Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1563, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2012 Aug 1;23(8):914-22. doi: 10.1177/0956797612437427. Epub 2012 Jul 3.
A central question in cognitive science is whether natural language provides combinatorial operations that are essential to diverse domains of thought. In the study reported here, we addressed this issue by examining the role of linguistic mechanisms in forging the hierarchical structures of algebra. In a 3-T functional MRI experiment, we showed that processing of the syntax-like operations of algebra does not rely on the neural mechanisms of natural language. Our findings indicate that processing the syntax of language elicits the known substrate of linguistic competence, whereas algebraic operations recruit bilateral parietal brain regions previously implicated in the representation of magnitude. This double dissociation argues against the view that language provides the structure of thought across all cognitive domains.
认知科学的一个核心问题是，自然语言是否提供了对各种思维领域至关重要的组合操作。在本研究中，我们通过研究语言机制在构建代数的层次结构中的作用来解决这个问题。在一项 3-T 功能磁共振成像实验中，我们表明，处理类似于代数的语法操作不依赖于自然语言的神经机制。我们的发现表明，语言语法的处理引发了语言能力的已知基础，而代数运算则招募了双侧顶叶脑区，这些脑区先前与数量的表示有关。这种双重分离表明，语言在所有认知领域都提供了思维结构的观点是不正确的。
