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Cheng THZ, Zhao TC. Validating a novel paradigm for simultaneously assessing mismatch response and frequency-following response to speech sounds. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 412:110277. [PMID: 39245330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2024.110277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Speech sounds are processed in the human brain through intricate and interconnected cortical and subcortical structures. Two neural signatures, one largely from cortical sources (mismatch response, MMR) and one largely from subcortical sources (frequency-following response, FFR) are critical for assessing speech processing as they both show sensitivity to high-level linguistic information. However, there are distinct prerequisites for recording MMR and FFR, making them difficult to acquire simultaneously NEW METHOD: Using a new paradigm, our study aims to concurrently capture both signals and test them against the following criteria: (1) replicating the effect that the MMR to a native speech contrast significantly differs from the MMR to a nonnative speech contrast, and (2) demonstrating that FFRs to three speech sounds can be reliably differentiated. RESULTS Using EEG from 18 adults, we observed a decoding accuracy of 72.2 % between the MMR to native vs. nonnative speech contrasts. A significantly larger native MMR was shown in the expected time window. Similarly, a significant decoding accuracy of 79.6 % was found for FFR. A high stimulus-to-response cross-correlation with a 9 ms lag suggested that FFR closely tracks speech sounds. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S) These findings demonstrate that our paradigm reliably captures both MMR and FFR concurrently, replicating and extending past research with much fewer trials (MMR: 50 trials; FFR: 200 trials) and shorter experiment time (12 minutes). CONCLUSIONS This study paves the way to understanding cortical-subcortical interactions for speech and language processing, with the ultimate goal of developing an assessment tool specific to early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Han Zoe Cheng
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Tian Christina Zhao
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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2
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Lai B, Yi A, Zhang F, Wang S, Xin J, Li S, Yu L. Atypical brain lateralization for speech processing at the sublexical level in autistic children revealed by fNIRS. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2776. [PMID: 38307983 PMCID: PMC10837203 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53128-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Autistic children often exhibit atypical brain lateralization of language processing, but it is unclear what aspects of language contribute to this phenomenon. This study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure hemispheric lateralization by estimating hemodynamic responses associated with processing linguistic and non-linguistic auditory stimuli. The study involved a group of autistic children (N = 20, mean age = 5.8 years) and a comparison group of nonautistic peers (N = 20, mean age = 6.5 years). The children were presented with stimuli with systematically decreasing linguistic relevance: naturalistic native speech, meaningless native speech with scrambled word order, nonnative speech, and music. The results revealed that both groups showed left lateralization in the temporal lobe when listening to naturalistic native speech. However, the distinction emerged between autism and nonautistic in terms of processing the linguistic hierarchy. Specifically, the nonautistic comparison group demonstrated a systematic reduction in left lateralization as linguistic relevance decreased. In contrast, the autism group displayed no such pattern and showed no lateralization when listening to scrambled native speech accompanied by enhanced response in the right hemisphere. These results provide evidence of atypical neural specialization for spoken language in preschool- and school-age autistic children and shed new light on the underlying linguistic correlates contributing to such atypicality at the sublexical level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baojun Lai
- Center for Autism Research, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
- Tiyudong Road Primary School (Xingguo), Guangzhou, China
| | - Aiwen Yi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Pediatrics; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major 0bstetric Diseases; Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Joint Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fen Zhang
- VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Suiping Wang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Xin
- Foshan Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Suping Li
- Foshan Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Luodi Yu
- Center for Autism Research, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.
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3
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MacLean J, Stirn J, Sisson A, Bidelman GM. Short- and long-term neuroplasticity interact during the perceptual learning of concurrent speech. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad543. [PMID: 38212291 PMCID: PMC10839853 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasticity from auditory experience shapes the brain's encoding and perception of sound. However, whether such long-term plasticity alters the trajectory of short-term plasticity during speech processing has yet to be investigated. Here, we explored the neural mechanisms and interplay between short- and long-term neuroplasticity for rapid auditory perceptual learning of concurrent speech sounds in young, normal-hearing musicians and nonmusicians. Participants learned to identify double-vowel mixtures during ~ 45 min training sessions recorded simultaneously with high-density electroencephalography (EEG). We analyzed frequency-following responses (FFRs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate neural correlates of learning at subcortical and cortical levels, respectively. Although both groups showed rapid perceptual learning, musicians showed faster behavioral decisions than nonmusicians overall. Learning-related changes were not apparent in brainstem FFRs. However, plasticity was highly evident in cortex, where ERPs revealed unique hemispheric asymmetries between groups suggestive of different neural strategies (musicians: right hemisphere bias; nonmusicians: left hemisphere). Source reconstruction and the early (150-200 ms) time course of these effects localized learning-induced cortical plasticity to auditory-sensory brain areas. Our findings reinforce the domain-general benefits of musicianship but reveal that successful speech sound learning is driven by a critical interplay between long- and short-term mechanisms of auditory plasticity, which first emerge at a cortical level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica MacLean
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Jack Stirn
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Alexandria Sisson
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Gavin M Bidelman
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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4
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Yu L, Huang D, Wang S, Zhang Y. Reduced Neural Specialization for Word-level Linguistic Prosody in Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:4351-4367. [PMID: 36038793 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05720-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Children with autism often show atypical brain lateralization for speech and language processing, however, it is unclear what linguistic component contributes to this phenomenon. Here we measured event-related potential (ERP) responses in 21 school-age autistic children and 25 age-matched neurotypical (NT) peers during listening to word-level prosodic stimuli. We found that both groups displayed larger late negative response (LNR) amplitude to native prosody than to nonnative prosody; however, unlike the NT group exhibiting left-lateralized LNR distinction of prosodic phonology, the autism group showed no evidence of LNR lateralization. Moreover, in both groups, the LNR effects were only present for prosodic phonology but not for phoneme-free prosodic acoustics. These results extended the findings of inadequate neural specialization for language in autism to sub-lexical prosodic structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luodi Yu
- Center for Autism Research, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Wenyi Bldg, Guangzhou, China.
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University) , Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Dan Huang
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation & Research Center for Children with ASD, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University) , Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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5
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MacLean J, Stirn J, Sisson A, Bidelman GM. Short- and long-term experience-dependent neuroplasticity interact during the perceptual learning of concurrent speech. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559640. [PMID: 37808665 PMCID: PMC10557636 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Plasticity from auditory experiences shapes brain encoding and perception of sound. However, whether such long-term plasticity alters the trajectory of short-term plasticity during speech processing has yet to be investigated. Here, we explored the neural mechanisms and interplay between short- and long-term neuroplasticity for rapid auditory perceptual learning of concurrent speech sounds in young, normal-hearing musicians and nonmusicians. Participants learned to identify double-vowel mixtures during ∼45 minute training sessions recorded simultaneously with high-density EEG. We analyzed frequency-following responses (FFRs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate neural correlates of learning at subcortical and cortical levels, respectively. While both groups showed rapid perceptual learning, musicians showed faster behavioral decisions than nonmusicians overall. Learning-related changes were not apparent in brainstem FFRs. However, plasticity was highly evident in cortex, where ERPs revealed unique hemispheric asymmetries between groups suggestive of different neural strategies (musicians: right hemisphere bias; nonmusicians: left hemisphere). Source reconstruction and the early (150-200 ms) time course of these effects localized learning-induced cortical plasticity to auditory-sensory brain areas. Our findings confirm domain-general benefits for musicianship but reveal successful speech sound learning is driven by a critical interplay between long- and short-term mechanisms of auditory plasticity that first emerge at a cortical level.
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6
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Choi W, Lai VKW. Does musicianship influence the perceptual integrality of tones and segmental information? THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:852-862. [PMID: 37566718 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of musicianship on the perceptual integrality of tones and segmental information in non-native speech perception. We tested 112 Cantonese musicians, Cantonese non-musicians, English musicians, and English non-musicians with a modified Thai tone AX discrimination task. In the tone discrimination task, the control block only contained tonal variations, whereas the orthogonal block contained both tonal and task-irrelevant segmental variations. Relative to their own performance in the control block, the Cantonese listeners showed decreased sensitivity index (d') and increased response time in the orthogonal block, reflecting integral perception of tones and segmental information. By contrast, the English listeners performed similarly across the two blocks, indicating independent perception. Bayesian analysis revealed that the Cantonese musicians and the Cantonese non-musicians perceived Thai tones and segmental information equally integrally. Moreover, the English musicians and the English non-musicians showed similar degrees of independent perception. Based on the above results, musicianship does not seem to influence tone-segmental perceptual integrality. While musicianship apparently enhances tone sensitivity, not all musical advantages are transferrable to the language domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Choi
- Academic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Veronica Ka Wai Lai
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Manitoba University, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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7
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Liu L, Peter V, Tyler MD. Understanding the neural mechanisms for infants' perception of native and non-native speech. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 242:105279. [PMID: 37236016 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Though perceptual narrowing has been widely recognized as a process guiding cognitive development and category learning in infancy and early childhood, its neural mechanisms and traits at a cortical level remain unclear. Using an electroencephalography (EEG) abstract mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm, Australian infants' neural sensitivity to (native) English and (non-native) Nuu-Chah-Nulth speech contrasts was examined in a cross-sectional design at the onset (5-6 months) and offset (11-12 months) of perceptual narrowing. Immature mismatch responses (MMR) were observed among younger infants for both contrasts, while older infants showed MMR response to the non-native contrast, and both MMR and MMN to the native contrast. Sensitivity to the Nuu-Chah-Nulth contrast at perceptual narrowing offset was retained yet stayed immature. Findings conform to perceptual assimilation theories, reflecting plasticity in early speech perception and development. Compared to behavioural paradigms, neural examination effectively reveals experience-induced processing differences to subtle contrasts at the offset of perceptual narrowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liquan Liu
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia; The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Australia; Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Australia; Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan, University of Oslo, Norway.
| | - Varghese Peter
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia; School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
| | - Michael D Tyler
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia; The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Australia; Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Australia
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8
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Yi A, Li B, Li S. Perception of the /t/-/k/ contrast by Mandarin-speaking children with Speech Sound Disorders. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2022; 36:1029-1044. [PMID: 34617476 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2021.1983875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mandarin-speaking children with speech sound disorders (SSD) often show difficulties in producing alveolar and velar plosives contrasts (e.g., /t/ vs. /k/). But it remains unclear whether such phonological disorder correlates with the perception of the contrast between alveolar and velar plosives. The present study assessed whether Mandarin-speaking children with SSD who substituted [t] for /k/ in production could perceptually distinguish between /t/ and /k/, and compared their results with those from typically developing children (TDC) and typically adults (TA). We adopted a categorical perception paradigm with a /ta/-/ka/ continuum. The continuum included nine stimuli, which were synthesized from a naturally-produced /ta/. The SSD, TDC, and TA groups completed both identification and discrimination tasks that required perceptual judgment of individual stimulus and pairs of stimuli from the continuum. The results showed that the TDC and TA groups showed typical patterns of categorical perception in the continuum. But the SSD group only reached or was slightly above the chance level in the identification task and did not show significant difference among pairs of stimuli in the discrimination task. Their performance was significantly different from that of the TDC and TA groups and lacked typical patterns of categorical perception. The results suggested that their perception of /t/ vs. /k/ may be impaired. Considering the SSD group's speech errors, this perception defect may be a cause for their tendency of substituting [t] for /k/ in production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiwen Yi
- Department of Children Rehabilitation, Foshan Chancheng Central Hospital, Foshan, China
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S.A.R., China
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S.A.R., China
| | - Suping Li
- Department of Children Rehabilitation, Foshan Chancheng Central Hospital, Foshan, China
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9
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Mankel K, Shrestha U, Tipirneni-Sajja A, Bidelman GM. Functional Plasticity Coupled With Structural Predispositions in Auditory Cortex Shape Successful Music Category Learning. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:897239. [PMID: 35837119 PMCID: PMC9274125 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.897239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Categorizing sounds into meaningful groups helps listeners more efficiently process the auditory scene and is a foundational skill for speech perception and language development. Yet, how auditory categories develop in the brain through learning, particularly for non-speech sounds (e.g., music), is not well understood. Here, we asked musically naïve listeners to complete a brief (∼20 min) training session where they learned to identify sounds from a musical interval continuum (minor-major 3rds). We used multichannel EEG to track behaviorally relevant neuroplastic changes in the auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) pre- to post-training. To rule out mere exposure-induced changes, neural effects were evaluated against a control group of 14 non-musicians who did not undergo training. We also compared individual categorization performance with structural volumetrics of bilateral Heschl's gyrus (HG) from MRI to evaluate neuroanatomical substrates of learning. Behavioral performance revealed steeper (i.e., more categorical) identification functions in the posttest that correlated with better training accuracy. At the neural level, improvement in learners' behavioral identification was characterized by smaller P2 amplitudes at posttest, particularly over right hemisphere. Critically, learning-related changes in the ERPs were not observed in control listeners, ruling out mere exposure effects. Learners also showed smaller and thinner HG bilaterally, indicating superior categorization was associated with structural differences in primary auditory brain regions. Collectively, our data suggest successful auditory categorical learning of music sounds is characterized by short-term functional changes (i.e., greater post-training efficiency) in sensory coding processes superimposed on preexisting structural differences in bilateral auditory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Mankel
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Utsav Shrestha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
| | | | - Gavin M. Bidelman
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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10
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Zhao TC. Neural–Behavioral Relation in Phonetic Discrimination Modulated by Language Background. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12040461. [PMID: 35447991 PMCID: PMC9027764 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12040461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
It is a well-demonstrated phenomenon that listeners can discriminate native phonetic contrasts better than nonnative ones. Recent neuroimaging studies have started to reveal the underlying neural mechanisms. By focusing on the mismatch negativity/response (MMN/R), a widely studied index of neural sensitivity to sound change, researchers have observed larger MMNs for native contrasts than for nonnative ones in EEG, but also a more focused and efficient neural activation pattern for native contrasts in MEG. However, direct relations between behavioral discrimination and MMN/R are rarely reported. In the current study, 15 native English speakers and 15 native Spanish speakers completed both a behavioral discrimination task and a separate MEG recording to measure MMR to a VOT-based speech contrast (i.e., pre-voiced vs. voiced stop consonant), which represents a phonetic contrast native to Spanish speakers but is nonnative to English speakers. At the group level, English speakers exhibited significantly lower behavioral sensitivity (d’) to the contrast but a more expansive MMR, replicating previous studies. Across individuals, a significant relation between behavioral sensitivity and the MMR was only observed in the Spanish group. Potential differences in the mechanisms underlying behavioral discrimination for the two groups are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Christina Zhao
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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11
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Frye CI, Creel SC. Perceptual flexibility in word learning: Preschoolers learn words with speech sound variability. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 226:105078. [PMID: 35074621 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Children's language input is rife with acoustic variability. Much of this variability may facilitate learning by highlighting unvarying, criterial speech attributes. But in many cases, learners experience variation in those criterial attributes themselves, as when hearing speakers with different accents. How flexible are children in the face of this variability? The current study taught 3-5-year-olds new words containing speech-sound variability: a single picture might be labeled both deev and teev. After learning, children's knowledge was tested by presenting two pictures and asking them to point to one. Picture-pointing accuracy and eye movements were tracked. While children pointed less accurately and looked less rapidly to dual-label than single-label words, they robustly exceeded chance. Performance was weaker when children learned two distinct labels, such as vayfe and fosh, for a single object. Findings suggest moderate learning even with speech-sound variability. One implication is that neural representations of speech contain rich gradient information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor I Frye
- Department of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sarah C Creel
- Department of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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12
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Abstract
The human brain exhibits the remarkable ability to categorize speech sounds into distinct, meaningful percepts, even in challenging tasks like learning non-native speech categories in adulthood and hearing speech in noisy listening conditions. In these scenarios, there is substantial variability in perception and behavior, both across individual listeners and individual trials. While there has been extensive work characterizing stimulus-related and contextual factors that contribute to variability, recent advances in neuroscience are beginning to shed light on another potential source of variability that has not been explored in speech processing. Specifically, there are task-independent, moment-to-moment variations in neural activity in broadly-distributed cortical and subcortical networks that affect how a stimulus is perceived on a trial-by-trial basis. In this review, we discuss factors that affect speech sound learning and moment-to-moment variability in perception, particularly arousal states—neurotransmitter-dependent modulations of cortical activity. We propose that a more complete model of speech perception and learning should incorporate subcortically-mediated arousal states that alter behavior in ways that are distinct from, yet complementary to, top-down cognitive modulations. Finally, we discuss a novel neuromodulation technique, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which is particularly well-suited to investigating causal relationships between arousal mechanisms and performance in a variety of perceptual tasks. Together, these approaches provide novel testable hypotheses for explaining variability in classically challenging tasks, including non-native speech sound learning.
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13
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Earle FS, Qi Z. Overnight changes to dual-memory processes reflected in speech-perceptual performance. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:231-243. [PMID: 34921334 PMCID: PMC10767754 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02418-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Adults' ability to attain and retain nonnative speech sound categories vary substantially among individuals. While we know that speech-perceptual skills play a role, we know less about how consolidation-related changes in acoustic-phonetic memory contribute to perceptual tasks. The goal of this investigation was to examine contributions of memory and perceptual skills to the perceptual performance on a trained nonnative speech contrast over two days. Twenty-one adult participants (ages 18-24) completed four different experiments. Three of these assessed learning and memory: visual statistical learning (implicit), visual object recognition (explicit), and nonnative (Hindi dental-retroflex) speech-sound training. Participants completed the learning tasks around 8 p.m., and performance was measured shortly after learning and again 12 hours later. On a separate day, participants completed a categorical perception task on a native (/a/-/e/) vowel continuum. Nonnative speech perception was associated with implicit learning performance when both were assessed shortly after learning, and associated with the retention of explicit memory when both were assessed after an overnight delay. Native speech-sounds were at least marginally associated with nonnative speech perception performance on both days, but with a stronger association observed with performance assessed on Day 2. These findings provide preliminary support for the interpretation that speech-sounds are encoded by at least two memory systems in parallel, but that perceptual performance may reflect acoustic-phonetic knowledge learned by different memory systems over time since exposure. Moreover, performance on speech perception tasks in both native and nonnative speech-sounds may rely on similar retrieval mechanisms for long-term storage of speech-sound information.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Sayako Earle
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, 540 S. College Ave. Suite 220BB, Newark, DE, 19713, USA.
| | - Zhenghan Qi
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., Forsyth Building 228A, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware, 125 E Main St, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
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14
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Yu L, Zeng J, Wang S, Zhang Y. Phonetic Encoding Contributes to the Processing of Linguistic Prosody at the Word Level: Cross-Linguistic Evidence From Event-Related Potentials. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:4791-4801. [PMID: 34731592 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to examine whether abstract knowledge of word-level linguistic prosody is independent of or integrated with phonetic knowledge. METHOD Event-related potential (ERP) responses were measured from 18 adult listeners while they listened to native and nonnative word-level prosody in speech and in nonspeech. The prosodic phonology (speech) conditions included disyllabic pseudowords spoken in Chinese and in English matched for syllabic structure, duration, and intensity. The prosodic acoustic (nonspeech) conditions were hummed versions of the speech stimuli, which eliminated the phonetic content while preserving the acoustic prosodic features. RESULTS We observed language-specific effects on the ERP that native stimuli elicited larger late negative response (LNR) amplitude than nonnative stimuli in the prosodic phonology conditions. However, no such effect was observed in the phoneme-free prosodic acoustic control conditions. CONCLUSIONS The results support the integration view that word-level linguistic prosody likely relies on the phonetic content where the acoustic cues embedded in. It remains to be examined whether the LNR may serve as a neural signature for language-specific processing of prosodic phonology beyond auditory processing of the critical acoustic cues at the suprasyllabic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luodi Yu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
| | - Jiajing Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
| | - Suiping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis
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15
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16
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Shinohara Y. Audiovisual English /r/-/l/ Identification Training for Japanese-Speaking Adults and Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2529-2538. [PMID: 34157243 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study tested the hypothesis that audiovisual training benefits children more than it does adults and that it improves Japanese-speaking children's English /r/-/l/ perception to a native-like level. Method Ten sessions of audiovisual English /r/-/l/ identification training were conducted for Japanese-speaking adults and children. Assessments were made of age effects on the increase in identification accuracy in three testing conditions (audiovisual, visual only, and audio only) and auditory discrimination of the primary acoustic cue (F3 frequency). Results The results showed that both adults and children increased their identification accuracy in the audiovisual condition more than in the single-modality conditions (visual only and audio only). Their improvement in the visual-only condition was larger than that in the audio-only condition. Japanese-speaking adults and children improved their primary acoustic cue (F3) sensitivity to a similar extent. In addition, their identification improvement in the audiovisual condition was positively correlated with those in the audio-only and visual-only conditions. The improvement in the audio-only condition was also positively correlated with that in the visual-only condition and with primary acoustic cue sensitivity. Conclusion It was unclear whether children had an advantage over adults in improving their identification accuracy, but both age groups improved their auditory and visual perception of the English /r/-/l/ contrast and showed additive effects in the multisensory (i.e., audiovisual) condition.
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17
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Miller SE, Graham J, Schafer E. Auditory Sensory Gating of Speech and Nonspeech Stimuli. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:1404-1412. [PMID: 33755510 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Auditory sensory gating is a neural measure of inhibition and is typically measured with a click or tonal stimulus. This electrophysiological study examined if stimulus characteristics and the use of speech stimuli affected auditory sensory gating indices. Method Auditory event-related potentials were elicited using natural speech, synthetic speech, and nonspeech stimuli in a traditional auditory gating paradigm in 15 adult listeners with normal hearing. Cortical responses were recorded at 64 electrode sites, and peak amplitudes and latencies to the different stimuli were extracted. Individual data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results Significant gating of P1-N1-P2 peaks was observed for all stimulus types. N1-P2 cortical responses were affected by stimulus type, with significantly less neural inhibition of the P2 response observed for natural speech compared to nonspeech and synthetic speech. Conclusions Auditory sensory gating responses can be measured using speech and nonspeech stimuli in listeners with normal hearing. The results of the study indicate the amount of gating and neural inhibition observed is affected by the spectrotemporal characteristics of the stimuli used to evoke the neural responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon E Miller
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton
| | - Jessica Graham
- Division of Audiology, St. Louis Children's Hospital, MO
| | - Erin Schafer
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton
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18
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Chen F, Zhang H, Ding H, Wang S, Peng G, Zhang Y. Neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in children with and without autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2021; 14:1357-1374. [PMID: 33792205 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The presence of vowel exaggeration in infant-directed speech (IDS) may adapt to the age-appropriate demands in speech and language acquisition. Previous studies have provided behavioral evidence of atypical auditory processing towards IDS in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. This event-related potential (ERP) study investigated the neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in 24 4- to 11-year-old children with ASD and 24 typically-developing (TD) peers. The EEG data were recorded using an alternating block design, in which each stimulus type (exaggerated/non-exaggerated sound) was presented with equal probability. ERP waveform analysis revealed an enhanced P1 for vowel formant exaggeration in the TD group but not in the ASD group. This speech-specific atypical processing in ASD was not found for the nonspeech stimuli which showed similar P1 enhancement in both ASD and TD groups. Moreover, the time-frequency analysis indicated that children with ASD showed differences in neural synchronization in the delta-theta bands for processing acoustic formant changes embedded in nonspeech. Collectively, the results add substantiating neurophysiological evidence (i.e., a lack of neural enhancement effect of vowel exaggeration) for atypical auditory processing of IDS in children with ASD, which may exert a negative effect on phonetic encoding and language learning. LAY SUMMARY: Atypical responses to motherese might act as a potential early marker of risk for children with ASD. This study investigated the neural responses to such socially relevant stimuli in the ASD brain, and the results suggested a lack of neural enhancement responding to the motherese even in individuals without intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China.,Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
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19
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Zhu J, Chen X, Yang Y. Effects of Amateur Musical Experience on Categorical Perception of Lexical Tones by Native Chinese Adults: An ERP Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:611189. [PMID: 33790832 PMCID: PMC8005537 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.611189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Music impacting on speech processing is vividly evidenced in most reports involving professional musicians, while the question of whether the facilitative effects of music are limited to experts or may extend to amateurs remains to be resolved. Previous research has suggested that analogous to language experience, musicianship also modulates lexical tone perception but the influence of amateur musical experience in adulthood is poorly understood. Furthermore, little is known about how acoustic information and phonological information of lexical tones are processed by amateur musicians. This study aimed to provide neural evidence of cortical plasticity by examining categorical perception of lexical tones in Chinese adults with amateur musical experience relative to the non-musician counterparts. Fifteen adult Chinese amateur musicians and an equal number of non-musicians participated in an event-related potential (ERP) experiment. Their mismatch negativities (MMNs) to lexical tones from Mandarin Tone 2–Tone 4 continuum and non-speech tone analogs were measured. It was hypothesized that amateur musicians would exhibit different MMNs to their non-musician counterparts in processing two aspects of information in lexical tones. Results showed that the MMN mean amplitude evoked by within-category deviants was significantly larger for amateur musicians than non-musicians regardless of speech or non-speech condition. This implies the strengthened processing of acoustic information by adult amateur musicians without the need of focused attention, as the detection of subtle acoustic nuances of pitch was measurably improved. In addition, the MMN peak latency elicited by across-category deviants was significantly shorter than that by within-category deviants for both groups, indicative of the earlier processing of phonological information than acoustic information of lexical tones at the pre-attentive stage. The results mentioned above suggest that cortical plasticity can still be induced in adulthood, hence non-musicians should be defined more strictly than before. Besides, the current study enlarges the population demonstrating the beneficial effects of musical experience on perceptual and cognitive functions, namely, the effects of enhanced speech processing from music are not confined to a small group of experts but extend to a large population of amateurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqiang Zhu
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Yuxiao Yang
- Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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20
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Falk S, Fasolo M, Genovese G, Romero‐Lauro L, Franco F. Sing for me, Mama! Infants' discrimination of novel vowels in song. INFANCY 2021; 26:248-270. [DOI: 10.1111/infa.12387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Falk
- Department of Linguistics and Translation University of Montreal, Montreal Quebec Canada
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS) University of Montreal, Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Mirco Fasolo
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti‐Pescara Chieti Italy
| | | | - Leonor Romero‐Lauro
- Department of Psychology University of Milan‐Bicocca Milano Italy
- Neuromi Milan Center for Neuroscience Milano Italy
| | - Fabia Franco
- Department of Psychology Faculty of Science and Technology Middlesex University London London UK
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21
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García-Sierra A, Ramírez-Esparza N, Wig N, Robertson D. Language learning as a function of infant directed speech (IDS) in Spanish: Testing neural commitment using the positive-MMR. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 212:104890. [PMID: 33307333 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Spanish-English bilingual families (N = 17) were recruited to assess the association between infant directed speech (IDS) in Spanish and their degree of neural commitment to the Spanish language. IDS was assessed by extracting the caregivers' Vowel Space Area (VSA) from recordings of a storybook reading task done at home. Infants' neural commitment was assessed by extracting the positive mismatch brain response (positive-MMR), an Event-Related Potential (ERP) thought to be indicative of higher attentional processes and early language commitment. A linear mixed model analysis demonstrated that caregivers' VSA predicted the amplitude of the positive-MMR in response to a native speech contrast (Spanish), but not to a non-native speech contrast (Chinese), even after holding other predictors constant (i.e., socioeconomic status, infants' age, and fundamental frequency). Our findings provide support to the view that quality of language exposure fosters language learning, and that this beneficial relationship expands to the bilingual population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián García-Sierra
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Connecticut, 337 Mansfield Rd Unit 1272, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Nairán Ramírez-Esparza
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Rd, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Noelle Wig
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Connecticut, 337 Mansfield Rd Unit 1272, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Dylan Robertson
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
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22
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Liberto GMD, Nie J, Yeaton J, Khalighinejad B, Shamma SA, Mesgarani N. Neural representation of linguistic feature hierarchy reflects second-language proficiency. Neuroimage 2020; 227:117586. [PMID: 33346131 PMCID: PMC8527895 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquiring a new language requires individuals to simultaneously and gradually learn linguistic attributes on multiple levels. Here, we investigated how this learning process changes the neural encoding of natural speech by assessing the encoding of the linguistic feature hierarchy in second-language listeners. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded from native Mandarin speakers with varied English proficiency and from native English speakers while they listened to audio-stories in English. We measured the temporal response functions (TRFs) for acoustic, phonemic, phonotactic, and semantic features in individual participants and found a main effect of proficiency on linguistic encoding. This effect of second-language proficiency was particularly prominent on the neural encoding of phonemes, showing stronger encoding of “new” phonemic contrasts (i.e., English contrasts that do not exist in Mandarin) with increasing proficiency. Overall, we found that the nonnative listeners with higher proficiency levels had a linguistic feature representation more similar to that of native listeners, which enabled the accurate decoding of language proficiency. This result advances our understanding of the cortical processing of linguistic information in second-language learners and provides an objective measure of language proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni M Di Liberto
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jingping Nie
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Jeremy Yeaton
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France; Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, CNRS, France. Aix-Marseille Université, France
| | - Bahar Khalighinejad
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Shihab A Shamma
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France; Institute for Systems Research, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
| | - Nima Mesgarani
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States.
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23
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Zhang H, Zhang J, Peng G, Ding H, Zhang Y. Bimodal Benefits Revealed by Categorical Perception of Lexical Tones in Mandarin-Speaking Kindergarteners With a Cochlear Implant and a Contralateral Hearing Aid. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:4238-4251. [PMID: 33186505 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Pitch reception poses challenges for individuals with cochlear implants (CIs), and adding a hearing aid (HA) in the nonimplanted ear is potentially beneficial. The current study used fine-scale synthetic speech stimuli to investigate the bimodal benefit for lexical tone categorization in Mandarin-speaking kindergarteners using a CI and an HA in opposite ears. Method The data were collected from 16 participants who were required to complete two classical tasks for speech categorical perception (CP) with CI + HA device condition and CI alone condition. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to evaluate the identification and discrimination scores across different device conditions. Results The bimodal kindergarteners showed CP for the continuum varying from Mandarin Tone 1 and Tone 2. Moreover, the additional acoustic information from the contralateral HA contributes to improved lexical tone categorization, with a steeper slope, a higher discrimination score of between-category stimuli pair, and an improved peakedness score (i.e., an increased benefit magnitude for discriminations of between-category over within-category pairs) for the CI + HA condition than the CI alone condition. The bimodal kindergarteners with better residual hearing thresholds at 250 Hz level in the nonimplanted ear could perceive lexical tones more categorically. Conclusion The enhanced CP results with bimodal listening provide clear evidence for the clinical practice to fit a contralateral HA in the nonimplanted ear in kindergarteners with unilateral CIs with direct benefits from the low-frequency acoustic hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
| | - Jing Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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24
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Miller SE, Zhang Y. Neural Coding of Syllable-Final Fricatives with and without Hearing Aid Amplification. J Am Acad Audiol 2020; 31:566-577. [PMID: 32340057 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1709448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cortical auditory event-related potentials are a potentially useful clinical tool to objectively assess speech outcomes with rehabilitative devices. Whether hearing aids reliably encode the spectrotemporal characteristics of fricative stimuli in different phonological contexts and whether these differences result in distinct neural responses with and without hearing aid amplification remain unclear. PURPOSE To determine whether the neural coding of the voiceless fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/ in the syllable-final context reliably differed without hearing aid amplification and whether hearing aid amplification altered neural coding of the fricative contrast. RESEARCH DESIGN A repeated-measures, within subject design was used to compare the neural coding of a fricative contrast with and without hearing aid amplification. STUDY SAMPLE Ten adult listeners with normal hearing participated in the study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Cortical auditory event-related potentials were elicited to an /ɑs/-/ɑʃ/ vowel-fricative contrast in unaided and aided listening conditions. Neural responses to the speech contrast were recorded at 64-electrode sites. Peak latencies and amplitudes of the cortical response waveforms to the fricatives were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS The P2' component of the acoustic change complex significantly differed from the syllable-final fricative contrast with and without hearing aid amplification. Hearing aid amplification differentially altered the neural coding of the contrast across frontal, temporal, and parietal electrode regions. CONCLUSIONS Hearing aid amplification altered the neural coding of syllable-final fricatives. However, the contrast remained acoustically distinct in the aided and unaided conditions, and cortical responses to the fricative significantly differed with and without the hearing aid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon E Miller
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language Hearing Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.,Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.,Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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25
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Ullman MT, Earle FS, Walenski M, Janacsek K. The Neurocognition of Developmental Disorders of Language. Annu Rev Psychol 2020; 71:389-417. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Developmental disorders of language include developmental language disorder, dyslexia, and motor-speech disorders such as articulation disorder and stuttering. These disorders have generally been explained by accounts that focus on their behavioral rather than neural characteristics; their processing rather than learning impairments; and each disorder separately rather than together, despite their commonalities and comorbidities. Here we update and review a unifying neurocognitive account—the Procedural circuit Deficit Hypothesis (PDH). The PDH posits that abnormalities of brain structures underlying procedural memory (learning and memory that rely on the basal ganglia and associated circuitry) can explain numerous brain and behavioral characteristics across learning and processing, in multiple disorders, including both commonalities and differences. We describe procedural memory, examine its role in various aspects of language, and then present the PDH and relevant evidence across language-related disorders. The PDH has substantial explanatory power, and both basic research and translational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T. Ullman
- Brain and Language Lab, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - F. Sayako Earle
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
| | - Matthew Walenski
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Karolina Janacsek
- Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), H-1071 Budapest, Hungary
- Brain, Memory, and Language Lab; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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26
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Chan IL, Chang CB. Perception of nonnative tonal contrasts by Mandarin-English and English-Mandarin sequential bilinguals. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 146:956. [PMID: 31472563 DOI: 10.1121/1.5120522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the role of acquisition order and crosslinguistic similarity in influencing transfer at the initial stage of perceptually acquiring a tonal third language (L3). Perception of tones in Yoruba and Thai was tested in adult sequential bilinguals representing three different first (L1) and second language (L2) backgrounds: L1 Mandarin-L2 English (MEBs), L1 English-L2 Mandarin (EMBs), and L1 English-L2 intonational/non-tonal (EIBs). MEBs outperformed EMBs and EIBs in discriminating L3 tonal contrasts in both languages, while EMBs showed a small advantage over EIBs on Yoruba. All groups showed better overall discrimination in Thai than Yoruba, but group differences were more robust in Yoruba. MEBs' and EMBs' poor discrimination of certain L3 contrasts was further reflected in the L3 tones being perceived as similar to the same Mandarin tone; however, EIBs, with no knowledge of Mandarin, showed many of the same similarity judgments. These findings thus suggest that L1 tonal experience has a particularly facilitative effect in L3 tone perception, but there is also a facilitative effect of L2 tonal experience. Further, crosslinguistic perceptual similarity between L1/L2 and L3 tones, as well as acoustic similarity between different L3 tones, play a significant role at this early stage of L3 tone acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Lei Chan
- Department of Linguistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Charles B Chang
- Department of Linguistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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27
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Kolozsvári OB, Xu W, Leppänen PHT, Hämäläinen JA. Top-Down Predictions of Familiarity and Congruency in Audio-Visual Speech Perception at Neural Level. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:243. [PMID: 31354459 PMCID: PMC6639789 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During speech perception, listeners rely on multimodal input and make use of both auditory and visual information. When presented with speech, for example syllables, the differences in brain responses to distinct stimuli are not, however, caused merely by the acoustic or visual features of the stimuli. The congruency of the auditory and visual information and the familiarity of a syllable, that is, whether it appears in the listener's native language or not, also modulates brain responses. We investigated how the congruency and familiarity of the presented stimuli affect brain responses to audio-visual (AV) speech in 12 adult Finnish native speakers and 12 adult Chinese native speakers. They watched videos of a Chinese speaker pronouncing syllables (/pa/, /pha/, /ta/, /tha/, /fa/) during a magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurement where only /pa/ and /ta/ were part of Finnish phonology while all the stimuli were part of Chinese phonology. The stimuli were presented in audio-visual (congruent or incongruent), audio only, or visual only conditions. The brain responses were examined in five time-windows: 75-125, 150-200, 200-300, 300-400, and 400-600 ms. We found significant differences for the congruency comparison in the fourth time-window (300-400 ms) in both sensor and source level analysis. Larger responses were observed for the incongruent stimuli than for the congruent stimuli. For the familiarity comparisons no significant differences were found. The results are in line with earlier studies reporting on the modulation of brain responses for audio-visual congruency around 250-500 ms. This suggests a much stronger process for the general detection of a mismatch between predictions based on lip movements and the auditory signal than for the top-down modulation of brain responses based on phonological information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya B Kolozsvári
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Jyväskylä Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research (CIBR), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Weiyong Xu
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Jyväskylä Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research (CIBR), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Paavo H T Leppänen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Jyväskylä Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research (CIBR), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jarmo A Hämäläinen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Jyväskylä Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research (CIBR), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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28
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Yu K, Li L, Chen Y, Zhou Y, Wang R, Zhang Y, Li P. Effects of native language experience on Mandarin lexical tone processing in proficient second language learners. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13448. [PMID: 31355474 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Learning the acoustic and phonological information in lexical tones is significant for learners of tonal languages. Although there is a wealth of knowledge from studies of second language (L2) tone learning, it remains unclear how L2 learners process acoustic versus phonological information differently depending on whether their first language (L1) is a tonal language. In the present study, we first examined proficient L2 learners of Mandarin with tonal and nontonal L1 in a behavioral experiment (identifying a Mandarin tonal continuum) to construct tonal contrasts that could differentiate the phonological from the acoustic information in Mandarin lexical tones for the L2 learners. We then conducted an ERP experiment to investigate these learners' automatic processing of acoustic and phonological information in Mandarin lexical tones by mismatch negativity (MMN). Although both groups of L2 learners showed similar behavioral identification features for the Mandarin tonal continuum as native speakers, L2 learners with nontonal L1, as compared with both native speakers and L2 learners with tonal L1, showed longer reaction time to the tokens of the Mandarin tonal continuum. More importantly, the MMN data further revealed distinct roles of acoustic and phonological information on the automatic processing of L2 lexical tones between the two groups of L2 learners. Taken together, the results indicate that the processing of acoustic and phonological information in L2 lexical tones may be modulated by L1 experience with a tonal language. The theoretical implications of the current study are discussed in light of models of L2 speech learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Li
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Learning and International Promotion, and College of International Culture, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yacong Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Huanghe Science and Technology University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ruiming Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Science and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
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Cheng B, Zhang X, Fan S, Zhang Y. The Role of Temporal Acoustic Exaggeration in High Variability Phonetic Training: A Behavioral and ERP Study. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1178. [PMID: 31178795 PMCID: PMC6543854 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
High variability phonetic training (HVPT) has been found to be effective in helping adult learners acquire non-native phonetic contrasts. The present study investigated the role of temporal acoustic exaggeration by comparing the canonical HVPT paradigm without involving acoustic exaggeration with a modified adaptive HVPT paradigm that integrated key temporal exaggerations in infant-directed speech (IDS). Sixty native Chinese adults participated in the training of the English /i/ and /i/ vowel contrast and were randomly assigned to three subject groups. Twenty were trained with the typical HVPT paradigm (the HVPT group), twenty were trained under the modified adaptive approach with acoustic exaggeration (the HVPT-E group), and twenty were in the control group. Behavioral tasks for the pre- and post- tests used natural word identification, synthetic stimuli identification, and synthetic stimuli discrimination. Mismatch negativity (MMN) responses from the HVPT-E group were also obtained to assess the training effects in within- and across- category discrimination without requiring focused attention. Like previous studies, significant generalization effects to new talkers were found in both the HVPT group and the HVPT-E group. The HVPT-E group, by contrast, showed greater improvement as reflected in larger progress in natural word identification performance. Furthermore, the HVPT-E group exhibited more native-like categorical perception based on spectral cues after training, together with corresponding training-induced changes in the MMN responses to within- and across- category differences. These data provide the initial evidence supporting the important role of temporal acoustic exaggeration with adaptive training in facilitating phonetic learning and promoting brain plasticity at the perceptual and pre-attentive neural levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Cheng
- English Department & Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiaojuan Zhang
- English Department & Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Siying Fan
- English Department & Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Two are better than one: Infant language learning from video improves in the presence of peers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:9859-9866. [PMID: 30275298 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1611621115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies show that young children learn new phonemes and words from humans significantly better than from machines. However, it is not clear why learning from video is ineffective or what might be done to improve learning from a screen. The present study, conducted with 9-month-old infants, utilized a manipulation-touch screen video-which allowed infants to control presentations of foreign-language video clips. We tested the hypothesis that infant learning from a screen would be enhanced in the presence of a peer, as opposed to learning alone. Brain measures of phonetic learning and detailed analyses of interaction during learning confirm the hypothesis that social partners enhance learning, even from screens.
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31
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Quam C, Wang A, Maddox WT, Golisch K, Lotto A. Procedural-Memory, Working-Memory, and Declarative-Memory Skills Are Each Associated With Dimensional Integration in Sound-Category Learning. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1828. [PMID: 30333772 PMCID: PMC6175975 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper investigates relationships between procedural-memory, declarative-memory, and working-memory skills and adult native English speakers' novel sound-category learning. Participants completed a sound-categorization task that required integrating two dimensions: one native (vowel quality), one non-native (pitch). Similar information-integration category structures in the visual and auditory domains have been shown to be best learned implicitly (e.g., Maddox et al., 2006). Thus, we predicted that individuals with greater procedural-memory capacity would better learn sound categories, because procedural memory appears to support implicit learning of new information and integration of dimensions. Seventy undergraduates were tested across two experiments. Procedural memory was assessed using a linguistic adaptation of the serial-reaction-time task (Misyak et al., 2010a,b). Declarative memory was assessed using the logical-memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-4th edition (WMS-IV; Wechsler, 2009). Working memory was assessed using an auditory version of the reading-span task (Kane et al., 2004). Experiment 1 revealed contributions of only declarative memory to dimensional integration, which might indicate not enough time or motivation to shift over to a procedural/integrative strategy. Experiment 2 gave twice the speech-sound training, distributed over 2 days, and also attempted to train at the category boundary. As predicted, effects of declarative memory were removed and effects of procedural memory emerged, but, unexpectedly, new effects of working memory surfaced. The results may be compatible with a multiple-systems account in which declarative and working memory facilitate transfer of control to the procedural system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Quam
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Alisa Wang
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - W. Todd Maddox
- Cognitive Design and Statistical Consulting, LLC., Austin, TX, United States
| | - Kimberly Golisch
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- College of Medicine–Tucson, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Andrew Lotto
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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32
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Yu L, Zhang Y. Testing native language neural commitment at the brainstem level: A cross-linguistic investigation of the association between frequency-following response and speech perception. Neuropsychologia 2018; 109:140-148. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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33
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Balen SA, Moore DR, Sameshima K. Pitch and Duration Pattern Sequence Tests in 7- to 11-Year-Old Children: Results Depend on Response Mode. J Am Acad Audiol 2017; 30:6-15. [PMID: 30461390 DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.16132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pitch pattern sequence (PPS) and duration pattern sequence (DPS) tests are frequently used in the assessment of auditory processing disorder. Current recommendations suggest alternate, interchangeable modes for responding to stimuli. PURPOSE The objective of the study is to evaluate the influence of response mode (i.e., humming, pointing, and labeling) and age on PPS and DPS performance of 7- to 11-year-old children. RESEARCH DESIGN Laboratory-based testing of school children. Cross-sectional comparison of age, with repeated measures of age, test, ear, and response mode. STUDY SAMPLE From 452 children recruited, 228 right-handed children (109 girls) aged 7 years to 11 years 11 months (mean age 9 years 4 months) completed at least one test (PPS: 211, DPS: 198), and 181 children completed both tests. Audiology inclusion criteria include normal hearing thresholds (≤15 dB HL at octave frequencies 250-8000 Hz); word recognition in quiet ≥92%; tympanogram peak compensated static acoustic compliance 0.4-1.6 mmhos; and tympanometric peak pressure -100 to +50 daPa, all in both ears. Other inclusion criteria were Portuguese as first language; right handed; no musical training; no related, known, or observed phonological, learning, neurologic, psychiatric, or behavioral disorder; otologic history; and delayed neuropsychomotor or language development. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS PPS: 30 trials per ear and response condition of three consecutive 500 msec duration intermixed high (1430 Hz) or low (880 Hz) frequency tones presented monaurally at 50 dB HL. The first response condition was humming followed by labeling (naming: high or low). DPS: As per PPS except 1000 Hz tones of intermixed 500 (long) and 250 msec (short) duration. First response was pointing (at a symbolic object) followed by labeling. Trends across age and between tests were assessed using repeated measures generalized linear mixed models. Correlation coefficients were calculated to assess relations among test scores. The two-sided significance level was 0.05. RESULTS Older children performed better than younger children in all tasks. Humming the tone pattern (PPS humming) produced generally better performance than either articulating the attributes of the tones (labeling) or pointing to objects representing tone duration. PPS humming produced ceiling performance for many children of all ages. For both labeling tasks and DPS pointing, performance was better on the PPS than on the DPS, for stimulation of the right than the left ear, and in boys than girls. Individual performance on the two tasks was highly correlated. CONCLUSIONS Response mode does matter in the PPS and DPS. Results from humming should not be combined with or be a substitute for results obtained from a labeling response. Tasks that rely on labeling a tonal stimulus should be avoided in testing hearing in children or other special populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Andreoli Balen
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing, Federal University, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - David R Moore
- Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Department of Otolaryngology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Koichi Sameshima
- Department of Radiology and Oncology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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34
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Huang D, Yu L, Wang X, Fan Y, Wang S, Zhang Y. Distinct patterns of discrimination and orienting for temporal processing of speech and nonspeech in Chinese children with autism: an event-related potential study. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 47:662-668. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Huang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism; Guangzhou Cana School; Guangzhou China
| | - Luodi Yu
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Xiaoyue Wang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism; Guangzhou Cana School; Guangzhou China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application; South China Normal University; Guangzhou China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science; South China Normal University; Guangzhou China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN USA
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35
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Wang X, Wang S, Fan Y, Huang D, Zhang Y. Speech-specific categorical perception deficit in autism: An Event-Related Potential study of lexical tone processing in Mandarin-speaking children. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43254. [PMID: 28225070 PMCID: PMC5320551 DOI: 10.1038/srep43254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies reveal that tonal language speakers with autism have enhanced neural sensitivity to pitch changes in nonspeech stimuli but not to lexical tone contrasts in their native language. The present ERP study investigated whether the distinct pitch processing pattern for speech and nonspeech stimuli in autism was due to a speech-specific deficit in categorical perception of lexical tones. A passive oddball paradigm was adopted to examine two groups (16 in the autism group and 15 in the control group) of Chinese children’s Mismatch Responses (MMRs) to equivalent pitch deviations representing within-category and between-category differences in speech and nonspeech contexts. To further examine group-level differences in the MMRs to categorical perception of speech/nonspeech stimuli or lack thereof, neural oscillatory activities at the single trial level were further calculated with the inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) measure for the theta and beta frequency bands. The MMR and ITPC data from the children with autism showed evidence for lack of categorical perception in the lexical tone condition. In view of the important role of lexical tones in acquiring a tonal language, the results point to the necessity of early intervention for the individuals with autism who show such a speech-specific categorical perception deficit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyue Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, 510631, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Dan Huang
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
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36
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Bidelman GM, Walker BS. Attentional modulation and domain-specificity underlying the neural organization of auditory categorical perception. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 45:690-699. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin M. Bidelman
- Institute for Intelligent Systems; University of Memphis; Memphis TN USA
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders; University of Memphis; 4055 North Park Loop Memphis TN 38152 USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology; Univeristy of Tennessee Health Sciences Center; Memphis TN USA
| | - Breya S. Walker
- Institute for Intelligent Systems; University of Memphis; Memphis TN USA
- Department of Psychology; University of Memphis; Memphis TN USA
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37
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Silva DMR, Melges DB, Rothe-Neves R. N1 response attenuation and the mismatch negativity (MMN) to within- and across-category phonetic contrasts. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:591-600. [PMID: 28169421 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
According to the neural adaptation model of the mismatch negativity (MMN), the sensitivity of this event-related response to both acoustic and categorical information in speech sounds can be accounted for by assuming that (a) the degree of overlapping between neural representations of two sounds depends on both the acoustic difference between them and whether or not they belong to distinct phonetic categories, and (b) a release from stimulus-specific adaptation causes an enhanced N1 obligatory response to infrequent deviant stimuli. On the basis of this view, we tested in Experiment 1 whether the N1 response to the second sound of a pair (S2 ) would be more attenuated in pairs of identical vowels compared with pairs of different vowels, and in pairs of exemplars of the same vowel category compared with pairs of exemplars of different categories. The psychoacoustic distance between S1 and S2 was the same for all within-category and across-category pairs. While N1 amplitudes decreased markedly from S1 to S2 , responses to S2 were quite similar across pair types, indicating that the attenuation effect in such conditions is not stimulus specific. In Experiment 2, a pronounced MMN was elicited by a deviant vowel sound in an across-category oddball sequence, but not when the exact same deviant vowel was presented in a within-category oddball sequence. This adds evidence that MMN reflects categorical phonetic processing. Taken together, the results suggest that different neural processes underlie the attenuation of the N1 response to S2 and the MMN to vowels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M R Silva
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Danilo B Melges
- Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rui Rothe-Neves
- Phonetics Lab, Faculty of Letters, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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38
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Bosseler AN, Teinonen T, Tervaniemi M, Huotilainen M. Infant Directed Speech Enhances Statistical Learning in Newborn Infants: An ERP Study. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162177. [PMID: 27617967 PMCID: PMC5019490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning and the social contexts of language addressed to infants are hypothesized to play important roles in early language development. Previous behavioral work has found that the exaggerated prosodic contours of infant-directed speech (IDS) facilitate statistical learning in 8-month-old infants. Here we examined the neural processes involved in on-line statistical learning and investigated whether the use of IDS facilitates statistical learning in sleeping newborns. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while newborns were exposed to12 pseudo-words, six spoken with exaggerated pitch contours of IDS and six spoken without exaggerated pitch contours (ADS) in ten alternating blocks. We examined whether ERP amplitudes for syllable position within a pseudo-word (word-initial vs. word-medial vs. word-final, indicating statistical word learning) and speech register (ADS vs. IDS) would interact. The ADS and IDS registers elicited similar ERP patterns for syllable position in an early 0-100 ms component but elicited different ERP effects in both the polarity and topographical distribution at 200-400 ms and 450-650 ms. These results provide the first evidence that the exaggerated pitch contours of IDS result in differences in brain activity linked to on-line statistical learning in sleeping newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis N. Bosseler
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Tuomas Teinonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mari Tervaniemi
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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39
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Neural Correlates of Phonetic Learning in Postlingually Deafened Cochlear Implant Listeners. Ear Hear 2016; 37:514-28. [DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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40
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Perceptual Temporal Asymmetry Associated with Distinct ON and OFF Responses to Time-Varying Sounds with Rising versus Falling Intensity: A Magnetoencephalography Study. Brain Sci 2016; 6:brainsci6030027. [PMID: 27527227 PMCID: PMC5039456 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci6030027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This magnetoencephalography (MEG) study investigated evoked ON and OFF responses to ramped and damped sounds in normal-hearing human adults. Two pairs of stimuli that differed in spectral complexity were used in a passive listening task; each pair contained identical acoustical properties except for the intensity envelope. Behavioral duration judgment was conducted in separate sessions, which replicated the perceptual bias in favour of the ramped sounds and the effect of spectral complexity on perceived duration asymmetry. MEG results showed similar cortical sites for the ON and OFF responses. There was a dominant ON response with stronger phase-locking factor (PLF) in the alpha (8–14 Hz) and theta (4–8 Hz) bands for the damped sounds. In contrast, the OFF response for sounds with rising intensity was associated with stronger PLF in the gamma band (30–70 Hz). Exploratory correlation analysis showed that the OFF response in the left auditory cortex was a good predictor of the perceived temporal asymmetry for the spectrally simpler pair. The results indicate distinct asymmetry in ON and OFF responses and neural oscillation patterns associated with the dynamic intensity changes, which provides important preliminary data for future studies to examine how the auditory system develops such an asymmetry as a function of age and learning experience and whether the absence of asymmetry or abnormal ON and OFF responses can be taken as a biomarker for certain neurological conditions associated with auditory processing deficits.
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41
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Intartaglia B, White-Schwoch T, Meunier C, Roman S, Kraus N, Schön D. Native language shapes automatic neural processing of speech. Neuropsychologia 2016; 89:57-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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42
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Zhang L, Li Y, Wu H, Li X, Shu H, Zhang Y, Li P. Effects of Semantic Context and Fundamental Frequency Contours on Mandarin Speech Recognition by Second Language Learners. Front Psychol 2016; 7:908. [PMID: 27378997 PMCID: PMC4905971 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech recognition by second language (L2) learners in optimal and suboptimal conditions has been examined extensively with English as the target language in most previous studies. This study extended existing experimental protocols (Wang et al., 2013) to investigate Mandarin speech recognition by Japanese learners of Mandarin at two different levels (elementary vs. intermediate) of proficiency. The overall results showed that in addition to L2 proficiency, semantic context, F0 contours, and listening condition all affected the recognition performance on the Mandarin sentences. However, the effects of semantic context and F0 contours on L2 speech recognition diverged to some extent. Specifically, there was significant modulation effect of listening condition on semantic context, indicating that L2 learners made use of semantic context less efficiently in the interfering background than in quiet. In contrast, no significant modulation effect of listening condition on F0 contours was found. Furthermore, there was significant interaction between semantic context and F0 contours, indicating that semantic context becomes more important for L2 speech recognition when F0 information is degraded. None of these effects were found to be modulated by L2 proficiency. The discrepancy in the effects of semantic context and F0 contours on L2 speech recognition in the interfering background might be related to differences in processing capacities required by the two types of information in adverse listening conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linjun Zhang
- Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and KIT-BLCU MEG Laboratory for Brain Science, Beijing Language and Culture University Beijing, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Cognitive Science and ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Han Wu
- Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
| | - Xin Li
- Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and KIT-BLCU MEG Laboratory for Brain Science, Beijing Language and Culture University Beijing, China
| | - Hua Shu
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University State College, PA, USA
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43
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Koerner TK, Zhang Y, Nelson PB, Wang B, Zou H. Neural indices of phonemic discrimination and sentence-level speech intelligibility in quiet and noise: A mismatch negativity study. Hear Res 2016; 339:40-9. [PMID: 27267705 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Successful speech communication requires the extraction of important acoustic cues from irrelevant background noise. In order to better understand this process, this study examined the effects of background noise on mismatch negativity (MMN) latency, amplitude, and spectral power measures as well as behavioral speech intelligibility tasks. Auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) were obtained from 15 normal-hearing participants to determine whether pre-attentive MMN measures recorded in response to a consonant (from /ba/ to /bu/) and vowel change (from /ba/ to /da/) in a double-oddball paradigm can predict sentence-level speech perception. The results showed that background noise increased MMN latencies and decreased MMN amplitudes with a reduction in the theta frequency band power. Differential noise-induced effects were observed for the pre-attentive processing of consonant and vowel changes due to different degrees of signal degradation by noise. Linear mixed-effects models further revealed significant correlations between the MMN measures and speech intelligibility scores across conditions and stimuli. These results confirm the utility of MMN as an objective neural marker for understanding noise-induced variations as well as individual differences in speech perception, which has important implications for potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess K Koerner
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Center for Applied Translational Sensory Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Peggy B Nelson
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Center for Applied Translational Sensory Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Boxiang Wang
- School of Statistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Hui Zou
- School of Statistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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44
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Yu L, Fan Y, Deng Z, Huang D, Wang S, Zhang Y. Pitch Processing in Tonal-Language-Speaking Children with Autism: An Event-Related Potential Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 45:3656-67. [PMID: 26111738 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2510-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated pitch processing in Mandarin-speaking children with autism using event-related potential measures. Two experiments were designed to test how acoustic, phonetic and semantic properties of the stimuli contributed to the neural responses for pitch change detection and involuntary attentional orienting. In comparison with age-matched (6-12 years) typically developing controls (16 participants in Experiment 1, 18 in Experiment 2), children with autism (18 participants in Experiment 1, 16 in Experiment 2) showed enhanced neural discriminatory sensitivity in the nonspeech conditions but not for speech stimuli. The results indicate domain specificity of enhanced pitch processing in autism, which may interfere with lexical tone acquisition and language development for children who speak a tonal language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luodi Yu
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Zhizhou Deng
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Dan Huang
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Huo S, Tao S, Wang W, Li M, Dong Q, Liu C. Auditory detection of non-speech and speech stimuli in noise: Native speech advantage. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 139:EL161. [PMID: 27250202 DOI: 10.1121/1.4951705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Detection thresholds of Chinese vowels, Korean vowels, and a complex tone, with harmonic and noise carriers were measured in noise for Mandarin Chinese-native listeners. The harmonic index was calculated as the difference between detection thresholds of the stimuli with harmonic carriers and those with noise carriers. The harmonic index for Chinese vowels was significantly greater than that for Korean vowels and the complex tone. Moreover, native speech sounds were rated significantly more native-like than non-native speech and non-speech sounds. The results indicate that native speech has an advantage over other sounds in simple auditory tasks like sound detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Huo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing100875, People's Republic of China , , , ,
| | - Sha Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing100875, People's Republic of China , , , ,
| | - Wenjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing100875, People's Republic of China , , , ,
| | - Mingshuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing100875, People's Republic of China , , , ,
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University Beijing100875, People's Republic of China , , , ,
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1100, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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Miller SE, Zhang Y, Nelson PB. Efficacy of Multiple-Talker Phonetic Identification Training in Postlingually Deafened Cochlear Implant Listeners. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2016; 59:90-98. [PMID: 26609904 DOI: 10.1044/2015_jslhr-h-15-0154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study implemented a pretest-intervention-posttest design to examine whether multiple-talker identification training enhanced phonetic perception of the /ba/-/da/ and /wa/-/ja/ contrasts in adult listeners who were deafened postlingually and have cochlear implants (CIs). METHOD Nine CI recipients completed 8 hours of identification training using a custom-designed training package. Perception of speech produced by familiar talkers (talkers used during training) and unfamiliar talkers (talkers not used during training) was measured before and after training. Five additional untrained CI recipients completed identical pre- and posttests over the same time course as the trainees to control for procedural learning effects. RESULTS Perception of the speech contrasts produced by the familiar talkers significantly improved for the trained CI listeners, and effects of perceptual learning transferred to unfamiliar talkers. Such training-induced significant changes were not observed in the control group. CONCLUSION The data provide initial evidence of the efficacy of the multiple-talker identification training paradigm for CI users who were deafened postlingually. This pattern of results is consistent with enhanced phonemic categorization of the trained speech sounds.
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Cheng B, Zhang Y. Syllable Structure Universals and Native Language Interference in Second Language Perception and Production: Positional Asymmetry and Perceptual Links to Accentedness. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1801. [PMID: 26635699 PMCID: PMC4659920 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated how syllable structure differences between the first Language (L1) and the second language (L2) affect L2 consonant perception and production at syllable-initial and syllable-final positions. The participants were Mandarin-speaking college students who studied English as a second language. Monosyllabic English words were used in the perception test. Production was recorded from each Chinese subject and rated for accentedness by two native speakers of English. Consistent with previous studies, significant positional asymmetry effects were found across speech sound categories in terms of voicing, place of articulation, and manner of articulation. Furthermore, significant correlations between perception and accentedness ratings were found at the syllable onset position but not for the coda. Many exceptions were also found, which could not be solely accounted for by differences in L1-L2 syllabic structures. The results show a strong effect of language experience at the syllable level, which joins force with acoustic, phonetic, and phonemic properties of individual consonants in influencing positional asymmetry in both domains of L2 segmental perception and production. The complexities and exceptions call for further systematic studies on the interactions between syllable structure universals and native language interference with refined theoretical models to specify the links between perception and production in second language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Cheng
- Department of English, School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an, China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
- Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
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Liu C, Jin SH. Auditory detection of non-speech and speech stimuli in noise: Effects of listeners' native language background. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 138:2782-2790. [PMID: 26627754 DOI: 10.1121/1.4934252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated whether native listeners processed speech differently from non-native listeners in a speech detection task. Detection thresholds of Mandarin Chinese and Korean vowels and non-speech sounds in noise, frequency selectivity, and the nativeness of Mandarin Chinese and Korean vowels were measured for Mandarin Chinese- and Korean-native listeners. The two groups of listeners exhibited similar non-speech sound detection and frequency selectivity; however, the Korean listeners had better detection thresholds of Korean vowels than Chinese listeners, while the Chinese listeners performed no better at Chinese vowel detection than the Korean listeners. Moreover, thresholds predicted from an auditory model highly correlated with behavioral thresholds of the two groups of listeners, suggesting that detection of speech sounds not only depended on listeners' frequency selectivity, but also might be affected by their native language experience. Listeners evaluated their native vowels with higher nativeness scores than non-native listeners. Native listeners may have advantages over non-native listeners when processing speech sounds in noise, even without the required phonetic processing; however, such native speech advantages might be offset by Chinese listeners' lower sensitivity to vowel sounds, a characteristic possibly resulting from their sparse vowel system and their greater cognitive and attentional demands for vowel processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1100, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Su-Hyun Jin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, California 91330, USA
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Wu H, Ma X, Zhang L, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Shu H. Musical experience modulates categorical perception of lexical tones in native Chinese speakers. Front Psychol 2015; 6:436. [PMID: 25918511 PMCID: PMC4394639 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although musical training has been shown to facilitate both native and non-native phonetic perception, it remains unclear whether and how musical experience affects native speakers’ categorical perception (CP) of speech at the suprasegmental level. Using both identification and discrimination tasks, this study compared Chinese-speaking musicians and non-musicians in their CP of a lexical tone continuum (from the high level tone, Tone1 to the high falling tone, Tone4). While the identification functions showed similar steepness and boundary location between the two subject groups, the discrimination results revealed superior performance in the musicians for discriminating within-category stimuli pairs but not for between-category stimuli. These findings suggest that musical training can enhance sensitivity to subtle pitch differences between within-category sounds in the presence of robust mental representations in service of CP of lexical tonal contrasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- Faculty of Linguistic Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University Beijing, China
| | - Youyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
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Nie Y, Zhang Y, Nelson PB. Auditory stream segregation using bandpass noises: evidence from event-related potentials. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:277. [PMID: 25309306 PMCID: PMC4162371 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study measured neural responses to investigate auditory stream segregation of noise stimuli with or without clear spectral contrast. Sequences of alternating A and B noise bursts were presented to elicit stream segregation in normal-hearing listeners. The successive B bursts in each sequence maintained an equal amount of temporal separation with manipulations introduced on the last stimulus. The last B burst was either delayed for 50% of the sequences or not delayed for the other 50%. The A bursts were jittered in between every two adjacent B bursts. To study the effects of spectral separation on streaming, the A and B bursts were further manipulated by using either bandpass-filtered noises widely spaced in center frequency or broadband noises. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to the last B bursts were analyzed to compare the neural responses to the delay vs. no-delay trials in both passive and attentive listening conditions. In the passive listening condition, a trend for a possible late mismatch negativity (MMN) or late discriminative negativity (LDN) response was observed only when the A and B bursts were spectrally separate, suggesting that spectral separation in the A and B burst sequences could be conducive to stream segregation at the pre-attentive level. In the attentive condition, a P300 response was consistently elicited regardless of whether there was spectral separation between the A and B bursts, indicating the facilitative role of voluntary attention in stream segregation. The results suggest that reliable ERP measures can be used as indirect indicators for auditory stream segregation in conditions of weak spectral contrast. These findings have important implications for cochlear implant (CI) studies-as spectral information available through a CI device or simulation is substantially degraded, it may require more attention to achieve stream segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjiu Nie
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of MinnesotaTwin-Cities, MN, USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of MinnesotaTwin-Cities, MN, USA
| | - Peggy B. Nelson
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of MinnesotaTwin-Cities, MN, USA
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