ABSTRACT
T he study of language impairments promises to inform our understanding of theneurocognitive foundations of language by answering a key question: Do languageimpairments represent the absence of one or more cognitive modules responsible for language processing? The idea that the mind is parceled into discrete semi-independent processing mechanisms represents a powerful framework in cognitive psychology (e.g., Fodor, 1983). Consistent with this theory, one could hypothesize that developmental language impairments represent a failure in the development of a subcomponent of language. Disorders that target specific language abilities would seem to constitute evidence for independent (or domain-specific) processing modules specialized for language. Such a finding serves to reinforce the theory that language represents a specialized processing modality that is functionally independent from other cognitive capacities such as perception, memory, and learning.
