Academic literature on the topic 'Second brain'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2003.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-318).<br>This thesis examines article choice and parameter-setting in second language (L2) acquisition. It argues, on the basis of L2-English elicitation and production data, that L2- learners have access to UG-based semantic distinctions governing article choice, but do not know which distinction is appropriate for English. A Fluctuation Hypothesis (FH) is proposed, according to which L2-learners fluctuate between different parameter settings until the input leads them to set the parameter to the target value. The thesis proposes that articles cross-linguistically may encode definiteness or specificity. The definition of specificity that is adopted is based on Fodor and Sag's (1982) view of specificity as speaker intent to refer. The behavior of referential this, a specificity marker in colloquial English, is examined, and it is proposed that the definition of specificity incorporates the concept of noteworthy property. An Article Choice Parameter is next proposed, which governs whether articles in a given language are distinguished on the basis of definiteness or on the basis of specificity. While English has the Definiteness setting of this parameter, it is suggested, on the basis of data from Mosel and Hovdhaugen (1992), that Samoan has the Specificity setting. It is hypothesized, in accordance with the FH, that L2-learners fluctuate between the two settings of the Article Choice Parameter. This hypothesis leads to the prediction that L2- English errors of article use should come in two types: overuse of the with specific indefinites and overuse of a with non-specific definites. These predictions are examined in a series of studies with adult speakers of Russian and Korean, two languages with no<br>(cont.) articles. The empirical data confirm the predictions, and show that L2-English article choice is not random but reflects access to the two settings of the Article Choice Parameter. The same patterns of results are found for L-Russian and L-Korean speakers, and it is shown that the results are not attributable to LI-transfer. On the basis of these findings, it is concluded that L2-learners have direct UG-access to semantic distinctions underlying article choice. The data also provide evidence for the existence of a specificity distinction which cross-cuts the definiteness distinction.<br>bu Tania Ruth Ionin.<br>Ph.D.

In the era of this 21st Century, there are numerous known and unknown causes of reading impairments which have destructively affected elementary school students. Some causes are linguistic, and others are nonlinguistic. Lack of research on how previous teaching methods and experiences in implementing brain-based teaching (BBT) strategies became critically important, and were the concerns for this study. Developed by Hart's brain-based learning (BBL) theory together with other BBL theorists such as Jensen and Caine, the purpose of this qualitative study was to observe and explore the implementation of BBT strategies from 4 distinct second-grade participant teachers/subjects, located at the school district of a southwestern state. With the research questions focused on brain-based knowledge, BBT paradigms and brain-based implementation of teaching strategies, data from the cross-case synthesis and analyses of participant subjects' interviews, classroom observations, interactive journals, and other sources related to the study were processed and analyzed to address the research questions. Findings indicated that participant subjects perceived positive experiences of the implementation of BBT strategies in a way that enhanced their teaching qualities and improved students' reading impairments. The results of this study will likely contribute to positive social change by raising awareness for effective teaching and learning as well as promoting implementing BBT strategies in all teaching and learning environments. The results of this study may promote positive change in education, aim to improve brain-based teachers' enthusiasm and self-efficacy, and reduced students' reading impairments.

Examines how the cognitive and biological perspectives of Intrinsic Motivation (IM) could collaboratively engage second language (L2) students in the university writing classroom. Brain-structures and body systems specifically associated with intrinsic motivation are detailed, and brain-based learning strategies are outlined. Concludes with a sample application for the university writing classroom that reflects a brain-based approach to L2 learning.

Moths detect CO2 on labial palps and axons from Labial palps project into a single glomerulus, the Labial palp pit organ glomerulus (LPOG). Mass-staining of the LPOG visualized the secondary pathway in the brain. These data was used for 3D reconstrucion of neurons in the paricular pathway. Based on the preparations from Ingrid Moe Dahl we performed intensification, immunostatning and rescanned for better visualixation. After the visualization,brain neuropils and the prosjection neurons of ech of the brain preparation were constructed manually using the computer software AMIRA 5.3. The prosjection neurons from the LPOG were found to project to three main tracts: the lateral antennal lobe tract, the mediolateral antennal lobe tract and  the second mediolateral antennal lobe tract. in additionm we also observed prosjection neurons in the dorsomedial antennal lobe tract. The main termination areas of the LPOG prosjection neurons are the superior protocerebrum, and the ipsi-and contralateral lateral protocerebrum. In contrast to the previous finding, we observed LPOG prosjection neurons in the mushroom body calyces, indicating some modulation by experience. In the antennal lobe, interneurons from the LPOG and the other glomeruli. The presence of LPOG prosjection pathways. Thus, the reconstructions yielded new information relevant for understanding the putative CO2 pathway.

Luktesansen er den eldste av sansene. Grunnet dens mindre håndgripelige natur sammenliknet med de andre sansene er den ofte blitt mystifisert. Selv om flere hundre millioner år skiller virveldyr og insekters felles stamfar evolusjonsmessig, er luktesansens underliggende nevrale organisasjon sammenliknbar på tvers av arter. I dette studiet ble hjernen til nattsvermerarten Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) brukt som modell for å studere nevrale prinsipper knyttet til luktesansen. Dataene gav detaljert informasjon om anatomisk organisering av det første synaptiske nivå i luktebanen hos denne arten. Det primære luktsenter, som hos insektet betegnes antenneloben, har slående likheter med menneskets luktelapp og utgjør derfor et system av generell interesse knyttet til å studere blant annet luktesansen. Ved å benytte teknikken med retrograd farging av andre ordens luktenevroner knyttet til ett av hjernens høyere integrasjonsområder (calyces), ble anatomisk organisering av det primære luktsenter, samt de nevrale traktene som frakter luktinformasjon fra antenneloben til calyces visualisert. En fremtredende bunt med axoner (den mediale antennoprotocerebrale trakt: M-APT), som projiserer til calyces, ble beskrevet i detalj med sine spredte røtter i antenneloben. Grunnet beskjeden farging av en annen antennoprotocerebral trakt (den laterale antennoprotocerebrale trakt: L-APT), ser det ut til at få fibre terminerer i calyces gjennom denne trakten. Et fjerde cellekluster i antenneloben, som tidligere ikke er beskrevet, ble funnet og navngitt parvus (Latin: lite) anterior cellekluster på grunn av dets moderate størrelse. Mens den retrograde fargingen av andre ordens projeksjonsnevroner viste at dendritter fra disse nevronene forgreiner seg fra ett punkt og sprer seg innvendig i hvert glomerulus, viste anterograd farging av sensoriske axoner fra antennenerven at disse projiseringene innerverer hovedsakelig periferien av antennelobens glomeruli.<br>The puzzling and often mystified sense of smell is the oldest of the senses. Though several hundred million years separates the common ancestor of vertebrata and invertebrata in evolution, the general underlying neural organization of olfaction is preserved and highly similar across species today. In the present study the tobacco budworm Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was used as a model organism for studying the neural system linked to olfaction. This provided a detailed anatomical account of the first synaptic level of the olfactory pathway in this particular species. The anatomical organization of the primary olfactory center (antennal lobe), and the neural pathways conveying olfactory information from here to a higher level brain area (calyces of the mushroom body), were visualized by retrograde staining of second-order neurons targeting the calyces. A prominent axonal bundle (the medial antennoprotocerebral tract: M-APT), conveying olfactory information to the calyces, was described in detail along with its sub-divisional roots in the antennal lobe. Due to sparse staining of another antennoprotocerebral tract (the lateral antennoprotocerebral tract: L-APT), it is suggested that only a few fibers terminate in the calyces through this tract. A fourth antennal-lobe cell cluster, previously not described, was found. It was named the parvus (Latin: small) anterior cell cluster due to its modest size. Whereas the retrograde staining of second order projection neurons demonstrated dendrites entering each glomerulus at its base and branching within the core, anterograde staining of sensory axons from the antennae showed that these projections target the periphery of each glomerulus.

The main objective of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of acquiring a second language (L2) at later periods of language development and native-like homonym processing in the first language (L1) from the perspective of Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP) using a cross-modal lexical decision task. To date, there is a lack of neurophysiological investigations into the effect that acquiring an L2 can have on processing strategies in the L1, and whether or not there is a precise age at which L2 exposure no longer affects native-like language processing. As such, my goal is to pinpoint this sensitive period specifically for homonym processing. To achieve this, I will present and discuss the results of two studies. The first study employs behavioural response measures using a cross-modal lexical decision task where participants simultaneously heard a sentence and made a decision to a visually-presented pseudoword or real word. The second study employs ERP measures using a novel ERP paradigm which investigates not only the main objective of this dissertation, but the second objective as well. This second objective is for this dissertation to become the first to evaluate the outcome of combining the cross-modal lexical decision task with ERPs. The behavioural and neurophysiological results for the monolingual group support the Reordered Access Model (Duffy, Morris, & Rayner, 1988) while the results for the bilingual groups do not. The results of the current studies indicate that those bilinguals who acquired French as an L2 rather than as a second native L1 show increasing divergence from monolingual native speakers in L1 homonym processing, with later acquirers exhibiting an exponentially marked divergence. This was found even though the task was carried out in English, the L1 (or one of the L1s) of all participants. The diverging performances of the bilinguals from the monolinguals were apparent in behavioural responses as well as in the amplitude, scalp distribution, and latency of ERP components, These differences were unique to each group, which supports the hypothesis that the acquisition of an L2 influences processing in the L1 (Dussias & Sagarra, 2007). Specifically, the early and late bilingual groups exhibited a marked divergence from the monolingual group as they revealed syntactic priming effects (p<.001) as well as lexical frequency effects (p<.001). They also revealed the greatest P600-like effect as they processed target words which were inappropriately- related to the priming homonyms (such as skin in Richard had a shed in the back of the garden). This suggests a heightened sensitivity to surface cues due to the L2 influencing homonym processing in the L1 (Cook, 2003; Dussias & Sagarra, 2007). Comparatively, the monolingual group revealed equal N400-like effects for lexical ambiguities overall compared to the unrelated conditions, and a context-by-frequency-interaction slowing their processing of the target word that is appropriately-related to the subordinate reading of the priming homonym, suggesting that they are not as sensitive to these same surface cues. Importantly, these results confirm that using ERPs along with a cross-modal lexical decision task is a promising paradigm to further study language processing.

<p> For nearly four decades, research has documented positive correlations between metacognitive abilities and student growth. Teachers who wish to cultivate metacognitive thinking should encourage their students to plan, investigate, and expand on the concepts they learn in class (Fisher, Frey, &amp; Hattie, 2016; Flavell, 1979). This mixed-methods study sought to investigate the effects of the Drive My Brain Model ([DMB], Gomez, 2016) on English language learners&rsquo; (ELLs) metacognition. The sample for the quantitative portion of this study was comprised of 54 fifth-grade ELLs from a public elementary school located in Orange County, California. The qualitative sample consisted of 12 students that represented a proportional sample of the students at the school, and two teachers. A quasi-experimental design was used for this study. The treatment group received roughly 30 minutes of Drive My Brain (DMB) Model activities each day over eight weeks, receiving a total of 1,155 minutes of intervention. Two pre-developed, validated surveys were used as pre-test/post-test for both groups. Survey scores for both groups were compared using a Chi-square test. Results indicated that statistically significant growth was achieved by the treatment group. Additional quantitative measures included an observation checklist, student task rubrics, and a student Likert survey questionnaire. Results indicated that students, who felt the DMB Model was easy to use, performed better on content tasks. Qualitative analysis supported quantitative findings. Student task artifacts revealed that students in the treatment group used more metacognitive and cognitive strategies. Additionally, student and teacher interviews found the DMB Model to be easy to use. </p><p>