Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

The tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon is a cognitive experience characterized by a temporary inability to retrieve specific information from memory despite having a strong feeling of knowing the information. Although individuals cannot access the target word or detail, they frequently recall related elements, such as its initial letter, syllable count, or context. This partial retrieval often causes frustration, as one might recognize a familiar face or know that a name starts with a specific...

Components of Language

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Interference and Decay

Interference and Decay

Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...

Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Performance of a large language model on the reasoning tasks of a physician.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Adoption of Standard Reference SNP Identifiers in Agricultural Genomics for Interoperability and Data Reuse.

Scientific data·2026

Same author

From tool to teammate in a randomized controlled trial of clinician-AI collaborative workflows for diagnosis.

NPJ digital medicine·2026

Same author

Epigenetic sperm quality testing for predicting fertility treatment success: a real-world and multi-site analysis.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026

Same author

SorghumBase: a knowledgebase for sorghum genomics, phenomics, and stakeholder engagement.

Genetics·2026

Same author

Digital interdependence: impact of work spillover during clinical team handoffs.

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Phonological-lexical activation: A lexical component or an output buffer? Evidence from aphasic errors.

Cristina Romani¹, Claudia Galluzzi, Andrew Olson

¹Aston University, Birmingham, UK. C.Romani@Aston.ac.uk

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|February 19, 2010

Summary

This study found that single word production does not require a phonological output buffer. Aphasic patients did not show buffer impairment effects, suggesting sustained activation comes from the lexicon, not a buffer.

More Related Videos

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Published on: April 1, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Published on: April 1, 2016

Area of Science:

Psycholinguistics
Neuroscience
Speech Production

Background:

Single word production involves maintaining phoneme activation during articulatory conversion.
A phonological output buffer is hypothesized for tasks like word recall and connected speech.
The role of this buffer in single word production remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the same memory resources, specifically a phonological buffer, are involved in single word production.
To assess the impact of word length and position on repetition and reading errors in aphasic patients.

Main Methods:

Examined length and positional effects in single word repetition and reading.
Studied six aphasic patients with phoneme activation difficulties.

Main Results:

Aphasic patients primarily made phoneme selection errors.
Patients did not exhibit length or positional effects expected from a damaged buffer.
Phoneme activation in single word production is distinct from buffer impairment.

Conclusions:

Phoneme activation is not equivalent to a phonological buffer.
Sustained phoneme activation for articulation likely originates from lexical links.
Evidence does not support the necessity of a phonological buffer for single word production.