Mapping Language Function in the Brain: A Review of the Recent Literature

Robert E. Crafton Slippery Rock University ; Elissa Kido Webster University

Abstract

Advocates of brain-based learning have argued that instructional methods, to be successful, must be based on an understanding of how the brain processes information. In the past most descriptions of neurocognitive function were largely speculative, relying on theoretical constructions of how we believed the brain to work. Recent advances in functional imaging—Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging—have, however, opened the brain to empirical study. This article will consider the potential importance of brain study for composition instruction, briefly describe functional imaging techniques, and review the findings of recent brain-mapping studies investigating the neurocognitive systems involved in language function. In short, understanding how language systems are organized in the brain represents the first step in our attempts to create brain-compatible instructional methods in the composition classroom. Following a review of the recent literature, the article will consider the possible implications of this information for pedagogical practice.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2000-07-01
DOI
10.2190/w682-r0mb-67va-9rk5
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (34)

  1. 10.1016/0166-2236(94)90119-8
  2. 10.1016/0387-7604(94)00110-J
  3. 10.1177/002221949302600903
  4. 10.3102/0013189X026008004
  5. Images of Mind
Show all 34 →
  1. 10.1093/cercor/2.1.68
  2. 10.1006/brln.1996.0108
  3. 10.1006/brln.1996.0109
  4. 10.1126/science.276.5321.1974
  5. 10.1007/978-3-7091-9239-9_7
  6. 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1997.tb01407.x
  7. Clinics in Communication Disorders
  8. 10.1016/S0010-9452(13)80345-0
  9. 10.1093/brain/114.4.1803
  10. 10.1093/brain/115.6.1753
  11. 10.1093/brain/119.3.919
  12. 10.1038/380499a0
  13. 10.1093/brain/119.4.1239
  14. 10.1093/brain/115.6.1769
  15. 10.1073/pnas.90.11.4957
  16. 10.1006/brln.1996.0043
  17. 10.1097/00001756-199511000-00003
  18. 10.1038/379649a0
  19. 10.1038/368463a0
  20. 10.1080/01688639508405117
  21. 10.1038/373607a0
  22. 10.1038/40623
  23. 10.1073/pnas.92.7.2899
  24. American Journal of Neuroradiology
  25. 10.1093/brain/117.6.1241
  26. 10.1097/00001756-199511270-00010
  27. 10.1126/science.274.5284.114
  28. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
  29. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.15-09-05870.1995