Research shows that American Sign Language (ASL) and Native learners of spoken language present structure and modality on neural organizations for language. This article states that, native learners of spoken language display primarily left-lateralized patterns of neural stimulation, while ASL leaners display extensive right hemisphere (RH) and left hemisphere (LH) stimulation.
Introduction to the Research.
Neural organization is what the brain is able to process in language with variations. Research says there is a difference in activation on the brain depending on age, whether or not language is of an oral language or visual language, and depending on if a person weas born to deaf parents or hearing parents. Studies show children not exposed to a language before puberty or even sooner will not be able to fully comprehend structure of a language. A hearing person who has deaf parents and learned ASL and English, reading English will stimulate the regions of the LH. Although ASL sentences for the hearing individual will also stimulate regions of the RH, including; temporal sulcus (STS), angular gyrus (AG), and posterior portion of the precentral sulcus (PCS). The same RH activations are indicated in native ASL signers, but not those who only know English. .
Methods .
The experiment tested was used to determine signed and written language processes. The candidates were equivalent; Men and women who averaged out to be 29 years of age; NS, 11 females, 5 males; LS, was 7 females, and 4 males. For the English section, written sentences and control stimuli were showed. Both types of the process each one at a time, at a time of 400 ms duration and 200 ms interstimulus interval. The ASL process sentences were signed by a deaf native signer, and the control part of the test was meaningless gestures. .
Results.
The results of the experiment were both the NS and LS candidates connected with LH cortical areas, but no RH regions were detected.
