fMRI data for word-pair presentation

There are two general views regarding the organization of object knowledge. The featurebased
view assumes that object knowledge is grounded in a widely distributed neural network in
terms of sensory/function features (e.g., Warrington & Shallice, 1984), while the category-based
view assumes in addition that object knowledge is organized by taxonomic and thematic
categories (e.g., Schwartz et al., 2011). Using an fMRI adaptation paradigm, we compare
predictions from the feature- and category-based views by examining the neural substrates
recruited as subjects read word pairs that are identical, taxonomically related, thematically
related or unrelated while controlling for the function features involved across the two
categories. The feature-based view predicts that adaptation in function regions (i.e., left posterior
middle temporal lobe, left premotor cortex) should be observed for related word pairs regardless
of the taxonomic/thematic categories. In contrast, the category-based view generates the
prediction that adaptation in the bilateral anterior temporal lobes should be observed for
taxonomically related word pairs and adaptation in the left temporo-parietal junction should be
observed for thematically related word pairs. By improving upon previous study designs and
employing the fMRI adaptation task, this study has the potential to clarify the role of semantic
categories and features in the organization of object knowledge.

关于客体知识的组织方式，学界目前存在两种主流观点。基于特征的视角（feature-based view）认为，客体知识依托于广泛分布的神经网络，其表征基于感知与功能特征（如Warrington与Shallice, 1984）；而基于类别的视角（category-based view）则进一步提出，客体知识还可通过分类学与主题范畴进行组织（如Schwartz等人, 2011）。本研究采用功能磁共振成像适应范式（fMRI adaptation paradigm），通过考察被试阅读相同、分类学相关、主题相关或无关词对时所募集的神经底物，同时控制两类范畴共有的功能特征，以此对比基于特征与基于类别的视角的预测结果。基于特征的视角预测：无论词对属于分类学还是主题范畴，只要为相关词对，即可在功能脑区（即左侧后中颞叶、左侧前运动皮层）中观察到适应效应。与之相对，基于类别的视角则预测：分类学相关词对会在双侧前颞叶中引发适应效应，而主题相关词对则会在左侧颞顶联合区引发适应效应。本研究通过优化既往研究设计并采用功能磁共振成像适应任务，有望阐明语义范畴与特征在客体知识组织中的作用。