1
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Campos A, Tuomainen J, Tuomainen O. Mismatch Responses to Speech Contrasts in Preschoolers with and without Developmental Language Disorder. Brain Sci 2023; 14:42. [PMID: 38248257 PMCID: PMC10813673 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
This study compared cortical responses to speech in preschoolers with typical language development (TLD) and with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We investigated whether top-down language effects modulate speech perception in young children in an adult-like manner. We compared cortical mismatch responses (MMRs) during the passive perception of speech contrasts in three groups of participants: preschoolers with TLD (n = 11), preschoolers with DLD (n = 16), and adults (n = 20). We also measured children's phonological skills and investigated whether they are associated with the cortical discrimination of phonemic changes involving different linguistic complexities. The results indicated top-down language effects in adults, with enhanced cortical discrimination of lexical stimuli but not of non-words. In preschoolers, the TLD and DLD groups did not differ in the MMR measures, and no top-down effects were detected. Moreover, we found no association between MMRs and phonological skills, even though the DLD group's phonological skills were significantly lower. Our findings suggest that top-down language modulations in speech discrimination may not be present during early childhood, and that children with DLD may not exhibit cortical speech perception deficits. The lack of association between phonological and MMR measures indicates that further research is needed to understand the link between language skills and cortical activity in preschoolers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Campos
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PF, UK;
- Carrera de Fonoaudiología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lota 2465, Santiago 7510602, Chile
| | - Jyrki Tuomainen
- Department of Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PF, UK;
| | - Outi Tuomainen
- Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany;
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2
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Jensen M, Hyder R, Westner BU, Højlund A, Shtyrov Y. Speech comprehension across time, space, frequency, and age: MEG-MVPA classification of intertrial phase coherence. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108602. [PMID: 37270028 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Language is a key part of human cognition, essential for our well-being at all stages of our lives. Whereas many neurocognitive abilities decline with age, for language the picture is much less clear, and how exactly speech comprehension changes with ageing is still unknown. To investigate this, we employed magnetoencephalography (MEG) and recorded neuromagnetic brain responses to auditory linguistic stimuli in healthy participants of younger and older age using a passive task-free paradigm and a range of different linguistic stimulus contrasts, which enabled us to assess neural processing of spoken language at multiple levels (lexical, semantic, morphosyntactic). Using machine learning-based classification algorithms to scrutinise intertrial phase coherence of MEG responses in cortical source space, we found that patterns of oscillatory neural activity diverged between younger and older participants across several frequency bands (alpha, beta, gamma) for all tested linguistic information types. The results suggest multiple age-related changes in the brain's neurolinguistic circuits, which may be due to both healthy ageing in general and compensatory processes in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Jensen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Research Unit for Robophilosophy and Integrative Social Robotics, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Rasha Hyder
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Britta U Westner
- Radboud University, Donders Centre for Cognition, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Højlund
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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3
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Makov S, Pinto D, Har-Shai Yahav P, Miller LM, Zion Golumbic E. "Unattended, distracting or irrelevant": Theoretical implications of terminological choices in auditory selective attention research. Cognition 2023; 231:105313. [PMID: 36344304 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
For seventy years, auditory selective attention research has focused on studying the cognitive mechanisms of prioritizing the processing a 'main' task-relevant stimulus, in the presence of 'other' stimuli. However, a closer look at this body of literature reveals deep empirical inconsistencies and theoretical confusion regarding the extent to which this 'other' stimulus is processed. We argue that many key debates regarding attention arise, at least in part, from inappropriate terminological choices for experimental variables that may not accurately map onto the cognitive constructs they are meant to describe. Here we critically review the more common or disruptive terminological ambiguities, differentiate between methodology-based and theory-derived terms, and unpack the theoretical assumptions underlying different terminological choices. Particularly, we offer an in-depth analysis of the terms 'unattended' and 'distractor' and demonstrate how their use can lead to conflicting theoretical inferences. We also offer a framework for thinking about terminology in a more productive and precise way, in hope of fostering more productive debates and promoting more nuanced and accurate cognitive models of selective attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiri Makov
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Center for Brain Research, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Danna Pinto
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Center for Brain Research, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Paz Har-Shai Yahav
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Center for Brain Research, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Lee M Miller
- The Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America; Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Elana Zion Golumbic
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Center for Brain Research, Bar Ilan University, Israel.
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4
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What is word? The boundary conditions of task conflict in the Stroop task. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 87:1208-1218. [PMID: 36109353 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01738-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The Stroop task is characterized by two types of conflicts-information conflict (between the incongruent word and ink color) and task conflict (between the relevant color-naming task and the competing, irrelevant, stimulus-driven, word reading task). It is not yet clear what stimuli trigger the task of reading, and thus task conflict, and to what extent. In the current study, we applied a novel low-control (high neutral proportion) between-subject design to test the effect of different neutral conditions (symbols, same-letter strings, illegal-letter strings, pseudo-words, and real-words) on task conflict, in both manual and vocal response-types. Results indicated that in the manual task, a reverse facilitation effect, a signature of task conflict, appeared in all non-word conditions in a similar magnitude, but did not appear in the real-words condition. In the vocal task, reverse facilitation was found only in the symbols condition, regular facilitation was exhibited in all other neutral conditions, and larger facilitation appeared in the real-words condition. Our results indicate that the reading process and the activation of task conflict, depend on response-types (manual vs. vocal). In both response-types we found support for a word superiority effect, such that words trigger task conflict to a greater extent, however, we only observed an orthographic effect in the vocal response-type where stimuli consisting of letters triggered the reading task. We concluded that in the manual response-type, conflict arises only in the lexical route, whilst in the vocal response-type, conflict arises in the lexical and orthographic routes.
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Azaiez N, Loberg O, Hämäläinen JA, Leppänen PHT. Brain Source Correlates of Speech Perception and Reading Processes in Children With and Without Reading Difficulties. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:921977. [PMID: 35928008 PMCID: PMC9344064 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.921977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural correlates in reading and speech processing have been addressed extensively in the literature. While reading skills and speech perception have been shown to be associated with each other, their relationship remains debatable. In this study, we investigated reading skills, speech perception, reading, and their correlates with brain source activity in auditory and visual modalities. We used high-density event-related potentials (ERPs), fixation-related potentials (FRPs), and the source reconstruction method. The analysis was conducted on 12–13-year-old schoolchildren who had different reading levels. Brain ERP source indices were computed from frequently repeated Finnish speech stimuli presented in an auditory oddball paradigm. Brain FRP source indices were also computed for words within sentences presented in a reading task. The results showed significant correlations between speech ERP sources and reading scores at the P100 (P1) time range in the left hemisphere and the N250 time range in both hemispheres, and a weaker correlation for visual word processing N170 FRP source(s) in the posterior occipital areas, in the vicinity of the visual word form areas (VWFA). Furthermore, significant brain-to-brain correlations were found between the two modalities, where the speech brain sources of the P1 and N250 responses correlated with the reading N170 response. The results suggest that speech processes are linked to reading fluency and that brain activations to speech are linked to visual brain processes of reading. These results indicate that a relationship between language and reading systems is present even after several years of exposure to print.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najla Azaiez
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- *Correspondence: Najla Azaiez ; orcid.org/0000-0002-7525-3745
| | - Otto Loberg
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
| | - Jarmo A. Hämäläinen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Psychology, Jyväskylä Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Paavo H. T. Leppänen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Psychology, Jyväskylä Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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Zeng Y, Fiorentino R, Zhang J. Electrophysiological Signatures of Perceiving Alternated Tone in Mandarin Chinese: Mismatch Negativity to Underlying Tone Conflict. Front Psychol 2021; 12:735593. [PMID: 34646215 PMCID: PMC8504678 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.735593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although phonological alternation is prevalent in languages, the process of perceiving phonologically alternated sounds is poorly understood, especially at the neurolinguistic level. We examined the process of perceiving Mandarin 3rd tone sandhi (T3 + T3 → T2 + T3) with a mismatch negativity (MMN) experiment. Our design has two independent variables (whether the deviant undergoes tone sandhi; whether the standard and the deviant have matched underlying tone). These two independent variables modulated ERP responses in both the first and the second syllables. Notably, despite the apparent segmental conflict between the standard and the deviant in all conditions, MMN is only observed when neither the standard nor the deviant undergoes tone sandhi, suggesting that discovering the underlying representation of an alternated sound could interfere with the generation of MMN. A tentative model with three hypothesized underlying processing mechanisms is proposed to explain the observed latency and amplitude differences across conditions. The results are also discussed in light of the potential electrophysiological signatures involved in the process of perceiving alternated sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyu Zeng
- Phonetics and Psycholinguistics Laboratory, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States.,Neurolinguistics and Language Processing Laboratory, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Robert Fiorentino
- Neurolinguistics and Language Processing Laboratory, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Jie Zhang
- Phonetics and Psycholinguistics Laboratory, Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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7
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Kocoń J, Maziarz M. Mapping WordNet onto human brain connectome in emotion processing and semantic similarity recognition. Inf Process Manag 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2021.102530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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8
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Møller MLH, Højlund A, Jensen M, Gansonre C, Shtyrov Y. Applied potential of task-free event-related paradigms for assessing neurocognitive functions in disorders of consciousness. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa087. [PMID: 33134912 PMCID: PMC7585695 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnosing patients with disorders of consciousness is immensely difficult and often results in misdiagnoses, which can have fatal consequences. Despite the severity of this well-known issue, a reliable assessment tool has not yet been developed and implemented in the clinic. The main aim of this focused review is to evaluate the various event-related potential paradigms, recorded using EEG, which may be used to improve the assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness; we also provide a brief comparison of these paradigms with other measures. Notably, most event-related potential studies on the topic have focused on testing a small set of components, or even just a single component. However, to be of practical use, we argue that an assessment should probe a range of cognitive and linguistic functions at once. We suggest a novel approach that combines a set of well-tested auditory event-related potential components: N100, mismatch negativity, P3a, N400, early left anterior negativity and lexical response enhancement. Combining these components in a single, task-free design will provide a multidimensional assessment of cognitive and linguistic processes, which may help physicians make a more precise diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Louise Holm Møller
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas Højlund
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mads Jensen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christelle Gansonre
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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9
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Cope TE, Shtyrov Y, MacGregor LJ, Holland R, Pulvermüller F, Rowe JB, Patterson K. Anterior temporal lobe is necessary for efficient lateralised processing of spoken word identity. Cortex 2020; 126:107-118. [PMID: 32065956 PMCID: PMC7253293 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the healthy human brain, the processing of language is strongly lateralised, usually to the left hemisphere, while the processing of complex non-linguistic sounds recruits brain regions bilaterally. Here we asked whether the anterior temporal lobes, strongly implicated in semantic processing, are critical to this special treatment of spoken words. Nine patients with semantic dementia (SD) and fourteen age-matched controls underwent magnetoencephalography and structural MRI. Voxel based morphometry demonstrated the stereotypical pattern of SD: severe grey matter loss restricted to the anterior temporal lobes, with the left side more affected. During magnetoencephalography, participants listened to word sets in which identity and meaning were ambiguous until word completion, for example PLAYED versus PLATE. Whereas left-hemispheric responses were similar across groups, patients demonstrated increased right hemisphere activity 174-294 msec after stimulus disambiguation. Source reconstructions confirmed recruitment of right-sided analogues of language regions in SD: atrophy of anterior temporal lobes was associated with increased activity in right temporal pole, middle temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus. Overall, the results indicate that anterior temporal lobes are necessary for normal and efficient lateralised processing of word identity by the language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Cope
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Denmark; Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, NRU Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Lucy J MacGregor
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Rachel Holland
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Division of Language and Communication Science, City University London, UK
| | - Friedemann Pulvermüller
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, WE4, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Karalyn Patterson
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
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Hyder R, Højlund A, Jensen M, Østergaard K, Shtyrov Y. Objective assessment of automatic language comprehension mechanisms in the brain: Novel E/MEG paradigm. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13543. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rasha Hyder
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) Department of Clinical Medicine Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Andreas Højlund
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) Department of Clinical Medicine Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Mads Jensen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) Department of Clinical Medicine Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Karen Østergaard
- Sano Private Hospital Skælskør Denmark
- Department of Neurology Aarhus University Hospital (AUH) Aarhus Denmark
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) Department of Clinical Medicine Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg Russia
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11
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Jensen M, Hyder R, Shtyrov Y. MVPA Analysis of Intertrial Phase Coherence of Neuromagnetic Responses to Words Reliably Classifies Multiple Levels of Language Processing in the Brain. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0444-18.2019. [PMID: 31383728 PMCID: PMC6709219 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0444-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural processing of language is still among the most poorly understood functions of the human brain, whereas a need to objectively assess the neurocognitive status of the language function in a participant-friendly and noninvasive fashion arises in various situations. Here, we propose a solution for this based on a short task-free recording of MEG responses to a set of spoken linguistic contrasts. We used spoken stimuli that diverged lexically (words/pseudowords), semantically (action-related/abstract), or morphosyntactically (grammatically correct/ungrammatical). Based on beamformer source reconstruction we investigated intertrial phase coherence (ITPC) in five canonical bands (α, β, and low, medium, and high γ) using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA). Using this approach, we could successfully classify brain responses to meaningful words from meaningless pseudowords, correct from incorrect syntax, as well as semantic differences. The best classification results indicated distributed patterns of activity dominated by core temporofrontal language circuits and complemented by other areas. They varied between the different neurolinguistic properties across frequency bands, with lexical processes classified predominantly by broad γ, semantic distinctions by α and β, and syntax by low γ feature patterns. Crucially, all types of processing commenced in a near-parallel fashion from ∼100 ms after the auditory information allowed for disambiguating the spoken input. This shows that individual neurolinguistic processes take place simultaneously and involve overlapping yet distinct neuronal networks that operate at different frequency bands. This brings further hope that brain imaging can be used to assess neurolinguistic processes objectively and noninvasively in a range of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Jensen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rasha Hyder
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
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12
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Acquisition of L2 morphology by adult language learners. Cortex 2019; 116:74-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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13
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Silva S, Vigário M, Fernandez BL, Jerónimo R, Alter K, Frota S. The Sense of Sounds: Brain Responses to Phonotactic Frequency, Phonological Grammar and Lexical Meaning. Front Psychol 2019; 10:681. [PMID: 30984081 PMCID: PMC6447827 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Two outstanding questions in spoken-language comprehension concern (1) the interplay of phonological grammar (legal vs. illegal sound sequences), phonotactic frequency (high- vs. low-frequency sound sequences) and lexicality (words vs. other sound sequences) in a meaningful context, and (2) how the properties of phonological sequences determine their inclusion or exclusion from lexical-semantic processing. In the present study, we used a picture-sound priming paradigm to examine the ERP responses of adult listeners to grammatically illegal sound sequences, to grammatically legal sound sequences (pseudowords) with low- vs. high-frequency, and to real words that were either congruent or incongruent to the picture context. Results showed less negative N1-P2 responses for illegal sequences and low-frequency pseudowords (with differences in topography), but not high-frequency ones. Low-frequency pseudowords also showed an increased P3 component. However, just like illegal sequences, neither low- nor high-frequency pseudowords differed from congruent words in the N400. Thus, phonotactic frequency had an impact before, but not during lexical-semantic processing. Our results also suggest that phonological grammar, phonotactic frequency and lexicality may follow each other in this order during word processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Silva
- Neurocognition and Language Group, Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Marina Vigário
- Center of Linguistics, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Rita Jerónimo
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Kai Alter
- Center of Linguistics, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Sónia Frota
- Center of Linguistics, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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