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Honbolygó F, Zulauf B, Zavogianni MI, Csépe V. Investigating the neurocognitive background of speech perception with a fast multi-feature MMN paradigm. Biol Futur 2024:10.1007/s42977-024-00219-1. [PMID: 38805154 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-024-00219-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The speech multi-feature MMN (Mismatch Negativity) offers a means to explore the neurocognitive background of the processing of multiple speech features in a short time, by capturing the time-locked electrophysiological activity of the brain known as event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Originating from Näätänen et al. (Clin Neurophysiol 115:140-144, 2004) pioneering work, this paradigm introduces several infrequent deviant stimuli alongside standard ones, each differing in various speech features. In this study, we aimed to refine the multi-feature MMN paradigm used previously to encompass both segmental and suprasegmental (prosodic) features of speech. In the experiment, a two-syllable long pseudoword was presented as a standard, and the deviant stimuli included alterations in consonants (deviation by place or place and mode of articulation), vowels (deviation by place or mode of articulation), and stress pattern in the first syllable of the pseudoword. Results indicated the emergence of MMN components across all segmental and prosodic contrasts, with the expected fronto-central amplitude distribution. Subsequent analyses revealed subtle differences in MMN responses to the deviants, suggesting varying sensitivity to phonetic contrasts. Furthermore, individual differences in MMN amplitudes were noted, partially attributable to participants' musical and language backgrounds. These findings underscore the utility of the multi-feature MMN paradigm for rapid and efficient investigation of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying speech processing. Moreover, the paradigm demonstrated the potential to be used in further research to study the speech processing abilities in various populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Honbolygó
- HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
- Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Borbála Zulauf
- Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Maria Ioanna Zavogianni
- HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences, Multilingualism Doctoral School, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Valéria Csépe
- HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
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Coopmans CW, Struiksma ME, Coopmans PHA, Chen A. Processing of Grammatical Agreement in the Face of Variation in Lexical Stress: A Mismatch Negativity Study. LANGUAGE AND SPEECH 2023; 66:202-213. [PMID: 35652369 PMCID: PMC9976639 DOI: 10.1177/00238309221098116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Previous electroencephalography studies have yielded evidence for automatic processing of syntax and lexical stress. However, these studies looked at both effects in isolation, limiting their generalizability to everyday language comprehension. In the current study, we investigated automatic processing of grammatical agreement in the face of variation in lexical stress. Using an oddball paradigm, we measured the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) in Dutch-speaking participants while they listened to Dutch subject-verb sequences (linguistic context) or acoustically similar sequences in which the subject was replaced by filtered noise (nonlinguistic context). The verb forms differed in the inflectional suffix, rendering the subject-verb sequences grammatically correct or incorrect, and leading to a difference in the stress pattern of the verb forms. We found that the MMNs were modulated in both the linguistic and nonlinguistic condition, suggesting that the processing load induced by variation in lexical stress can hinder early automatic processing of grammatical agreement. However, as the morphological differences between the verb forms correlated with differences in number of syllables, an interpretation in terms of the prosodic structure of the sequences cannot be ruled out. Future research is needed to determine which of these factors (i.e., lexical stress, syllabic structure) most strongly modulate early syntactic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cas W. Coopmans
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands; Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Aoju Chen
- Aoju Chen, Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, Trans 10, 3512 JK Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Zora H, Csépe V. Perception of Prosodic Modulations of Linguistic and Paralinguistic Origin: Evidence From Early Auditory Event-Related Potentials. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:797487. [PMID: 35002610 PMCID: PMC8733303 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.797487] [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: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How listeners handle prosodic cues of linguistic and paralinguistic origin is a central question for spoken communication. In the present EEG study, we addressed this question by examining neural responses to variations in pitch accent (linguistic) and affective (paralinguistic) prosody in Swedish words, using a passive auditory oddball paradigm. The results indicated that changes in pitch accent and affective prosody elicited mismatch negativity (MMN) responses at around 200 ms, confirming the brain’s pre-attentive response to any prosodic modulation. The MMN amplitude was, however, statistically larger to the deviation in affective prosody in comparison to the deviation in pitch accent and affective prosody combined, which is in line with previous research indicating not only a larger MMN response to affective prosody in comparison to neutral prosody but also a smaller MMN response to multidimensional deviants than unidimensional ones. The results, further, showed a significant P3a response to the affective prosody change in comparison to the pitch accent change at around 300 ms, in accordance with previous findings showing an enhanced positive response to emotional stimuli. The present findings provide evidence for distinct neural processing of different prosodic cues, and statistically confirm the intrinsic perceptual and motivational salience of paralinguistic information in spoken communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Zora
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Valéria Csépe
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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German B, Honbolygó F, Csépe V, Kóbor A. Working memory contributes to word stress processing in a fixed-stress language. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2021.1898411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Borbála German
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Honbolygó
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Valéria Csépe
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Andrea Kóbor
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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Gilbert AC, Honda CT, Phillips NA, Baum SR. Near native-like stress pattern perception in English-French bilinguals as indexed by the mismatch negativity. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 213:104892. [PMID: 33333337 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We examined lexical stress processing in English-French bilinguals. Auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) responses were recorded in response to English and French pseudowords, whose primary stress occurred either on a language-consistent "usual" or language-inconsistent "unusual" syllable. In most conditions, the pseudowords elicited two consecutive MMNs, and somewhat surprisingly, these MMNs were not systematically modulated by bilingual experience. This suggests that it is possible to achieve native-like pre-attentive processing of lexical stress, even in a language that one has not learned since birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie C Gilbert
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 McGill College, 8th Floor, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada.
| | - Claire T Honda
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 McGill College, 8th Floor, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada.
| | - Natalie A Phillips
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada; Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Shari R Baum
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 McGill College, 8th Floor, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada.
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