语境、语用推理和交际变量影响会话含意理解的认知神经机制

Speech communication is a key component of human social interaction. Speech comprehension is not limited to the understanding of the literal or surface meaning of what is said; instead in many circumstances it involves "reading between the lines" and making inference to the conversational implicture and the real intention of the speaker. In this project, we carry out both behavioral testing, ERP (event-related potential) recording and functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the retrieval and understanding of conversational implictures of speech. Specifically, we attempt to ask and answer five questions: 1) To what extent the neurocognitive mechanisms of understanding the generalized implicture of speech are the same as those of understanding the particularized implicture? 2) When there exist multiple implictures, does the generalized implicture have functional/processing priority over the particularized implicture? Can the contextual constraints affect the retrieval of the particularized implicture? 3) Does the level of demand on pragmatic inference affect the neural activity underlying the retrieval of the particularized implicture? 4) How do variables in conversation, including the communicative intention of the speaker, affect the neural activity underlying the retrieval of the particularized implicture? and 5) How the effects of contextual constraints, demand of pragmatic inference and communicative intention on the understanding of the particularized implicture are modulated by individual differences in pragmatic and communicative abilities, including both cognitive and affective empathic abilities

言语交际是人类社会交往最为核心和普遍的特征之一。言语理解的目的不仅仅是理解句子和话语所传达的字面或表层意义，在很多情况下还需透过字面信息推导背后的话语含意，理解说话者的真实意图。这一过程及相应的神经活动受到多重因素的影响与制约。本研究力图利用行为实验、脑电记录和磁共振功能成像技术，考察会话含意理解的认知神经机制，从而为建立语用信息加工的认知模型提供实验证据，并帮助建立刚刚兴起的"神经语用学"。具体说来，我们将回答下列问题：1）一般会话含意与特殊会话含意理解的神经机制有何异同？2）多种会话含意同时存在时，一般会话含意的加工是否优先于特殊会话含意？语境如何影响特殊会话含意的提取？3）推理难度如何影响特殊会话含意理解的神经活动？4）交际变量如何影响特殊会话含意的理解及其神经活动？5）语境、推理难度和交际变量影响特殊会话含意加工的神经活动模式如何受到个体语用能力和交际能力（如共情能力）的调节？

言语交际是人类社会交往最为核心和普遍的特征之一。言语理解的目的不仅仅是理解句子和话语所传达的字面或表明意义，在很多情况下还需透过字面信息推导背后的话语含意，理解说话者的真实意图。本项目以会话含意理解及相关社会因素对其影响的神经机制为主线，将阅读理解和听觉理解范式与神经科学脑成像和脑刺激技术（如，ERP、fMRI、tDCS）相结合，研究会话含意理解的时间进程特点和大脑功能网络特点。..我们通过一系列磁共振成像研究发现，一般含意理解相比于语义加工不同，涉及背侧前额叶/基底神经节通路，而特殊含意理解涉及语言加工和心理理论加工脑网络，二者差异在于特殊含意理解特异性地调用了心理理论加工过程。同时，经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）实验也为一般与特殊含意的差异提供了因果性的证据。其次，通过磁共振研究，我们发现，理解言语行为所隐含的说话人意图需要前运动皮层的参与，由此我们推测动作模拟过程可能支持了人们理解话语意图的过程。最后，我们通过一系列脑电研究发现，语言理解者在进行代词回指解决的时候，不仅考虑到了句法信息，也会充分利用语境信息（如说话人社会地位、事件因果关系）帮助解决有歧义的代词。已发表7篇SCI/SSCI论文，至少还有3项研究正在进行数据分析和文章写作。..本项目创新性地扩充了会话含意理解的理论内涵和应用意义。我们将实验室实验范式与EEG、fMRI和tDCS等技术相结合，从空间维度和时间维度两个层面深入探讨会话含意理解及相关社会因素对其影响的心理和神经机制。我们的研究为会话含意理解及相关社会因素对其影响的心理和神经机制提供了大量实证证据。