercises that build syntactic language comprehension.
The new study provides evidence for creating new assessments evaluating the three levels of language comprehension. These assessments are poised to improve language therapy interventions and enhance outcomes for individuals with language deficits.
The current practice of characterizing children’s communication ability only in terms of their speech (i.e., verbal, nonverbal, or minimally verbal) is insufficient and one-sided. The new results show that communication abilities can vary independent of verbal abilities. For example, nonverbal children with full syntactic language comprehension have normal ability to communicate albeit nonverbally, while verbal children lacking syntactic language comprehension do not have a normal ability to communicate by any means.
The new study demonstrates that the three identified language comprehension mechanisms are neurologically and clinically distinct from the speech ability.
A combined two-dimensional language characterization in terms of both language comprehension and a verbal levels will result in better identification of children’s communication ability and lead to more children reaching their full linguistic potential.
Citation:
Vyshedskiy, A., Venkatesh, R. & Khokhlovich, E. Are there distinct levels of language comprehension in autistic individuals – cluster analysis. npj Mental Health Res 3, 19 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00062-1
The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition.
Some links may be sponsored. Products are not endorsed.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.
Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD