1
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Tosatto L, Fagot J, Nemeth D, Rey A. Chunking as a function of sequence length. Anim Cogn 2024:10.1007/s10071-024-01835-z. [PMID: 38429566 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01835-z] [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: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Chunking mechanisms are central to several cognitive processes. During the acquisition of visuo-motor sequences, it is commonly reported that these sequences are segmented into chunks leading to more fluid, rapid, and accurate performances. The question of a chunk's storage capacity has been often investigated but little is known about the dynamics of chunk size evolution relative to sequence length. In two experiments, we studied the dynamics and the evolution of a sequence's chunking pattern as a function of sequence length in a non-human primate species (Guinea baboons, Papio papio). Using an operant conditioning device, baboons had to point on a touch screen to a moving target. In Experiment 1, they had to produce repeatedly the same sequence of 4 movements during 2000 trials. In Experiment 2, the sequence was composed of 5 movements and was repeated 4000 times. For both lengths, baboons initially produced small chunks that became fewer and longer with practice. Moreover, the dynamics and the evolution of the chunking pattern varied as a function of sequence length. Finally, with extended practice (i.e., more than 2000 trials), we observed that the mean chunk size reached a plateau indicating that there are fundamental limits to chunking processes that also depend on sequence length. These data therefore provide new empirical evidence for understanding the general properties of chunking mechanisms in sequence learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Tosatto
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France.
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France.
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CNRS, ETHOS, 14000, Caen, France.
| | - Joël Fagot
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Station de Primatologie Celphedia, CNRS, Rousset, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CRPN, Marseille, France
| | - Dezso Nemeth
- INSERM, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, Bron, France
- NAP Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University & Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Atlántico Medio, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Arnaud Rey
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CRPN, Marseille, France
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2
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Santolin C, Zacharaki K, Toro JM, Sebastian-Galles N. Abstract processing of syllabic structures in early infancy. Cognition 2024; 244:105663. [PMID: 38128322 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Syllables are one of the fundamental building blocks of early language acquisition. From birth onwards, infants preferentially segment, process and represent the speech into syllable-sized units, raising the question of what type of computations infants are able to perform on these perceptual units. Syllables are abstract units structured in a way that allows grouping phonemes into sequences. The goal of this research was to investigate 4-to-5-month-old infants' ability to encode the internal structure of syllables, at a target age when the language system is not yet specialized on the sounds and the phonotactics of native languages. We conducted two experiments in which infants were first familiarized to lists of syllables implementing either CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) or CCV (consonant-consonant-vowel) structures, then presented with new syllables implementing both structures at test. Experiments differ in the degree of phonological similarity between the materials used at familiarization and test. Results show that infants were able to differentiate syllabic structures at test, even when test syllables were implemented by combinations of phonemes that infants did not hear before. Only infants familiarized with CVC syllables discriminated the structures at test, pointing to a processing advantage for CVC over CCV structures. This research shows that, in addition to preferentially processing the speech into syllable-sized units, during the first months of life, infants are also capable of performing fine-grained computations within such units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Santolin
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Konstantina Zacharaki
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005, Barcelona, Spain; ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University, Avenida de Pedralbes, 60-62, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Toro
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005, Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig Lluis Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Sebastian-Galles
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, 08005, Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Pinto Arata L, Ordonez Magro L, Ramisch C, Grainger J, Rey A. The dynamics of multiword sequence extraction. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218241228548. [PMID: 38247195 DOI: 10.1177/17470218241228548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Being able to process multiword sequences is central for both language comprehension and production. Numerous studies support this claim, but less is known about the way multiword sequences are acquired, and more specifically how associations between their constituents are established over time. Here we adapted the Hebb naming task into a Hebb lexical decision task to study the dynamics of multiword sequence extraction. Participants had to read letter strings presented on a computer screen and were required to classify them as words or pseudowords. Unknown to the participants, a triplet of words or pseudowords systematically appeared in the same order and random words or pseudowords were inserted between two repetitions of the triplet. We found that response times (RTs) for the unpredictable first position in the triplet decreased over repetitions (i.e., indicating the presence of a repetition effect) but more slowly and with a different dynamic compared with items appearing at the predictable second and third positions in the repeated triplet (i.e., showing a slightly different predictability effect). Implicit and explicit learning also varied as a function of the nature of the triplet (i.e., unrelated words, pseudowords, semantically related words, or idioms). Overall, these results provide new empirical evidence about the dynamics of multiword sequence extraction, and more generally about the role of statistical learning in language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Pinto Arata
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- CNRS, LIS, Université de Toulon, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Laura Ordonez Magro
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Carlos Ramisch
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- CNRS, LIS, Université de Toulon, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Jonathan Grainger
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Arnaud Rey
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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4
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Yeaton J, Tosatto L, Fagot J, Grainger J, Rey A. Simple questions on simple associations: regularity extraction in non-human primates. Learn Behav 2023; 51:392-401. [PMID: 37284936 PMCID: PMC10716064 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00579-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
When human and non-human animals learn sequences, they manage to implicitly extract statistical regularities through associative learning mechanisms. In two experiments conducted with a non-human primate species (Guinea baboons, Papio papio), we addressed simple questions on the learning of simple AB associations appearing in longer noisy sequences. Using a serial reaction time task, we manipulated the position of AB within the sequence, such that it could be either fixed (by appearing always at the beginning, middle, or end of a four-element sequence; Experiment 1) or variable (Experiment 2). We also tested the effect of sequence length in Experiment 2 by comparing the performance on AB when it was presented at a variable position within a sequence of four or five elements. The slope of RTs from A to B was taken for each condition as a measurement of learning rate. While all conditions differed significantly from a no-regularity baseline, we found strong evidence that the learning rate did not differ between the conditions. These results indicate that regularity extraction is not impacted by the position of the regularity within a sequence and by the length of the sequence. These data provide novel general empirical constraints for modeling associative mechanisms in sequence learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Yeaton
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France.
- Department of Language Science, University of California - Irvine, 2243 Social Sciences Plaza, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
| | - Laure Tosatto
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Joël Fagot
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Station de Primatologie, CNRS-Celphedia, UPS 846, Rousset-sur-Arc, Rousset, France
| | - Jonathan Grainger
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Arnaud Rey
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
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5
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Tovar ÁE, Westermann G. No need to forget, just keep the balance: Hebbian neural networks for statistical learning. Cognition 2023; 230:105176. [PMID: 36442955 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105176] [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: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Language processing in humans has long been proposed to rely on sophisticated learning abilities including statistical learning. Endress and Johnson (E&J, 2021) recently presented a neural network model for statistical learning based on Hebbian learning principles. This model accounts for word segmentation tasks, one primary paradigm in statistical learning. In this discussion paper we review this model and compare it with the Hebbian model previously presented by Tovar and Westermann (T&W, 2017a; 2017b; 2018) that has accounted for serial reaction time tasks, cross-situational learning, and categorization paradigms, all relevant in the study of statistical learning. We discuss the similarities and differences between both models, and their key findings. From our analysis, we question the concept of "forgetting" in the model of E&J and their suggestion of considering forgetting as the critical ingredient for successful statistical learning. We instead suggest that a set of simple but well-balanced mechanisms including spreading activation, activation persistence, and synaptic weight decay, all based on biologically grounded principles, allow modeling statistical learning in Hebbian neural networks, as demonstrated in the T&W model which successfully covers learning of nonadjacent dependencies and accounts for differences between typical and atypical populations, both aspects that have not been fully demonstrated in the E&J model. We outline the main computational and theoretical differences between the E&J and T&W approaches, present new simulation results, and discuss implications for the development of a computational cognitive theory of statistical learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Eugenio Tovar
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3004, 04510 Coyoacán, Mexico.
| | - Gert Westermann
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YF, United Kingdom
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6
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Tong SX, Duan R, Shen W, Yu Y, Tong X. Multiple mechanisms regulate statistical learning of orthographic regularities in school-age children: Neurophysiological evidence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 59:101190. [PMID: 36549147 PMCID: PMC9795533 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Using event-related potentials (ERPs), this study investigated how the brains of Chinese children of different ages extract and encode relational patterns contained in orthographic input. Ninety-nine Chinese children in Grades 1-3 performed an artificial orthography statistical learning task that comprised logographic components embedded in characters with high (100%), moderate (80%), and low (60%) positional consistency. The behavioral results indicated that across grades, participants more accurately recognized characters with high rather than low consistency. The neurophysiological results revealed that in each grade, the amplitude of some ERP components differed, with a larger P1 effect in the high consistency condition and a larger N170 and left-lateralized P300 effect in the low consistency condition. A smaller N170 effect occurred in Grade 3 than in Grade 1, and a larger P300 effect occurred in Grade 1 than in either Grade 2 or 3. These findings suggest the dynamic nature of statistical learning by showing that neural adaptation associated with N170, and attention and working memory related to P1 and P300, regulate different types of structural input, and that children's abilities to prioritize these mechanisms vary with context and age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley Xiuli Tong
- Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Rujun Duan
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, China
| | - Yilin Yu
- School of Foreign Languages, Anyang Normal University, China
| | - Xiuhong Tong
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China,Correspondence to: Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
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7
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Lazartigues L, Mathy F, Lavigne F. Probability, Dependency, and Frequency Are Not All Equally Involved in Statistical Learning. Exp Psychol 2022; 69:241-252. [PMID: 36655884 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The ability to learn sequences depends on different factors governing sequence structure, such as transitional probability (TP, probability of a stimulus given a previous stimulus), adjacent or nonadjacent dependency, and frequency. Current evidence indicates that adjacent and nonadjacent pairs are not equally learnable; the same applies to second-order and first-order TPs and to the frequency of the sequences. However, the relative importance of these factors and interactive effects on learning remain poorly understood. The first experiment tested the effects of TPs and dependency separately on the learning of nonlinguistic visual sequences, and the second experiment used the factors of the first experiment and added a frequency factor to test their interactive effects with verbal sequences of stimuli (pseudo-words). The results of both experiments showed higher performance during online learning for first-order TPs in adjacent pairs. Moreover, Experiment 2 indicated poorer performance during offline recall for nonadjacent dependencies and low-frequency sequences. We discuss the results that different factors are not used equally in prediction and memorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lazartigues
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d'Azur, BCL, CNRS, Nice, France
| | - Fabien Mathy
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d'Azur, BCL, CNRS, Nice, France
| | - Frédéric Lavigne
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d'Azur, BCL, CNRS, Nice, France
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8
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On the role of interference in sequence learning in Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Learn Behav 2022:10.3758/s13420-022-00537-1. [DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00537-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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9
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Simultaneous learning of directional and non-directional stimulus relations in baboons (Papio papio). Learn Behav 2022:10.3758/s13420-022-00522-8. [DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00522-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
SummaryWhile humans exposed to a sequential stimulus pairing A-B are commonly assumed to form a bidirectional mental relation between A and B, evidence that non-human animals can do so is limited. Careful examination of the animal literature suggests possible improvements in the test procedures used to probe such effects, notably measuring transfer effects on the learning of B-A pairings, rather than direct recall of A upon cuing with B. We developed such an experimental design and tested 20 Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Two pairings of visual shapes were trained (A1-B1, A2-B2) and testing was conducted in a reversed order, either with conserved pairings (B1-A1, B2-A2) or broken ones (B1-A2, B2-A1). We found baboons’ immediate test performance to be above chance level for conserved pairings and below chance level for broken ones. Moreover, baboons needed less trials to learn conserved pairings compared to broken ones. These effects were apparent for both pairings on average, and separately for the best learned pairing. Baboons’ responding on B-A trials was thus influenced by their previous A-B training. Performance level at the onset of testing, however, suggests that baboons did not respond in full accordance with the hypothesis of bidirectionality. To account for these data, we suggest that two competing types of relations were concomitantly encoded: a directional relation between A and B, which retains the sequential order experienced, and a non-directional relation, which retains only the co-occurrence of events, not their temporal order.
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10
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Tosatto L, Fagot J, Nemeth D, Rey A. The Evolution of Chunks in Sequence Learning. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13124. [PMID: 35411975 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Chunking mechanisms are central to several cognitive processes and notably to the acquisition of visuo-motor sequences. Individuals segment sequences into chunks of items to perform visuo-motor tasks more fluidly, rapidly, and accurately. However, the exact dynamics of chunking processes in the case of extended practice remain unclear. Using an operant conditioning device, 18 Guinea baboons (Papio papio) produced a fixed sequence of nine movements during 1000 trials by pointing to a moving target on a touch screen. Response times analyses revealed a specific chunking pattern of the sequence for each baboon. More importantly, we found that these patterns evolved during the course of the experiment, with chunks becoming progressively fewer and longer. We identified two chunk reorganization mechanisms: the recombination of preexisting chunks and the concatenation of two distinct chunks into a single one. These results provide new evidence on chunking mechanisms in sequence learning and challenge current models of associative and statistical learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Tosatto
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille.,Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Joël Fagot
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille.,Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France.,Station de Primatologie, Celphedia, CNRS UAR846, Rousset
| | - Dezso Nemeth
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.,Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest.,Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest
| | - Arnaud Rey
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille.,Aix Marseille Univ, ILCB, Aix-en-Provence, France
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11
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Rey A, Fagot J, Mathy F, Lazartigues L, Tosatto L, Bonafos G, Freyermuth JM, Lavigne F. Learning Higher-Order Transitional Probabilities in Nonhuman Primates. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13121. [PMID: 35363923 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The extraction of cooccurrences between two events, A and B, is a central learning mechanism shared by all species capable of associative learning. Formally, the cooccurrence of events A and B appearing in a sequence is measured by the transitional probability (TP) between these events, and it corresponds to the probability of the second stimulus given the first (i.e., p(B|A)). In the present study, nonhuman primates (Guinea baboons, Papio papio) were exposed to a serial version of the XOR (i.e., exclusive-OR), in which they had to process sequences of three stimuli: A, B, and C. In this manipulation, first-order TPs (i.e., AB and BC) were uninformative due to their transitional probabilities being equal to .5 (i.e., p(B|A) = p(C|B) = .5), while second-order TPs were fully predictive of the upcoming stimulus (i.e., p(C|AB) = 1). In Experiment 1, we found that baboons were able to learn second-order TPs, while no learning occurred on first-order TPs. In Experiment 2, this pattern of results was replicated, and a final test ruled out an alternative interpretation in terms of proximity to the reward. These results indicate that a nonhuman primate species can learn a nonlinearly separable problem such as the XOR. They also provide fine-grained empirical data to test models of statistical learning on the interaction between the learning of different orders of TPs. Recent bioinspired models of associative learning are also introduced as promising alternatives to the modeling of statistical learning mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Rey
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université
| | - Joël Fagot
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université.,Station de Primatologie - Celphedia, CNRS UAR846
| | - Fabien Mathy
- Bases, Corpus, Langage, CNRS & Université Côte d'Azur
| | | | - Laure Tosatto
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université
| | - Guillem Bonafos
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université.,Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université
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12
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Zhang H, Zhen Y, Yu S, Long T, Zhang B, Jiang X, Li J, Fang W, Sigman M, Dehaene S, Wang L. Working Memory for Spatial Sequences: Developmental and Evolutionary Factors in Encoding Ordinal and Relational Structures. J Neurosci 2022; 42:850-864. [PMID: 34862186 PMCID: PMC8808738 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0603-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequence learning is a ubiquitous facet of human and animal cognition. Here, using a common sequence reproduction task, we investigated whether and how the ordinal and relational structures linking consecutive elements are acquired by human adults, children, and macaque monkeys. While children and monkeys exhibited significantly lower precision than adults for spatial location and temporal order information, only monkeys appeared to exceedingly focus on the first item. Most importantly, only humans, regardless of age, spontaneously extracted the spatial relations between consecutive items and used a chunking strategy to compress sequences in working memory. Monkeys did not detect such relational structures, even after extensive training. Monkey behavior was captured by a conjunctive coding model, whereas a chunk-based conjunctive model explained more variance in humans. These age- and species-related differences are indicative of developmental and evolutionary mechanisms of sequence encoding and may provide novel insights into the uniquely human cognitive capacities.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sequence learning, the ability to encode the order of discrete elements and their relationships presented within a sequence, is a ubiquitous facet of cognition among humans and animals. By exploring sequence-processing abilities at different human developmental stages and in nonhuman primates, we found that only humans, regardless of age, spontaneously extracted the spatial relations between consecutive items and used an internal language to compress sequences in working memory. The findings provided insights into understanding the origins of sequence capabilities in humans and how they evolve through development to identify the unique aspects of human cognitive capacity, which includes the comprehension, learning, and production of sequences, and perhaps, above all, language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfen Zhen
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijing Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Tenghai Long
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Bingqian Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinjian Jiang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Junru Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen Fang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Mariano Sigman
- Laboratory Neuroscience, Universidad Torcuato di Tella, C1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
- School of Language and Education, Universidad Nebrija, 28015 Madrid, Spain
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Collège de France, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris Sud/Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Liping Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
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Bogaerts L, Siegelman N, Christiansen MH, Frost R. Is there such a thing as a 'good statistical learner'? Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 26:25-37. [PMID: 34810076 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research investigates individual differences in the learning of statistical structure, tying them to variability in cognitive (dis)abilities. This approach views statistical learning (SL) as a general individual ability that underlies performance across a range of cognitive domains. But is there a general SL capacity that can sort individuals from 'bad' to 'good' statistical learners? Explicating the suppositions underlying this approach, we suggest that current evidence supporting it is meager. We outline an alternative perspective that considers the variability of statistical environments within different cognitive domains. Once we focus on learning that is tuned to the statistics of real-world sensory inputs, an alternative view of SL computations emerges with a radically different outlook for SL research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa Bogaerts
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Morten H Christiansen
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ram Frost
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel; Basque Center for Cognition, Brain, and Language, 20009 Donostia, Spain
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14
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Lazartigues L, Mathy F, Lavigne F. Statistical learning of unbalanced exclusive-or temporal sequences in humans. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246826. [PMID: 33592012 PMCID: PMC7886115 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A pervasive issue in statistical learning has been to determine the parameters of regularity extraction. Our hypothesis was that the extraction of transitional probabilities can prevail over frequency if the task involves prediction. Participants were exposed to four repeated sequences of three stimuli (XYZ) with each stimulus corresponding to the position of a red dot on a touch screen that participants were required to touch sequentially. The temporal and spatial structure of the positions corresponded to a serial version of the exclusive-or (XOR) that allowed testing of the respective effect of frequency and first- and second-order transitional probabilities. The XOR allowed the first-order transitional probability to vary while being not completely related to frequency and to vary while the second-order transitional probability was fixed (p(Z|X, Y) = 1). The findings show that first-order transitional probability prevails over frequency to predict the second stimulus from the first and that it also influences the prediction of the third item despite the presence of second-order transitional probability that could have offered a certain prediction of the third item. These results are particularly informative in light of statistical learning models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lazartigues
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, BCL, Nice, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Fabien Mathy
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, BCL, Nice, France
| | - Frédéric Lavigne
- Department of Psychology, Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, BCL, Nice, France
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15
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Rebuschat P, Monaghan P. Editors' Introduction: Aligning Implicit Learning and Statistical Learning: Two Approaches, One Phenomenon. Top Cogn Sci 2020; 11:459-467. [PMID: 31338981 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This editors' introduction provides the background to the special issue. We first outline the rationale for bringing together, in a single volume, leading researchers from two distinct, yet related research strands, implicit learning and statistical learning. The aim of the special issue is to facilitate the development of a shared understanding of research questions and methodologies, to provide a platform for discussing similarities and differences between the two strands, and to encourage the formulation of joint research agendas. We then introduce the new contributions solicited for this special issue and provide our perspective on the agenda setting that results from combining these two approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Rebuschat
- Department of Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University.,LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen
| | - Padraic Monaghan
- Department of English, University of Amsterdam.,Department of Psychology, Lancaster University
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Kóbor A, Horváth K, Kardos Z, Takács Á, Janacsek K, Csépe V, Nemeth D. Tracking the implicit acquisition of nonadjacent transitional probabilities by ERPs. Mem Cognit 2019; 47:1546-1566. [PMID: 31236822 PMCID: PMC6823303 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-019-00949-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The implicit acquisition of complex probabilistic regularities has been found to be crucial in numerous automatized cognitive abilities, including language processing and associative learning. However, it has not been completely elucidated how the implicit extraction of second-order nonadjacent transitional probabilities is reflected by neurophysiological processes. Therefore, this study investigated the sensitivity of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to these probabilistic regularities embedded in a sequence of visual stimuli without providing explicit information on the structure of the stimulus stream. Healthy young adults (N = 32) performed a four-choice RT task that included a sequential regularity between nonadjacent trials yielding a complex transitional probability structure. ERPs were measured relative to both stimulus and response onset. RTs indicated the rapid acquisition of the sequential regularity and the transitional probabilities. The acquisition process was also tracked by the stimulus-locked and response-locked P3 component: The P3 peak was larger for the sequence than for the random stimuli, while the late P3 was larger for less probable than for more probable short-range relations among the random stimuli. According to the RT and P3 effects, sensitivity to the sequential regularity is assumed to be supported by the initial sensitivity to the transitional probabilities. These results suggest that stimulus-response contingencies on the probabilistic regularities of the ongoing stimulus context are implicitly mapped and constantly revised. Overall, this study (1) highlights the role of predictive processes during implicit memory formation, and (2) delineates a potential to gain further insight into the dynamics of implicit acquisition processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Kóbor
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
| | - Kata Horváth
- Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest, H–1064 Hungary
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest, H–1064 Hungary
- Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
| | - Zsófia Kardos
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
- Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Egry József utca 1, Budapest, H-1111 Hungary
| | - Ádám Takács
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest, H–1064 Hungary
| | - Karolina Janacsek
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest, H–1064 Hungary
- Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
| | - Valéria Csépe
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
- Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Egry József utca 1, Budapest, H-1111 Hungary
| | - Dezso Nemeth
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest, H–1064 Hungary
- Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, H–1117 Hungary
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier–Bâtiment 462–Neurocampus 95 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron, Lyon France
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17
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Prix International de la Fondation Fyssen 2017. REVUE DE PRIMATOLOGIE 2018. [DOI: 10.4000/primatologie.3046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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18
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Fagot J, Boë LJ, Berthomier F, Claidière N, Malassis R, Meguerditchian A, Rey A, Montant M. The baboon: A model for the study of language evolution. J Hum Evol 2018; 126:39-50. [PMID: 30583843 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Comparative research on the origins of human language often focuses on a limited number of language-related cognitive functions or anatomical structures that are compared across species. The underlying assumption of this approach is that a single or a limited number of factors may crucially explain how language appeared in the human lineage. Another potentially fruitful approach is to consider human language as the result of a (unique) assemblage of multiple cognitive and anatomical components, some of which are present in other species. This paper is a first step in that direction. It focuses on the baboon, a non-human primate that has been studied extensively for years, including several brain, anatomical, cognitive and cultural dimensions that are involved in human language. This paper presents recent data collected on baboons regarding (1) a selection of domain-general cognitive functions that are core functions for language, (2) vocal production, (3) gestural production and cerebral lateralization, and (4) cumulative culture. In all these domains, it shows that the baboons share with humans many cognitive or brain mechanisms which are central for language. Because of the multidimensionality of the knowledge accumulated on the baboon, that species is an excellent nonhuman primate model for the study of the evolutionary origins of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël Fagot
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
| | | | | | - Nicolas Claidière
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Raphaelle Malassis
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Adrien Meguerditchian
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Arnaud Rey
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Marie Montant
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
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