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Cosper SH, Männel C, Mueller JL. Auditory associative word learning in adults: The effects of musical experience and stimulus ordering. Brain Cogn 2024; 180:106207. [PMID: 39053199 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106207] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Evidence for sequential associative word learning in the auditory domain has been identified in infants, while adults have shown difficulties. To better understand which factors may facilitate adult auditory associative word learning, we assessed the role of auditory expertise as a learner-related property and stimulus order as a stimulus-related manipulation in the association of auditory objects and novel labels. We tested in the first experiment auditorily-trained musicians versus athletes (high-level control group) and in the second experiment stimulus ordering, contrasting object-label versus label-object presentation. Learning was evaluated from Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) during training and subsequent testing phases using a cluster-based permutation approach, as well as accuracy-judgement responses during test. Results revealed for musicians a late positive component in the ERP during testing, but neither an N400 (400-800 ms) nor behavioral effects were found at test, while athletes did not show any effect of learning. Moreover, the object-label-ordering group only exhibited emerging association effects during training, while the label-object-ordering group showed a trend-level late ERP effect (800-1200 ms) during test as well as above chance accuracy-judgement scores. Thus, our results suggest the learner-related property of auditory expertise and stimulus-related manipulation of stimulus ordering modulate auditory associative word learning in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel H Cosper
- Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Claudia Männel
- Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jutta L Mueller
- Department of Linguistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Chang R, Zhang Q, Yang X. The impact of music training on temporal order processing in Mandarin Chinese sentence reading: Evidence from event-related potentials (ERPs). COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:766-778. [PMID: 38773021 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01195-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of music training on the processing of temporal order in Mandarin sentence reading using event-related potentials (ERPs). Two-clause sentences with temporal connectives ("before" or "after") were presented to both musicians and non-musicians. Additionally, a verbal N-back task was utilized to evaluate the participants' working memory capacities. The findings revealed that musicians, but not nonmusicians, demonstrated a more negative amplitude in the second clauses of "before" sentences compared with "after" sentences. In the N-back task, musicians exhibited faster reaction times than nonmusicians in the two-back condition. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between the ERP amplitude differences (before vs. after) and reaction time differences in the N-back task (0-back vs. 2-back) among musicians. These findings suggested that music training enhances the depth of temporal order processing, potentially mediated by improvements in working memory capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruohan Chang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaohong Yang
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China.
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3
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Ju P, Zhou Z, Xie Y, Hui J, Yang X. Music training influences online temporal order processing during reading comprehension. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 248:104340. [PMID: 38870685 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104340] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated the influence of musical expertise on spoken language processing; however, its effects on reading comprehension remain largely unexplored. This study aims to investigate the role of musical expertise in sentence comprehension, particularly concerning the processing of temporal order. Using two self-paced reading experiments, we examined individuals' responses to two-clause sentences connected by the temporal connectives "before" or "after". "After" sentences consistently presented events in their actual order of temporal occurrence, while "before" sentences described events in reverse temporal order. In both experiments, our analyses of reading times consistently uncovered a significant temporal order effect, with words immediately following the temporal connectives being processed slower in "before" sentences compared to "after" sentences. This suggests the presence of immediate online processing costs associated with "before" sentences. Notably, these processing costs were found to be attenuated in individuals with musical expertise compared to those without. However, analyses of comprehension accuracy showed no advantage of musicians over non-musicians. Specifically, in Experiment 1, the two groups showed no difference in comprehension accuracy, while in Experiment 2, musicians exhibited lower accuracy rates compared to non-musicians in both "before" and "after" sentences. These results suggest that musical expertise may attenuate online processing costs associated with complex linguistic constructs, but could not promote reading accuracy. We concluded that music training is associated with a restricted effect on written sentence comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Ju
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Zihang Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China; School of foreign languages, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhan Xie
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaying Hui
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohong Yang
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China.
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Ma W, Bowers L, Behrend D, Hellmuth Margulis E, Forde Thompson W. Child word learning in song and speech. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:343-362. [PMID: 37073951 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231172494] [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] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Listening to sung words rather than spoken words can facilitate word learning and memory in adults and school-aged children. To explore the development of this effect in young children, this study examined word learning (assessed as forming word-object associations) in 1- to 2-year olds and 3- to 4-year olds, and word long-term memory (LTM) in 4- to 5-year olds several days after the initial learning. In an intermodal preferential looking paradigm, children were taught a pair of words utilising adult-directed speech (ADS) and a pair of sung words. Word learning performance was better with sung words than with ADS words in 1- to 2-year olds (Experiments 1a and 1b), 3- to 4-year olds (Experiment 1a), and 4- to 5-year olds (Experiment 2b), revealing a benefit of song in word learning in all age ranges recruited. We also examined whether children successfully learned the words by comparing their performance against chance. The 1- to 2-year olds only learned sung words, but the 3- to 4-year olds learned both sung and ADS words, suggesting that the reliance on music features in word learning observed at ages 1-2 decreased with age. Furthermore, song facilitated the word mapping-recognition processes. Results on children's LTM performance showed that the 4- to 5-year olds' LTM performance did not differ between sung and ADS words. However, the 4- to 5-year olds reliably recalled sung words but not spoken words. The reliable LTM of sung words arose from hearing sung words during the initial learning rather than at test. Finally, the benefit of song on word learning and the reliable LTM of sung words observed at ages 3-5 cannot be explained as an attentional effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyi Ma
- School of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Lisa Bowers
- Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Douglas Behrend
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
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Shen D, Ross B, Alain C. Temporal deployment of attention in musicians: Evidence from an attentional blink paradigm. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1530:110-123. [PMID: 37823710 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15069] [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] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The generalization of music training to unrelated nonmusical domains is well established and may reflect musicians' superior ability to regulate attention. We investigated the temporal deployment of attention in musicians and nonmusicians using scalp-recording of event-related potentials in an attentional blink (AB) paradigm. Participants listened to rapid sequences of stimuli and identified target and probe sounds. The AB was defined as a probe identification deficit when the probe closely follows the target. The sequence of stimuli was preceded by a neutral or informative cue about the probe position within the sequence. Musicians outperformed nonmusicians in identifying the target and probe. In both groups, cueing improved target and probe identification and reduced the AB. The informative cue elicited a sustained potential, which was more prominent in musicians than nonmusicians over left temporal areas and yielded a larger N1 amplitude elicited by the target. The N1 was larger in musicians than nonmusicians, and its amplitude over the left frontocentral cortex of musicians correlated with accuracy. Together, these results reveal musicians' superior ability to regulate attention, allowing them to prepare for incoming stimuli, thereby improving sound object identification. This capacity to manage attentional resources to optimize task performance may generalize to nonmusical activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Shen
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bernhard Ross
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Claude Alain
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Elmer S, Besson M, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Giroud N. Foreign speech sound discrimination and associative word learning lead to a fast reconfiguration of resting-state networks. Neuroimage 2023; 271:120026. [PMID: 36921678 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120026] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning new words in an unfamiliar language is a complex endeavor that requires the orchestration of multiple perceptual and cognitive functions. Although the neural mechanisms governing word learning are becoming better understood, little is known about the predictive value of resting-state (RS) metrics for foreign word discrimination and word learning attainment. In addition, it is still unknown which of the multistep processes involved in word learning have the potential to rapidly reconfigure RS networks. To address these research questions, we used electroencephalography (EEG), measured forty participants, and examined scalp-based power spectra, source-based spectral density maps and functional connectivity metrics before (RS1), in between (RS2) and after (RS3) a series of tasks which are known to facilitate the acquisition of new words in a foreign language, namely word discrimination, word-referent mapping and semantic generalization. Power spectra at the scalp level consistently revealed a reconfiguration of RS networks as a function of foreign word discrimination (RS1 vs. RS2) and word learning (RS1 vs. RS3) tasks in the delta, lower and upper alpha, and upper beta frequency ranges. Otherwise, functional reconfigurations at the source level were restricted to the theta (spectral density maps) and to the lower and upper alpha frequency bands (spectral density maps and functional connectivity). Notably, scalp RS changes related to the word discrimination tasks (difference between RS2 and RS1) correlated with word discrimination abilities (upper alpha band) and semantic generalization performance (theta and upper alpha bands), whereas functional changes related to the word learning tasks (difference between RS3 and RS1) correlated with word discrimination scores (lower alpha band). Taken together, these results highlight that foreign speech sound discrimination and word learning have the potential to rapidly reconfigure RS networks at multiple functional scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Department of Computational Linguistics, Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Competence center Language & Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Mireille Besson
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Université Publique de France, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nathalie Giroud
- Department of Computational Linguistics, Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Neuroscience Zurich, University and ETH of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Competence center Language & Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Ngan VSH, Cheung LYT, Ng HTY, Yip KHM, Wong YK, Wong ACN. An early perceptual locus of absolute pitch. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14170. [PMID: 36094011 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14170] [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: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the naming of musical tone without external reference. The influential two-component model states that AP is limited by the late-emerging pitch labeling process only and not the earlier perceptual and memory processes. Over the years, however, support for this model at the neural level has been mixed with various methodological limitations. Here, the electroencephalography responses of 27 AP possessors and 27 non-AP possessors were recorded. During both name verification and passive listening, event-related potential analyses showed a difference between AP and non-AP possessors at about 200 ms in their response toward tones compared with noise stimuli. Multivariate pattern analyses suggested that pitch naming was subserved by a series of transient processes for the first 250 ms, followed by a stage-like process for both AP and non-AP possessors with no group differences between them. These findings are inconsistent with the predictions of the two-component model, and instead suggest the existence of an early perceptual locus of AP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vince S H Ngan
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Leo Y T Cheung
- Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Hezul T Y Ng
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ken H M Yip
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Yetta Kwailing Wong
- Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Alan C-N Wong
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
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Tremblay P, Perron M. Auditory cognitive aging in amateur singers and non-singers. Cognition 2023; 230:105311. [PMID: 36332309 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105311] [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: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The notion that lifestyle factors, such as music-making activities, can affect cognitive functioning and reduce cognitive decline in aging is often referred to as the mental exercise hypothesis. One ubiquitous musical activity is choir singing. Like other musical activities, singing is hypothesized to impact cognitive and especially executive functions. Despite the commonness of choir singing, little is known about the extent to which singing can affect cognition in adulthood. In this cross-sectional group study, we examined the relationship between age and four auditory executive functions to test hypotheses about the relationship between the level of mental activity and cognitive functioning. We also examined pitch discrimination capabilities. A non-probabilistic sample of 147 cognitively healthy adults was recruited, which included 75 non-singers (mean age 52.5 ± 20.3; 20-98 years) and 72 singers (mean age 55.5 ± 19.2; 21-87 years). Tests of selective attention, processing speed, inhibitory control, and working memory were administered to all participants. Our main hypothesis was that executive functions and age would be negatively correlated, and that this relationship would be stronger in non-singers than singers, consistent with the differential preservation hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis - preserved differentiation - predicts that the difference between singers and non-singers in executive functions is unaffected by age. Our results reveal a detrimental effect of age on processing speed, selective attention, inhibitory control and working memory. The effect of singing was comparatively more limited, being positively associated only with frequency discrimination, processing speed, and, to some extent, inhibitory control. Evidence of differential preservation was limited to processing speed. We also found a circumscribed positive impact of age of onset and a negative impact of singing experience on cognitive functioning in singers. Together, these findings were interpreted as reflecting an age-related decline in executive function in cognitively healthy adults, with specific and limited positive impacts of singing, consistent with the preserved differentiation hypothesis, but not with the differential preservation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Tremblay
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City G1J 2G3, Canada; Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Réadaptation, Quebec City G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Maxime Perron
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, North York, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada; University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Psychology, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada
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Jiao L, Luo L. Dispositional Awe Positively Predicts Prosocial Tendencies: The Multiple Mediation Effects of Connectedness and Empathy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16605. [PMID: 36554484 PMCID: PMC9779239 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Awe is an emotion frequently experienced by individuals in different cultures. When individuals experience awe, they would feel a sense of connectedness to other people or nature arises, and shift their attention to the outside world, which would increase empathy for others in need and, in turn, improve their prosocial tendencies. To test this proposal, we applied a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey to collect a sample of 1545 (Nfemale = 988) in Asia, aged between 16 and 71 years old (M = 22.81, SD = 7.80). The Structural Equation Model and bootstrapping method were used to test the mediation effects of connectedness and empathy between awe and prosocial tendency. Results showed that dispositional awe positively predicted a prosocial tendency, which could be partially explained by the multiple mediation effects of connectedness and empathy, after controlling for the effect of the small self. The findings deepen researchers' understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between awe and prosociality and have practical implications for cultivating awe and prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Jiao
- The Department of Economics and Management, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang 641112, China
| | - Li Luo
- The Department of Education Science, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang 641112, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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10
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Elmer S, Besson M, Rodríguez-Fornells A. The electrophysiological correlates of word pre-activation during associative word learning. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 182:12-22. [PMID: 36167179 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.09.007] [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: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Human beings continuously make use of learned associations to generate predictions about future occurrences in the environment. Such memory-related predictive processes provide a scaffold for learning in that mental representations of foreseeable events can be adjusted or strengthened based on a specific outcome. Learning the meaning of novel words through picture-word associations constitutes a prime example of associative learning because pictures preceding words can trigger word prediction through the pre-activation of the related mnemonic representations. In the present electroencephalography (EEG) study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to compare neural indices of word pre-activation between a word learning condition with maximal prediction likelihood and a non-learning control condition with low prediction. Results revealed that prediction-related N400 amplitudes in response to pictures decreased over time at central electrodes as a function of word learning, whereas late positive component (LPC) amplitudes increased. Notably, N400 but not LPC changes were also predictive of word learning performance, suggesting that the N400 component constitutes a sensitive marker of word pre-activation during associative word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing, Department of Computational Linguistics, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Mireille Besson
- Université Publique de France, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291) & Institute for Language and Communication in the Brain (ILCB), Marseille, France.
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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Liao W, Li STK, Hsiao JHW. Music reading experience modulates eye movement pattern in English reading but not in Chinese reading. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9144. [PMID: 35650229 PMCID: PMC9397380 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12978-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we tested the hypothesis that in Chinese-English bilinguals,
music reading experience may modulate eye movement planning in reading English but
not Chinese sentences due to the similarity in perceptual demands on processing
sequential symbol strings separated by spaces between music notation and English
sentence reading. Chinese–English bilingual musicians and non-musicians read legal,
semantically incorrect, and syntactically (and semantically) incorrect sentences in
both English and Chinese. In English reading, musicians showed more dispersed eye
movement patterns in reading syntactically incorrect sentences than legal sentences,
whereas non-musicians did not. This effect was not observed in Chinese reading.
Musicians also had shorter saccade lengths when viewing syntactically incorrect than
correct musical notations and sentences in an unfamiliar alphabetic language
(Tibetan), whereas non-musicians did not. Thus, musicians’ eye movement planning was
disturbed by syntactic violations in both music and English reading but not in
Chinese reading, and this effect was generalized to an unfamiliar alphabetic
language. These results suggested that music reading experience may modulate
perceptual processes in reading differentially in bilinguals’ two languages,
depending on their processing similarities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyan Liao
- Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Sara Tze Kwan Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Social Sciences, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Janet Hui-Wen Hsiao
- Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,The Institute of Data Science, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Angwin AJ, Armstrong SR, Fisher C, Escudero P. Acquisition of novel word meaning via cross situational word learning: An event-related potential study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 229:105111. [PMID: 35367812 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Cross-situational statistical word learning (CSWL) refers to the process whereby participants learn new words by tracking ambiguous word-object co-occurrences across time. This study used event-related potentials to explore the acquisition of novel word meanings via CSWL in healthy adults. After learning to associate novel auditory words (e.g., 'ket') with familiar objects (e.g., sword), participants performed a semantic judgement task where the learned novel words were paired with a familiar word belonging to either the same (e.g., dagger) or a different (e.g., harp) semantic category. As a comparison, the task also included word pairs comprising two familiar words. The analyses revealed that the unrelated novel word pairs elicited a similar N400 to that of the unrelated familiar word pairs, but with a different hemispheric distribution (left hemisphere for novel words, right hemisphere for familiar words). These findings demonstrate rapid meaning acquisition via CSWL, which is reflected at a neurophysiological level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Angwin
- University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Samuel R Armstrong
- University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Courtney Fisher
- University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Paola Escudero
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
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Frey A, Barbaroux M, Dittinger E, Besson M. Effects of Psychoacoustic Training on the Pre-Attentive Processing of Harmonic Sounds and Syllables. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:2003-2015. [PMID: 35503959 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This article aimed at investigating the neural underpinnings of music-to-language transfer effects at the pre-attentive level of processing. METHOD We conducted a longitudinal experiment with a test-training-retest procedure. Nonmusician adults were trained either on frequency (experimental group) or on intensity (control group) of harmonic tones using methods from psychophysics. Pre- and posttraining, we recorded brain electrical activity and we analyzed the mismatch negativity (MMN) and the P3a component both to harmonic complex sounds and to syllables varying in frequency. RESULTS Frequency training influenced the pre-attentive perception of pitch for large harmonic deviant sounds but not for syllables. CONCLUSION Results are discussed in terms of near and far transfer effects from psychoacoustic training to pre-attentive pitch processing and as possibly showing some limits to transfer effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Frey
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC), CNRS, and Aix-Marseille University, Université Publique de France
- Institute for Language and Communication in the Brain (ILCB), Aix-Marseille University, France
| | - Mylène Barbaroux
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC), CNRS, and Aix-Marseille University, Université Publique de France
| | - Eva Dittinger
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC), CNRS, and Aix-Marseille University, Université Publique de France
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL), CNRS, and Aix-Marseille University, Université Publique de France
| | - Mireille Besson
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC), CNRS, and Aix-Marseille University, Université Publique de France
- Institute for Language and Communication in the Brain (ILCB), Aix-Marseille University, France
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14
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Music training is associated with better clause segmentation during spoken language processing. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1472-1479. [PMID: 35318581 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02076-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Musical expertise is known to affect speech perception at units below clause/sentence. This study investigated whether the musician's advantage extends to a higher and more central level of speech processing (i.e., clause segmentation). Two groups of participants (musician vs. nonmusician) were presented with sentences that contain an internal clause boundary. The acoustic correlates of the boundary were manipulated in six conditions: all-cue, pause-only, final-lengthening-only, pitch-reset-only, pause-and-final-lengthening-in-combination, and no-cue conditions. Participants were asked to judge whether the sentence they heard had an internal boundary. Results showed that the musicians detected more boundaries than the nonmusicians in the all-cue and the pause-only conditions, but fewer boundaries in the no-cue condition. Further analyses of cue weight showed that both musicians and nonmusicians placed more importance on pause than the other two cues, but this weighting bias was more pronounced for the musicians. These results suggest that music training is associated with increased perceptual acuity not only to the acoustic markings of speech boundaries but also to the weighting of the cues. Our findings extend the role of musical expertise to sentence-level speech processing.
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15
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Gosselke Berthelsen S, Horne M, Shtyrov Y, Roll M. Native language experience shapes pre-attentive foreign tone processing and guides rapid memory trace build-up: An ERP study. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14042. [PMID: 35294788 PMCID: PMC9539634 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Language experience, particularly from our native language (L1), shapes our perception of other languages around us. The present study examined how L1 experience moulds the initial processing of foreign (L2) tone during acquisition. In particular, we investigated whether learners were able to rapidly forge new neural memory traces for novel tonal words, which was tracked by recording learners’ ERP responses during two word acquisition sessions. We manipulated the degree of L1–L2 familiarity by comparing learners with a nontonal L1 (German) and a tonal L1 (Swedish) and by using tones that were similar (fall) or dissimilar (high, low, rise) to those occurring in Swedish. Our results indicate that a rapid, pre‐attentive memory trace build‐up for tone manifests in an early ERP component at ~50 ms but only at particularly high levels of L1–L2 similarity. Specifically, early processing was facilitated for an L2 tone that had a familiar pitch shape (fall) and word‐level function (inflection). This underlines the importance of these L1 properties for the early processing of L2 tone. In comparison, a later anterior negativity related to the processing of the tones’ grammatical content was unaffected by native language experience but was instead influenced by lexicality, pitch prominence, entrenchment, and successful learning. Behaviorally, learning effects emerged for all learners and tone types, regardless of L1–L2 familiarity or pitch prominence. Together, the findings suggest that while L1‐based facilitation effects occur, they mainly affect early processing stages and do not necessarily result in more successful L2 acquisition at behavioral level. Our findings add important evidence that contributes to answering the open question of how similarity between native and target language influences target language processing and acquisition. We found facilitative effects of similarity only at pre‐attentive levels and only when the degree of similarity was high. Late processing and successful acquisition, on the other hand, were unaffected by the target words’ similarity to native language properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gosselke Berthelsen
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Merle Horne
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikael Roll
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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16
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Smit EA, Milne AJ, Escudero P. Music Perception Abilities and Ambiguous Word Learning: Is There Cross-Domain Transfer in Nonmusicians? Front Psychol 2022; 13:801263. [PMID: 35401340 PMCID: PMC8984940 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.801263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of music and speech is based on similar auditory skills, and it is often suggested that those with enhanced music perception skills may perceive and learn novel words more easily. The current study tested whether music perception abilities are associated with novel word learning in an ambiguous learning scenario. Using a cross-situational word learning (CSWL) task, nonmusician adults were exposed to word-object pairings between eight novel words and visual referents. Novel words were either non-minimal pairs differing in all sounds or minimal pairs differing in their initial consonant or vowel. In order to be successful in this task, learners need to be able to correctly encode the phonological details of the novel words and have sufficient auditory working memory to remember the correct word-object pairings. Using the Mistuning Perception Test (MPT) and the Melodic Discrimination Test (MDT), we measured learners’ pitch perception and auditory working memory. We predicted that those with higher MPT and MDT values would perform better in the CSWL task and in particular for novel words with high phonological overlap (i.e., minimal pairs). We found that higher musical perception skills led to higher accuracy for non-minimal pairs and minimal pairs differing in their initial consonant. Interestingly, this was not the case for vowel minimal pairs. We discuss the results in relation to theories of second language word learning such as the Second Language Perception model (L2LP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline A. Smit
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Eline A. Smit,
| | - Andrew J. Milne
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paola Escudero
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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17
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Phillips I, Calloway RC, Karuzis VP, Pandža NB, O'Rourke P, Kuchinsky SE. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Strengthens Semantic Representations of Foreign Language Tone Words during Initial Stages of Learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 34:127-152. [PMID: 34673939 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Difficulty perceiving phonological contrasts in a second language (L2) can impede initial L2 lexical learning. Such is the case for English speakers learning tonal languages, like Mandarin Chinese. Given the hypothesized role of reduced neuroplasticity in adulthood limiting L2 phonological perception, the current study examined whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a relatively new neuromodulatory technique, can facilitate L2 lexical learning for English speakers learning Mandarin Chinese over 2 days. Using a double-blind design, one group of participants received 10 min of continuous priming taVNS before lexical training and testing each day, a second group received 500 msec of peristimulus (peristim) taVNS preceding each to-be-learned item in the same tasks, and a third group received passive sham stimulation. Results of the lexical recognition test administered at the end of each day revealed evidence of learning for all groups, but a higher likelihood of accuracy across days for the peristim group and a greater improvement in response time between days for the priming group. Analyses of N400 ERP components elicited during the same tasks indicate behavioral advantages for both taVNS groups coincided with stronger lexico-semantic encoding for target words. Comparison of these findings to pupillometry results for the same study reported in Pandža, Phillips, Karuzis, O'Rourke, and Kuchinsky (2020) suggest that positive effects of priming taVNS (but not peristim taVNS) on lexico-semantic encoding are related to sustained attentional effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Phillips
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park.,Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, Bethesda, MD.,The Geneva Foundation, Bethesda, MD
| | - Regina C Calloway
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park
| | - Valerie P Karuzis
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park
| | - Nick B Pandža
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park.,University of Maryland Program in Second Language Acquisition, College Park
| | - Polly O'Rourke
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park
| | - Stefanie E Kuchinsky
- University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security, College Park.,Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, Bethesda, MD
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18
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The interplay between domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms during the time-course of verbal associative learning: An event-related potential study. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118443. [PMID: 34352392 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans continuously learn new information. Here, we examined the temporal brain dynamics of explicit verbal associative learning between unfamiliar items. In the first experiment, 25 adults learned object-pseudoword associations during a 5-day training program allowing us to track the N400 dynamics across learning blocks within and across days. Successful learning was accompanied by an initial frontal N400 that decreased in amplitude across blocks during the first day and shifted to parietal sites during the last training day. In Experiment 2, we replicated our findings with 38 new participants randomly assigned to a consistent learning or an inconsistent learning group. The N400 amplitude modulations that we found, both within and between learning sessions, are taken to reflect the emergence of novel lexical traces even when learning concerns items for which no semantic information is provided. The shift in N400 topography suggests that different N400 neural generators may contribute to specific word learning steps through a balance between domain-general and language-specific mechanisms.
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19
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Stewart EC, Pittman AL. Learning and Retention of Novel Words in Musicians and Nonmusicians. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2870-2884. [PMID: 34185549 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00482] [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 The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term musical training enhances the ability to perceive and learn new auditory information. Listeners with extensive musical experience were expected to detect, learn, and retain novel words more effectively than participants without musical training. Advantages of musical training were expected to be greater for words learned in multitalker babble compared to quiet. Method Participants consisted of 20 young adult musicians and 20 age-matched nonmusicians, all with normal hearing. In addition to completing word recognition and nonword detection tasks, each participant learned 10 novel words in a rapid word-learning paradigm. All tasks were completed in quiet and in multitalker babble. Next-day retention of the learned words was examined in isolation (recall) and in the context of continuous discourse (detection). Performance was compared across groups and listening conditions. Results Performance was significantly poorer in babble than in quiet on word recognition and nonword detection, but not on word learning, learned-word recall, or learned-word detection. No differences were observed between groups (musicians vs. nonmusicians) on any of the tasks. Conclusions For young normal-hearing adults, auditory experience resulting from long-term music training did not enhance their learning of new auditory information in either favorable (quiet) or unfavorable (babble) listening conditions. This suggests that the formation of semantic and musical representations in memory may be supported by the same underlying auditory processes, such that musical training is simply an extension of an auditory expertise that both musicians and nonmusicians possess.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea L Pittman
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Arizona State University, Tempe
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20
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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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21
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Dittinger E, Korka B, Besson M. Evidence for Enhanced Long-term Memory in Professional Musicians and Its Contribution to Novel Word Learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:662-682. [PMID: 33378241 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies evidenced transfer effects from professional music training to novel word learning. However, it is unclear whether such an advantage is driven by cascading, bottom-up effects from better auditory perception to semantic processing or by top-down influences from cognitive functions on perception. Moreover, the long-term effects of novel word learning remain an open issue. To address these questions, we used a word learning design, with four different sets of novel words, and we neutralized the potential perceptive and associative learning advantages in musicians. Under such conditions, we did not observe any advantage in musicians on the day of learning (Day 1 [D1]), at neither a behavioral nor an electrophysiological level; this suggests that the previously reported advantages in musicians are likely to be related to bottom-up processes. Nevertheless, 1 month later (Day 30 [D30]) and for all types of novel words, the error increase from D1 to D30 was lower in musicians compared to nonmusicians. In addition, for the set of words that were perceptually difficult to discriminate, only musicians showed typical N400 effects over parietal sites on D30. These results demonstrate that music training improved long-term memory and that transfer effects from music training to word learning (i.e., semantic levels of speech processing) benefit from reinforced (long-term) memory functions. Finally, these findings highlight the positive impact of music training on the acquisition of foreign languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- Université Publique de France, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC).,Université Publique de France, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL).,Institute for Language and Communication in the Brain, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Betina Korka
- Cognitive and Biological Psychology, Institute of Psychology - Wilhelm Wundt, Leipzig University, Germany
| | - Mireille Besson
- Université Publique de France, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC).,Institute for Language and Communication in the Brain, Aix-en-Provence, France
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22
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Barbaroux M, Norena A, Rasamimanana M, Castet E, Besson M. From Psychoacoustics to Brain Waves: A Longitudinal Approach to Novel Word Learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:8-27. [PMID: 32985943 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Musical expertise has been shown to positively influence high-level speech abilities such as novel word learning. This study addresses the question whether low-level enhanced perceptual skills causally drives successful novel word learning. We used a longitudinal approach with psychoacoustic procedures to train 2 groups of nonmusicians either on pitch discrimination or on intensity discrimination, using harmonic complex sounds. After short (approximately 3 hr) psychoacoustic training, discrimination thresholds were lower on the specific feature (pitch or intensity) that was trained. Moreover, compared to the intensity group, participants trained on pitch were faster to categorize words varying in pitch. Finally, although the N400 components in both the word learning phase and in the semantic task were larger in the pitch group than in the intensity group, no between-group differences were found at the behavioral level in the semantic task. Thus, these results provide mixed evidence that enhanced perception of relevant features through a few hours of acoustic training with harmonic sounds causally impacts the categorization of speech sounds as well as novel word learning. These results are discussed within the framework of near and far transfer effects from music training to speech processing.
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23
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Diaz Abrahan V, Shifres F, Justel N. Impact of music-based intervention on verbal memory: an experimental behavioral study with older adults. Cogn Process 2020; 22:117-130. [PMID: 32955643 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-020-00993-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Normal age-related declines have been reported in different cognitive functions, such as episodic memory. Some environmental factors have the potential to reduce cognitive decline and promote healthy aging. In this research, we employed musical improvisation as a focal music-based intervention to explore its effects as a modulator of verbal memory. We evaluated two types of verbal memory: a neutral one, employing the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (Study 1), and an emotional one, implementing the Spanish version of Affective Norms for English Words (Study 2) in a volunteer group of older adults. After the acquisition of neutral (Study 1) or emotional (Study 2) verbal information, the participants were exposed to musical improvisation (experimental condition) or two control conditions (rhythmic reproduction as a musically active control condition or a rest condition as a passive control condition) for 3 min. Then, memory was evaluated through two memory tasks (immediate and deferred free-recall and recognition tests). In both studies, we compared memory performance among musicians (with five or more years of music training) and non-musicians. We found a significant improvement in neutral verbal memory among participants involved in musical improvisation, who remembered more words than those in the control conditions. Differences were also found according to the musical experience of the sample, with musicians outperforming non-musicians. The current research supports the late-life cognitive benefits of music-based intervention and music training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Diaz Abrahan
- Lab. Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia Cognitiva (LINC), Centro de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Sistemas Complejos y Ciencias del Cerebro (CEMSC3), Instituto de Ciencias Físicas (ICIFI), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM), 25 de Mayo 1169, 1er piso, Of. 18, San Martin, 1650, Argentina. .,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. .,Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Favio Shifres
- Laboratorio para el Estudio de la Experiencia Musical (LEEM), Departamento de Música, Facultad de Bellas Artes (FBA), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Nadia Justel
- Lab. Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia Cognitiva (LINC), Centro de Estudios Multidisciplinarios en Sistemas Complejos y Ciencias del Cerebro (CEMSC3), Instituto de Ciencias Físicas (ICIFI), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM), 25 de Mayo 1169, 1er piso, Of. 18, San Martin, 1650, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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24
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Expert Event Segmentation of Dance Is Genre-Specific and Primes Verbal Memory. Vision (Basel) 2020; 4:vision4030035. [PMID: 32785006 PMCID: PMC7559184 DOI: 10.3390/vision4030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
By chunking continuous streams of action into ordered, discrete, and meaningful units, event segmentation facilitates motor learning. While expertise in the observed repertoire reduces the frequency of event borders, generalization of this effect to unfamiliar genres of dance and among other sensorimotor experts (musicians, athletes) remains unknown, and was the first aim of this study. Due to significant overlap in visuomotor, language, and memory processing brain networks, the second aim of this study was to investigate whether visually priming expert motor schemas improves memory for words related to one’s expertise. A total of 112 participants in six groups (ballet, Bharatanatyam, and “other” dancers, athletes, musicians, and non-experts) segmented a ballet dance, a Bharatanatyam dance, and a non-dance control sequence. To test verbal memory, participants performed a retrieval-induced forgetting task between segmentation blocks. Dance, instrument, and sport word categories were included to probe the second study aim. Results of the event segmentation paradigm clarify that previously-established expert segmentation effects are specific to familiar genres of dance, and do not transfer between different types of experts or to non-dance sequences. Greater recall of dance category words among ballet and Bharatanatyam dancers provides novel evidence for improved verbal memory primed by activating familiar sensorimotor representations.
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25
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Rasamimanana M, Barbaroux M, Colé P, Besson M. Semantic compensation and novel word learning in university students with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2020; 139:107358. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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26
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Cason N, Marmursztejn M, D'Imperio M, Schön D. Rhythmic Abilities Correlate with L2 Prosody Imitation Abilities in Typologically Different Languages. LANGUAGE AND SPEECH 2020; 63:149-165. [PMID: 30760163 DOI: 10.1177/0023830919826334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
While many studies have demonstrated the relationship between musical rhythm and speech prosody, this has been rarely addressed in the context of second language (L2) acquisition. Here, we investigated whether musical rhythmic skills and the production of L2 speech prosody are predictive of one another. We tested both musical and linguistic rhythmic competences of 23 native French speakers of L2 English. Participants completed perception and production music and language tests. In the prosody production test, sentences containing trisyllabic words with either a prominence on the first or on the second syllable were heard and had to be reproduced. Participants were less accurate in reproducing penultimate accent placement. Moreover, the accuracy in reproducing phonologically disfavored stress patterns was best predicted by rhythm production abilities. Our results show, for the first time, that better reproduction of musical rhythmic sequences is predictive of a more successful realization of unfamiliar L2 prosody, specifically in terms of stress-accent placement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nia Cason
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Muriel Marmursztejn
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Mariapaola D'Imperio
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Daniele Schön
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
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27
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Rossi S, Gugler MF, Rungger M, Galvan O, Zorowka PG, Seebacher J. How the Brain Understands Spoken and Sung Sentences. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E36. [PMID: 31936356 PMCID: PMC7017195 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10010036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigates whether meaning is similarly extracted from spoken and sung sentences. For this purpose, subjects listened to semantically correct and incorrect sentences while performing a correctness judgement task. In order to examine underlying neural mechanisms, a multi-methodological approach was chosen combining two neuroscientific methods with behavioral data. In particular, fast dynamic changes reflected in the semantically associated N400 component of the electroencephalography (EEG) were simultaneously assessed with the topographically more fine-grained vascular signals acquired by the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). EEG results revealed a larger N400 for incorrect compared to correct sentences in both spoken and sung sentences. However, the N400 was delayed for sung sentences, potentially due to the longer sentence duration. fNIRS results revealed larger activations for spoken compared to sung sentences irrespective of semantic correctness at predominantly left-hemispheric areas, potentially suggesting a greater familiarity with spoken material. Furthermore, the fNIRS revealed a widespread activation for correct compared to incorrect sentences irrespective of modality, potentially indicating a successful processing of sentence meaning. The combined results indicate similar semantic processing in speech and song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Rossi
- ICONE-Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Manfred F Gugler
- Department for Medical Psychology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Rungger
- Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Oliver Galvan
- Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Patrick G Zorowka
- Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Josef Seebacher
- Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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28
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Leminen M, Leminen A, Smolander S, Arkkila E, Shtyrov Y, Laasonen M, Kujala T. Quick reorganization of memory traces for morphologically complex words in young children. Neuropsychologia 2019; 138:107309. [PMID: 31857117 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107309] [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: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Formation of neural mechanisms for morphosyntactic processing in young children is still poorly understood. Here, we addressed neural processing and rapid online acquisition of familiar and unfamiliar combinations of morphemes. Three different types of morphologically complex words - derived, inflected, and novel (pseudostem + real suffix) - were presented in a passive listening setting to 16 typically developing 3-4-year old children (as part of a longitudinal Helsinki SLI follow-up study). The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of event-related potentials (ERP), an established index of long-term linguistic memory traces in the brain, was analysed separately for the initial and final periods of the exposure to these items. We found MMN response enhancement for the inflected words towards the end of the recording session, whereas no response change was observed for the derived or novel complex forms. This enhancement indicates rapid build-up of a new memory trace for the combination of real morphemes, suggesting a capacity for online formation of whole-form lexicalized representations as one of the morphological mechanisms in the developing brain. Furthermore, this enhancement increased with age, suggesting the development of automatic morphological processing circuits in the age range of 3-4 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miika Leminen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Alina Leminen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland; Cognitive Science, Department of Digital Humanitiers, Faculty of Arts, PO Box 9, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Sini Smolander
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Research Unit of Logopedics, PO Box 8000, FIN-90014, University of Oulu, Finland.
| | - Eva Arkkila
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland.
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Institute for Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark; Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St.Petersburg State University, Makarova emb, 6, St.Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation.
| | - Marja Laasonen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Social Sciences, FIN-20014, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, PO Box 63, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Teija Kujala
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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Dittinger E, Scherer J, Jäncke L, Besson M, Elmer S. Testing the influence of musical expertise on novel word learning across the lifespan using a cross-sectional approach in children, young adults and older adults. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 198:104678. [PMID: 31450024 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Word learning is a multifaceted perceptual and cognitive task that is omnipresent in everyday life. Currently, it is unclear whether this ability is influenced by age, musical expertise or both variables. Accordingly, we used EEG and compared behavioral and electrophysiological indices of word learning between older adults with and without musical expertise (older adults' perspective) as well as between musically trained and untrained children, young adults, and older adults (lifespan perspective). Results of the older adults' perspective showed that the ability to learn new words is preserved in elderly, however, without a beneficial influence of musical expertise. Otherwise, results of the lifespan perspective revealed lower error rates and faster reaction times in young adults compared to children and older adults. Furthermore, musically trained children and young adults outperformed participants without musical expertise, and this advantage was accompanied by EEG manifestations reflecting faster learning and neural facilitation in accessing lexical-semantic representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France; CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309), Aix-en-Provence, France; Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI), Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Johanna Scherer
- Division Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URRP) "Dynamic of Healthy Aging", Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Mireille Besson
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France.
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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Decrypting the electrophysiological individuality of the human brain: Identification of individuals based on resting-state EEG activity. Neuroimage 2019; 197:470-481. [PMID: 30978497 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Biometric identification (BI) of individuals is a fast-growing field of research that is producing increasingly sophisticated applications in several spheres of everyday life. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated that based on the high inter-individual variability of brain structure and function, it is possible to identify individuals with high accuracy. Otherwise, there is the common belief that electroencephalographic (EEG) data recorded at the surface of the scalp are too noisy for identification purposes with a comparably high hit rate. In the present work, we compared BI quality (F1-scores, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity) between different types of functional (instantaneous, lagged, and total coherence, phase synchronization, correlation, and mutual information) and effective (Granger causality, phase synchronization, and coherence) connectivity measures. Results revealed that across functional connectivity metrics, identification accuracy was in the range of 0.98-1, whereas sensitivity and F1-scores were between 0.00 and 1 and specificity was between 0.99 and 1. BI was higher for the connectivity metrics that are contaminated by volume conduction (instantaneous connectivity) compared to those that are unaffected by this variable (lagged connectivity). Support vector machine and neural network algorithms yielded the highest BI, followed by random forest and weighted k-nearest neighborhood, whereas linear discriminant analysis was less accurate. These results provide cross-validated counterevidence to the belief that EEG data are too noisy for identification purposes and demonstrate that functional and effective connectivity metrics are particularly suited for BI applications with comparable accuracy to MRI. Our results have important implications for fast, low-cost, and mobile BI applications.
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31
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Fritz TH, Schütte F, Steixner A, Contier O, Obrig H, Villringer A. Musical meaning modulates word acquisition. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 190:10-15. [PMID: 30665002 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Musical excerpts have been shown to have the capacity to prime the processing of target words and vice versa, strongly suggesting that music can convey concepts. However, to date no study has investigated an influence of musical semantics on novel word acquisition, thus corroborating evidence for a similarity of underlying semantic processing of music and words behaviourally. The current study investigates whether semantic content of music can assist the acquisition of novel words. Forty novel words and their German translation were visually presented to 26 participants accompanied by either semantically congruent or incongruent music. Semantic congruence between music and words was expected to increase performance in the subsequent forced-choice recognition test. Participants performed significantly better on the retention of novel words presented with semantically congruent music compared to those presented with semantically incongruent music. This provides first evidence that semantic "enrichment" by music during novel word learning can augment novel word acquisition. This finding may lead to novel approaches in foreign language acquisition and language rehabilitation, and further strongly supports the concept that music has a strong capacity to iconically convey meaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hans Fritz
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM), Blandijnberg 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Friederike Schütte
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Agnes Steixner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Oliver Contier
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hellmuth Obrig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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32
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Early tone categorization in absolute pitch musicians is subserved by the right-sided perisylvian brain. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1419. [PMID: 30723232 PMCID: PMC6363806 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38273-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is defined as the ability to identify and label tones without reference to keyality. In this context, the main question is whether early or late processing stages are responsible for this ability. We investigated the electrophysiological responses to tones in AP and relative pitch (RP) possessors while participants listened attentively to sine tones. Since event-related potentials are particularly suited for tracking tone encoding (N100 and P200), categorization (N200), and mnemonic functions (N400), we hypothesized that differences in early pitch processing stages would be reflected by increased N100 and P200-related areas in AP musicians. Otherwise, differences in later cognitive stages of tone processing should be mirrored by increased N200 and/or N400 areas in AP musicians. AP possessors exhibited larger N100 areas and a tendency towards enhanced P200 areas. Furthermore, the sources of these components were estimated and statistically compared between the two groups for a set of a priori defined regions of interest. AP musicians demonstrated increased N100-related current densities in the right superior temporal sulcus, middle temporal gyrus, and Heschl’s gyrus. Results are interpreted as indicating that early between-group differences in right-sided perisylvian brain regions might reflect auditory tone categorization rather than labelling mechanisms.
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Besson M, Dittinger E, Barbaroux M. How music training influences language processing: Evidence against informationnal encapsulation. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2018. [DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.183.0273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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34
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Early Influence of Musical Abilities and Working Memory on Speech Imitation Abilities: Study with Pre-School Children. Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8090169. [PMID: 30200479 PMCID: PMC6162612 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8090169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical aptitude and language talent are highly intertwined when it comes to phonetic language ability. Research on pre-school children’s musical abilities and foreign language abilities are rare but give further insights into the relationship between language and musical aptitude. We tested pre-school children’s abilities to imitate unknown languages, to remember strings of digits, to sing, to discriminate musical statements and their intrinsic (spontaneous) singing behavior (“singing-lovers versus singing nerds”). The findings revealed that having an ear for music is linked to phonetic language abilities. The results of this investigation show that a working memory capacity and phonetic aptitude are linked to high musical perception and production ability already at around the age of 5. This suggests that music and (foreign) language learning capacity may be linked from childhood on. Furthermore, the findings put emphasis on the possibility that early developed abilities may be responsible for individual differences in both linguistic and musical performances.
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35
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Poltrock S, Chen H, Kwok C, Cheung H, Nazzi T. Adult Learning of Novel Words in a Non-native Language: Consonants, Vowels, and Tones. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1211. [PMID: 30087631 PMCID: PMC6066720 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While words are distinguished primarily by consonants and vowels in many languages, tones are also used in the majority of the world's languages to cue lexical contrasts. However, studies on novel word learning have largely concentrated on consonants and vowels. To shed more light on the use of tonal information in novel word learning and its relationship with the development of phonological categories, the present study explored how adults' ability to learn minimal pair pseudowords in a tone language is modulated by their native phonological knowledge. Twenty-four adult speakers of three languages were tested: Cantonese, Mandarin, and French. Eye-tracking was used to record eye movements of these learners, while they were watching animated cartoons in Cantonese. On each trial, adults had to learn two new label-object associations, while the labels differed minimally by a consonant, a vowel, or a tone. Learning would therefore attest to participants' ability to use phonological information to distinguish the paired words. Results first revealed that adult learners in each language group performed better than chance in all conditions. Moreover, compared to native Cantonese adults, both Mandarin- and French-speaking adults performed worse on all three contrasts. In addition, French adults were worse on tones when compared to Mandarin adults. Lastly, no advantage for consonantal information in native lexical processing was found for Cantonese-speaking adults as predicted by the “division of labor” proposal, thus confirming crosslinguistic differences in consonant/vowel weight between speakers of tonal vs. non-tonal languages. These findings establish rapid novel word learning in a non-native language (long-term learning will have to be further assessed), modulated by native phonological knowledge. The implications of the findings of this adult study for further infant word learning studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Poltrock
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,CNRS, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris, France.,Department Linguistik, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hui Chen
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,CNRS, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris, France
| | - Celia Kwok
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong
| | - Hintat Cheung
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong
| | - Thierry Nazzi
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,CNRS, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris, France
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36
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Dittinger E, D'Imperio M, Besson M. Enhanced neural and behavioural processing of a nonnative phonemic contrast in professional musicians. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 47:1504-1516. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291); Marseille France
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université; Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309); Aix-en-Provence France
- Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI); Aix-en-Provence France
| | - Mariapaola D'Imperio
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université; Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309); Aix-en-Provence France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF); Paris France
| | - Mireille Besson
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291); Marseille France
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37
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Liu L, Ong JH, Tuninetti A, Escudero P. One Way or Another: Evidence for Perceptual Asymmetry in Pre-attentive Learning of Non-native Contrasts. Front Psychol 2018; 9:162. [PMID: 29615941 PMCID: PMC5869940 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research investigating listeners' neural sensitivity to speech sounds has largely focused on segmental features. We examined Australian English listeners' perception and learning of a supra-segmental feature, pitch direction in a non-native tonal contrast, using a passive oddball paradigm and electroencephalography. The stimuli were two contours generated from naturally produced high-level and high-falling tones in Mandarin Chinese, differing only in pitch direction (Liu and Kager, 2014). While both contours had similar pitch onsets, the pitch offset of the falling contour was lower than that of the level one. The contrast was presented in two orientations (standard and deviant reversed) and tested in two blocks with the order of block presentation counterbalanced. Mismatch negativity (MMN) responses showed that listeners discriminated the non-native tonal contrast only in the second block, reflecting indications of learning through exposure during the first block. In addition, listeners showed a later MMN peak for their second block of test relative to listeners who did the same block first, suggesting linguistic (as opposed to acoustic) processing or a misapplication of perceptual strategies from the first to the second block. The results also showed a perceptual asymmetry for change in pitch direction: listeners who encountered a falling tone deviant in the first block had larger frontal MMN amplitudes than listeners who encountered a level tone deviant in the first block. The implications of our findings for second language speech and the developmental trajectory for tone perception are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liquan Liu
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Jia Hoong Ong
- Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Division of Linguistics and Multilingual Studies, School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alba Tuninetti
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Paola Escudero
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian Research Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Theta Coherence Asymmetry in the Dorsal Stream of Musicians Facilitates Word Learning. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4565. [PMID: 29545619 PMCID: PMC5854697 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22942-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Word learning constitutes a human faculty which is dependent upon two anatomically distinct processing streams projecting from posterior superior temporal (pST) and inferior parietal (IP) brain regions toward the prefrontal cortex (dorsal stream) and the temporal pole (ventral stream). The ventral stream is involved in mapping sensory and phonological information onto lexical-semantic representations, whereas the dorsal stream contributes to sound-to-motor mapping, articulation, complex sequencing in the verbal domain, and to how verbal information is encoded, stored, and rehearsed from memory. In the present source-based EEG study, we evaluated functional connectivity between the IP lobe and Broca's area while musicians and non-musicians learned pseudowords presented in the form of concatenated auditory streams. Behavioral results demonstrated that musicians outperformed non-musicians, as reflected by a higher sensitivity index (d'). This behavioral superiority was paralleled by increased left-hemispheric theta coherence in the dorsal stream, whereas non-musicians showed stronger functional connectivity in the right hemisphere. Since no between-group differences were observed in a passive listening control condition nor during rest, results point to a task-specific intertwining between musical expertise, functional connectivity, and word learning.
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Elmer S, Jäncke L. Relationships between music training, speech processing, and word learning: a network perspective. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:10-18. [PMID: 29542125 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have documented the behavioral advantages conferred on professional musicians and children undergoing music training in processing speech sounds varying in the spectral and temporal dimensions. These beneficial effects have previously often been associated with local functional and structural changes in the auditory cortex (AC). However, this perspective is oversimplified, in that it does not take into account the intrinsic organization of the human brain, namely, neural networks and oscillatory dynamics. Therefore, we propose a new framework for extending these previous findings to a network perspective by integrating multimodal imaging, electrophysiology, and neural oscillations. In particular, we provide concrete examples of how functional and structural connectivity can be used to model simple neural circuits exerting a modulatory influence on AC activity. In addition, we describe how such a network approach can be used for better comprehending the beneficial effects of music training on more complex speech functions, such as word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Division of Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division of Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center (INAPIC), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program (URPP) "Dynamic of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Special Education, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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40
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Ding J, Liu W, Yang Y. The Influence of Concreteness of Concepts on the Integration of Novel Words into the Semantic Network. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2111. [PMID: 29255440 PMCID: PMC5723054 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
On the basis of previous studies revealing a processing advantage of concrete words over abstract words, the current study aimed to further explore the influence of concreteness on the integration of novel words into semantic memory with the event related potential (ERP) technique. In the experiment during the learning phase participants read two-sentence contexts and inferred the meaning of novel words. The novel words were two-character non-words in Chinese language. Their meaning was either a concrete or abstract known concept which could be inferred from the contexts. During the testing phase participants performed a lexical decision task in which the learned novel words served as primes for either their corresponding concepts, semantically related or unrelated targets. For the concrete novel words, the semantically related words belonged to the same semantic categories with their corresponding concepts. For the abstract novel words, the semantically related words were synonyms of their corresponding concepts. The unrelated targets were real words which were concrete or abstract for the concrete or abstract novel words respectively. The ERP results showed that the corresponding concepts and the semantically related words elicited smaller N400s than the unrelated words. The N400 effect was not modulated by the concreteness of the concepts. In addition, the concrete corresponding concepts elicited a smaller late positive component (LPC) than the concrete unrelated words. This LPC effect was absent for the abstract words. The results indicate that although both concrete and abstract novel words can be acquired and linked to their related words in the semantic network after a short learning phase, the concrete novel words are learned better. Our findings support the (extended) dual coding theory and broaden our understanding of adult word learning and changes in concept organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinfeng Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yufang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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41
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Dittinger E, Valizadeh SA, Jäncke L, Besson M, Elmer S. Increased functional connectivity in the ventral and dorsal streams during retrieval of novel words in professional musicians. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:722-734. [PMID: 29105247 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Current models of speech and language processing postulate the involvement of two parallel processing streams (the dual stream model): a ventral stream involved in mapping sensory and phonological representations onto lexical and conceptual representations and a dorsal stream contributing to sound-to-motor mapping, articulation, and to how verbal information is encoded and manipulated in memory. Based on previous evidence showing that music training has an influence on language processing, cognitive functions, and word learning, we examined EEG-based intracranial functional connectivity in the ventral and dorsal streams while musicians and nonmusicians learned the meaning of novel words through picture-word associations. In accordance with the dual stream model, word learning was generally associated with increased beta functional connectivity in the ventral stream compared to the dorsal stream. In addition, in the linguistically most demanding "semantic task," musicians outperformed nonmusicians, and this behavioral advantage was accompanied by increased left-hemispheric theta connectivity in both streams. Moreover, theta coherence in the left dorsal pathway was positively correlated with the number of years of music training. These results provide evidence for a complex interplay within a network of brain regions involved in semantic processing and verbal memory functions, and suggest that intensive music training can modify its functional architecture leading to advantages in novel word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France.,CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309), Aix-en-Provence, France.,Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI), Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Seyed Abolfazl Valizadeh
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Sensory-Motor System Lab, Institute of Robotics and Intelligence Systems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program (URRP) "Dynamic of Healthy Aging", Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mireille Besson
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Yu M, Xu M, Li X, Chen Z, Song Y, Liu J. The shared neural basis of music and language. Neuroscience 2017; 357:208-219. [PMID: 28602921 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 05/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Human musical ability is proposed to play a key phylogenetical role in the evolution of language, and the similarity of hierarchical structure in music and language has led to considerable speculation about their shared mechanisms. While behavioral and electrophysioglocial studies have revealed associations between music and linguistic abilities, results from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on their relations are contradictory, possibly because these studies usually treat music or language as single entities without breaking down to their components. Here, we examined the relations between different components of music (i.e., melodic and rhythmic analysis) and language (i.e., semantic and phonological processing) using both behavioral tests and resting-state fMRI. Behaviorally, we found that individuals with music training experiences were better at semantic processing, but not at phonological processing, than those without training. Further correlation analyses showed that semantic processing of language was related to melodic, but not rhythmic, analysis of music. Neurally, we found that performances in both semantic processing and melodic analysis were correlated with spontaneous brain activities in the bilateral precentral gyrus (PCG) and superior temporal plane at the regional level, and with the resting-state functional connectivity of the left PCG with the left supramarginal gyrus and left superior temporal gyrus at the network level. Together, our study revealed the shared spontaneous neural basis of music and language based on the behavioral link between melodic analysis and semantic processing, which possibly relied on a common mechanism of automatic auditory-motor integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxia Yu
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Miao Xu
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xueting Li
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
| | - Zhencai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yiying Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Dittinger E, Chobert J, Ziegler JC, Besson M. Fast Brain Plasticity during Word Learning in Musically-Trained Children. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:233. [PMID: 28553213 PMCID: PMC5427084 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Children learn new words every day and this ability requires auditory perception, phoneme discrimination, attention, associative learning and semantic memory. Based on previous results showing that some of these functions are enhanced by music training, we investigated learning of novel words through picture-word associations in musically-trained and control children (8-12 year-old) to determine whether music training would positively influence word learning. Results showed that musically-trained children outperformed controls in a learning paradigm that included picture-sound matching and semantic associations. Moreover, the differences between unexpected and expected learned words, as reflected by the N200 and N400 effects, were larger in children with music training compared to controls after only 3 min of learning the meaning of novel words. In line with previous results in adults, these findings clearly demonstrate a correlation between music training and better word learning. It is argued that these benefits reflect both bottom-up and top-down influences. The present learning paradigm might provide a useful dynamic diagnostic tool to determine which perceptive and cognitive functions are impaired in children with learning difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), CNRS, Aix-Marseille UniversityMarseille, France
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309), CNRS, Aix-Marseille UniversityAix-en-Provence, France
| | - Julie Chobert
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), CNRS, Aix-Marseille UniversityMarseille, France
| | - Johannes C. Ziegler
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC, UMR 7290), CNRS, Aix-Marseille UniversityMarseille, France
| | - Mireille Besson
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), CNRS, Aix-Marseille UniversityMarseille, France
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Jantzen MG. Toward a More Conclusive Understanding of the Relationship between Musical Training and Reading. Front Psychol 2017; 8:263. [PMID: 28289396 PMCID: PMC5326772 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Mangardich H, Sabbagh MA. Children remember words from ignorant speakers but do not attach meaning: evidence from event-related potentials. Dev Sci 2017; 21. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haykaz Mangardich
- Department of Psychology; Queen's University at Kingston; Kingston Ontario Canada
| | - Mark A. Sabbagh
- Department of Psychology; Queen's University at Kingston; Kingston Ontario Canada
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