讲座内容简介
I will discuss current theory and evidence regarding the neural and cognitive bases of language learning and processing, and will show how this can help us improve second language learning and pedagogy. In brief, increasing evidence suggests that we learn both first and later-learned (second) languages in two very well-studied general-purpose learning and memory circuits in the brain: declarative memory and procedural memory. Thus, our independent understanding of these circuits, including how learning and memory can be improved, should also apply to language. In this talk I will first present background on the learning and memory circuits, and show how they underlie first and second language learning and processing. I will then discuss how learning, retention, and processing can be improved in these circuits, and how this can help us enhance second language learning and pedagogy.
主讲◥人简介
Dr. Ullman is Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University, with secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Psychology. He is Director of the Brain and Language Laboratory and the Georgetown EEG/ERP Lab. He teaches undergraduate, masters, PhD, and medical students. His research examines the neurocognition of first and second language, math, reading, and memory; how these domains are affected in various disorders (e.g., autism, dyslexia, developmental language disorder, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases); and how they may be modulated by factors such as genetic variability, sex, handedness, and aging.