Home Department: Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Cory Shain (Linguistics)

“Language Processing and Executive Control in a Goal-Directed Virtual Environment: a Precision fMRI Approach"

Language and executive control are supported by distinct brain networks. While passive comprehension has been shown to not engage executive regions, goal-directed language use may demand coordination between them. In this project, Weston will investigate whether action-oriented language recruits both the language and executive networks using precision fMRI and a virtual game (CerealBar2). Participants will navigate and reason in 3D spaces based on textual instructions. The CLiMB Lab’s work on this project explores how and when linguistic information supports real-world action, with implications for improving aphasia rehabilitation in goal-driven contexts.