Language
English
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Journal
Neurobiology of Language
DOI
10.1162/nol_a_00156
PMID
39483699
PMCID
PMC11527419
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
10-28-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Statistical learning (SL) is the ability to rapidly track statistical regularities and learn patterns in the environment. Recent studies show that SL is constrained by domain-specific features, rather than being a uniform learning mechanism across domains and modalities. This domain-specificity has been reflected at the neural level, as SL occurs in regions primarily involved in processing of specific modalities or domains of input. However, our understanding of how SL is constrained by domain-specific features in the developing brain is severely lacking. The present study aims to identify the functional neural profiles of auditory SL of linguistic and nonlinguistic regularities among children. Thirty children between 5 and 7 years old completed an auditory fMRI SL task containing interwoven sequences of structured and random syllable/tone sequences. Using traditional group univariate analyses and a group-constrained subject-specific analysis, frontal and temporal cortices showed significant activation when processing structured versus random sequences across both linguistic and nonlinguistic domains. However, conjunction analyses failed to identify overlapping neural indices across domains. These findings are the first to compare brain regions supporting SL of linguistic and nonlinguistic regularities in the developing brain and indicate that auditory SL among developing children may be constrained by domain-specific features.
Keywords
development, fMRI, language, statistical learning
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Tengwen Fan, Will Decker, and Julie Schneider, "The Domain-Specific Neural Basis of Auditory Statistical Learning in 5-7-Year-Old Children." (2024). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 8000.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/8000