Assisting the Language Analyst : Multi - disciplinary Research at CASL working memory cognitive task analysis divergent thinking language aptitude

working memory cognitive task analysis divergent thinking language aptitude morphological parser i44160 NSA's Review of Emerging Technologies The Next Wave (TNW) is known for its coverage of computer science and engineering. In this issue, however, we take a slightly different path to present Study of Language. CASL was created as the first and only Department of Defense (DoD) UARC dedicated to research in human skills—language, cognition, and culture. This unique status came about because DoD and the Intelligence Community (IC) recognized the need for a sustained focus on language readiness. In 2008, CASL was integrated into the NSA/CSS Research Directorate. This integration is expected to provide CASL with multidisciplinary knowledge, helping CASL address all dimensions of the language analyst's tasks. CASL's mission is to provide empirical data from solid research to support management decisions involving language analysts. For example, how can we identify people who can learn languages more easily? How can we increase a language analyst's ability to problem solve? How can we use technology to assist language analysts in finding unfamiliar words? These questions, and more, are addressed in CASL's research as presented in this issue of TNW. The Next Wave is published to disseminate technical advancements and research activities in telecommunications and information technologies. Mentions of company names or commercial products do not imply endorsement by the US Government. Because Jane needs to hold many bits and pieces of information in mind as she listens, she needs a good working memory. Working memory is the cognitive mechanism that allows us to hold disparate information in mind. It is dedicated to the temporary processing, maintenance, and integration of information. Michael Bunting and his collaborators have worked to alleviate some working memory limitations for Jane. Because limitations in working memory are related to language processing difficulty and misinterpretation, training that improves working memory should improve memory capacity. Additionally, such training should also generalize to broader sets of cognitive tasks and processes that rely on working memory—for example, resolving ambiguity, overcoming misleading context, and filling in missing or corrupted information. " Thinking out of the box " Jane is also faced with the problem of linking the information that she hears with other knowledge that she has. In other words, she needs to make connections between what she hears and what she knows. Henk Haarmann and Jared Novick discuss how insights and methods from cognitive science may be used to …