27 November 2013 , 18:30 - 20:00

Mind-Brain Lecture: Friedemann Pulvermüller (Berlin)

“How neurons make meaning: An integrative perspective on philosophical, psychological and neuroscience aspects of semantics”

Host: Michael Pauen How brain structures and neuronal circuits mechanistically underpin symbolic meaning has recently been elucidated by neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and neurocomputational research. Modality-specific 'embodied' mechanisms anchored in sensorimotor systems appear to be relevant, as are 'disembodied' mechanisms in multimodal areas. In this paper, four semantic mechanisms are proposed and spelt out at the level of neuronal circuits: referential semantics, which establishes links between symbols and the objects and actions they are used to speak about; combinatorial semantics, which enables the learning of symbolic meaning from context; emotional-affective semantics, which establishes links between signs and internal states of the body; and abstraction mechanisms for generalizing over a range of instances of semantic meaning. Referential, combinatorial, emotional-affective, and abstract semantics are complementary mechanisms, each necessary for processing meaning in mind and brain.

Friedemann Pulvermüller:
http://www.brainlang.fu-berlin.de/ All are welcome!

 

Contact:

Laura Viefhues

 

Location:

Berlin School of Mind and Brain

Luisenstraße 56

Room 144 (ground floor)

10117 Berlin