Observation

Gernsbacher Will Discuss Diverse Brains at 25th APS Annual Convention

This is a photo of Morton Ann Gernsbacher.

Morton Ann Gernsbacher

Humans differ in height, eye color, and their ability to perceive color. Most read with their eyes, but some read with their fingertips. A majority communicates through speaking and listening, but a minority communicates through signing. Humans are diverse, and so are our brains.

At the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC, APS Past President Morton Ann Gernsbacher will talk about “Diverse Brains” in her Bring the Family Address. Research-based neuroimaging has inspired scientists to map out general principles of phenomena that are common to all people — but it has also inspired scientists to identify atypical neural function and structure. In her address, Gernsbacher will ask how we should view neural diversity.

Gernsbacher is a leader in the field of cognitive psychology. Her research has focused on the cognitive roots of language comprehension. She has argued that general cognitive mechanisms — and not language-specific mechanisms — facilitate language processing. She is also an expert on autism and has discovered a connection between autism-related motor planning challenges and speech limitations among some children with autism.


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