PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Auditory processing and procedural learning deficits have been associated with language learning difficulties. We investigated the relationship of these skills and school-age language abilities in children with and without a history of late talking using auditory event related potentials (ERPs). Late talking (i.e., slow early language development) increases the risk of persistent language difficulties, but its causes remain unknown. Participants in this study were children with varying language abilities (n = 60). Half of the participants (n = 30) had a history of late talking. We measured procedural learning by manipulating the predictability of sine tone stimuli in a passive auditory ERP paradigm. Auditory processing was tested by examining how the presence of noise (increasing perceptual demands) affected the ERPs. Contrary to our hypotheses on auditory processing and language development, the effect of noise on ERPs did not correlate with school-age language abilities in children with or without a history of late talking. Our paradigm failed to reveal interpretable effects of predictability leaving us unable to assess the effects of procedural learning. However, better language abilities were related to weaker responses in a 75-175 ms time window, and stronger responses in a 150-250 ms time window. We suggest that the weak early responses in children with better language ability reflect efficient processing of low-level auditory information, allowing deeper processing of later, high-level auditory information. We assume that these differences reflect variation in brain maturation between individuals with varying language abilities.
摘要：
听觉处理和程序学习缺陷与语言学习困难有关。我们使用听觉事件相关电位（ERP）调查了有或没有晚期说话史的儿童的这些技能与学龄语言能力的关系。迟到(即，早期语言发展缓慢)增加了持续语言困难的风险，但其原因仍然未知。这项研究的参与者是具有不同语言能力的儿童（n=60）。一半的参与者（n=30）有迟到的历史。我们通过在被动听觉ERP范例中操纵正弦音调刺激的可预测性来测量程序学习。通过检查噪声的存在（感知需求的增加）如何影响ERP来测试听觉处理。与我们关于听觉处理和语言发展的假设相反，在有或没有晚说话史的儿童中,噪音对ERP的影响与学龄期语言能力无关.我们的范式未能揭示可预测性的可解释效果，使我们无法评估程序学习的效果。然而,更好的语言能力与75-175毫秒时间窗口中较弱的反应有关，和更强的响应在150-250毫秒的时间窗口。我们认为，语言能力较好的儿童的弱早期反应反映了对低水平听觉信息的有效处理，允许更深入的处理，高级听觉信息。我们假设这些差异反映了语言能力不同的个体之间大脑成熟度的变化。
