Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning.
It is commonly thought that phonological learning is different in young children compared to adults, possibly due to the speech processing system not yet having reached full native-language specialization. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms of phonological learning in children are poorly underst...
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doaj-06ca971129854207bfdafa8a5773ee2c2020-11-25T02:39:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01122e017103410.1371/journal.pone.0171034Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning.Anni NoraLeena KarvonenHanna RenvallTiina ParviainenJeong-Young KimElisabet ServiceRiitta SalmelinIt is commonly thought that phonological learning is different in young children compared to adults, possibly due to the speech processing system not yet having reached full native-language specialization. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms of phonological learning in children are poorly understood. We employed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to track cortical correlates of incidental learning of meaningless word forms over two days as 6-8-year-olds overtly repeated them. Native (Finnish) pseudowords were compared with words of foreign sound structure (Korean) to investigate whether the cortical learning effects would be more dependent on previous proficiency in the language rather than maturational factors. Half of the items were encountered four times on the first day and once more on the following day. Incidental learning of these recurring word forms manifested as improved repetition accuracy and a correlated reduction of activation in the right superior temporal cortex, similarly for both languages and on both experimental days, and in contrast to a salient left-hemisphere emphasis previously reported in adults. We propose that children, when learning new word forms in either native or foreign language, are not yet constrained by left-hemispheric segmental processing and established sublexical native-language representations. Instead, they may rely more on supra-segmental contours and prosody.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5291445?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Anni Nora Leena Karvonen Hanna Renvall Tiina Parviainen Jeong-Young Kim Elisabet Service Riitta Salmelin |
spellingShingle |
Anni Nora Leena Karvonen Hanna Renvall Tiina Parviainen Jeong-Young Kim Elisabet Service Riitta Salmelin Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Anni Nora Leena Karvonen Hanna Renvall Tiina Parviainen Jeong-Young Kim Elisabet Service Riitta Salmelin |
author_sort |
Anni Nora |
title |
Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
title_short |
Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
title_full |
Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
title_fullStr |
Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
title_sort |
children show right-lateralized effects of spoken word-form learning. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2017-01-01 |
description |
It is commonly thought that phonological learning is different in young children compared to adults, possibly due to the speech processing system not yet having reached full native-language specialization. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms of phonological learning in children are poorly understood. We employed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to track cortical correlates of incidental learning of meaningless word forms over two days as 6-8-year-olds overtly repeated them. Native (Finnish) pseudowords were compared with words of foreign sound structure (Korean) to investigate whether the cortical learning effects would be more dependent on previous proficiency in the language rather than maturational factors. Half of the items were encountered four times on the first day and once more on the following day. Incidental learning of these recurring word forms manifested as improved repetition accuracy and a correlated reduction of activation in the right superior temporal cortex, similarly for both languages and on both experimental days, and in contrast to a salient left-hemisphere emphasis previously reported in adults. We propose that children, when learning new word forms in either native or foreign language, are not yet constrained by left-hemispheric segmental processing and established sublexical native-language representations. Instead, they may rely more on supra-segmental contours and prosody. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5291445?pdf=render |
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