Declarative/Procedural Model of Language

The basic premise of the declarative/procedural (DP) model or theory is that language critically depends on two long-term memory systems in the brain: declarative and procedural memory. Perhaps most importantly, because the computational, anatomical, physiological, molecular, and genetic substrates of these systems are relatively well studied in both animals and humans, this theoretical approach generates a wide range of well-motivated, specific, and testable predictions about the neurocognition of language that one might have no reason to make based on the study of language alone.

This entry summarizes the two memory systems and their interactions, presents the basic predictions of the model, provides an overview of the evidence, and finally discusses implications and future directions.