Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Montana received a $457,682 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Multidisciplinary Activities under the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences program (CFDA 47.075), awarded August 1, 2026, with a completion date of July 31, 2031. This five-year research project investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying syntactic processing in human language by combining behavioral experimentation, neuroimaging techniques, and computational modeling. The research directly addresses a fundamental scientific debate regarding whether language is organized around abstract grammatical structures independent of experience or emerges from usage-based patterns and statistical properties of linguistic input.

The project will produce empirical findings that distinguish between competing linguistic theories by examining language processing under conditions that alter neural mechanisms supporting language comprehension and production. Expected deliverables include research publications, neuroimaging data analysis, and computational models that identify whether abstract grammatical relationships or experience-based properties such as frequency and exposure better predict observed language processing patterns. Additionally, the award supports training opportunities for students across linguistics, cognitive science, and neuroscience disciplines, contributing to workforce development in these interdisciplinary fields and advancing the broader understanding of human language intelligence and representation in the brain.