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Zhou X, Wang L, Hong X, Wong PCM. Infant-directed speech facilitates word learning through attentional mechanisms: An fNIRS study of toddlers. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13424. [PMID: 37322865 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13424] [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] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The speech register that adults especially caregivers use when interacting with infants and toddlers, that is, infant-directed speech (IDS) or baby talk, has been reported to facilitate language development throughout the early years. However, the neural mechanisms as well as why IDS results in such a developmental faciliatory effect remain to be investigated. The current study uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate two alternative hypotheses of such a facilitative effect, that IDS serves to enhance linguistic contrastiveness or to attract the child's attention. Behavioral and fNIRS data were acquired from twenty-seven Cantonese-learning toddlers 15-20 months of age when their parents spoke to them in either an IDS or adult-directed speech (ADS) register in a naturalistic task in which the child learned four disyllabic pseudowords. fNIRS results showed significantly greater neural responses to IDS than ADS register in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-dlPFC), but opposite response patterns in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The differences in fNIRS responses to IDS and to ADS in the L-dlPFC and the left parietal cortex (L-PC) showed significantly positive correlations with the differences in the behavioral word-learning performance of toddlers. The same fNIRS measures in the L-dlPFC and right PC (R-PC) of toddlers were significantly correlated with pitch range differences of parents between the two speech conditions. Together, our results suggest that the dynamic prosody in IDS increased toddlers' attention through greater involvement of the left frontoparietal network that facilitated word learning, compared to ADS. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This study for the first time examined the neural mechanisms of how infant-directed speech (IDS) facilitates word learning in toddlers. Using fNIRS, we identified the cortical regions that were directly involved in IDS processing. Our results suggest that IDS facilitates word learning by engaging a right-lateralized prosody processing and top-down attentional mechanisms in the left frontoparietal networks. The language network including the inferior frontal gyrus and temporal cortex was not directly involved in IDS processing to support word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Luchang Wang
- Department of Applied Linguistics, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xuancu Hong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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2
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Understanding why infant-directed speech supports learning: A dynamic attention perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2022.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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3
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Kokkinaki T, Markodimitraki M, Vasdekis VG. Maternal speech to singleton and first-born dizygotic twin infants: a four-month longitudinal and naturalistic study. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2022.2092092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Theano Kokkinaki
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece
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4
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Xiao Y, Wen TH, Kupis L, Eyler LT, Goel D, Vaux K, Lombardo MV, Lewis NE, Pierce K, Courchesne E. Neural responses to affective speech, including motherese, map onto clinical and social eye tracking profiles in toddlers with ASD. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:443-454. [PMID: 34980898 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01237-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Affective speech, including motherese, captures an infant's attention and enhances social, language and emotional development. Decreased behavioural response to affective speech and reduced caregiver-child interactions are early signs of autism in infants. To understand this, we measured neural responses to mild affect speech, moderate affect speech and motherese using natural sleep functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural preference for motherese using eye tracking in typically developing toddlers and those with autism. By combining diverse neural-clinical data using similarity network fusion, we discovered four distinct clusters of toddlers. The autism cluster with the weakest superior temporal responses to affective speech and very poor social and language abilities had reduced behavioural preference for motherese, while the typically developing cluster with the strongest superior temporal response to affective speech showed the opposite effect. We conclude that significantly reduced behavioural preference for motherese in autism is related to impaired development of temporal cortical systems that normally respond to parental affective speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiong Xiao
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Teresa H Wen
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lauren Kupis
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Lisa T Eyler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Disha Goel
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Keith Vaux
- Point Loma Pediatrics, UC San Diego Health Physician Network, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michael V Lombardo
- Laboratory for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nathan E Lewis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Karen Pierce
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Eric Courchesne
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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5
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Lovcevic I, Burnham D, Kalashnikova M. Language development in infants with hearing loss: Benefits of infant-directed speech. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 67:101699. [PMID: 35123319 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The majority of infants with permanent congenital hearing loss fall significantly behind their normal hearing peers in the development of receptive and expressive oral communication skills. Independent of any prosthetic intervention ("hardware") for infants with hearing loss, the social and linguistic environment ("software") can still be optimal or sub-optimal and so can exert significant positive or negative effects on speech and language acquisition, with far-reaching beneficial or adverse effects, respectively. This review focusses on the nature of the social and linguistic environment of infants with hearing loss, in particular others' speech to infants. The nature of this "infant-directed speech" and its effects on language development has been studied extensively in hearing infants but far less comprehensively in infants with hearing loss. Here, literature on the nature of infant-directed speech and its impact on the speech perception and language acquisition in infants with hearing loss is reviewed. The review brings together evidence on the little-studied effects of infant-directed speech on speech and language development in infants with hearing loss, and provides suggestions, over and above early screening and external treatment, for a natural intervention at the level of the carer-infant microcosm that may well optimize the early linguistic experiences and mitigate later adverse effects for infants born with hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Lovcevic
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Marina Kalashnikova
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia; BCBL. Basque Center for Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, San Sebastian-Donostia, Guipuzcoa 2004, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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6
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Does Repeated Painful Stimuli Change Cerebral Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Response in Healthy, Term, Large for Gestational Age Newborns? Clin J Pain 2021; 36:110-116. [PMID: 31651426 DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated painful stimuli on short-term pain response in healthy, term, large for gestational age newborns by measuring the regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2), and behavioral and physiological responses. METHODS We compared term large for gestational age infants who received repeated painful stimuli (study group) with term, appropriate for gestational age infants (control group). A pulse oximeter and a near-infrared spectroscopy probe were connected to babies during the study period, and the responses of the babies were recorded by video, from which the crying time and the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale were obtained. The heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and rScO2 data were sampled every 1 second and exported to a personal computer via digital output during the study period. The maximum heart rate, the minimum SpO2, and peak, baseline, and mean rScO2 measurements following skin puncture were recorded. Data were compared within 1 group and between the 2 groups. RESULTS After the heel prick, crying time (P<0.001) and Neonatal Infant Pain Scale scores (P=0.024) increased, and SpO2 levels decreased significantly (P=0.012) in the study group versus the control group. Although mean rScO2 increased significantly within 1 group (P<0.001), it was not significant between the 2 groups. The percent change in rScO2 was greater in the study group (5.2 [2.5 to 9.3]) compared with the control group (2.8 [1.1 to 8.2], P=0.037). CONCLUSION We showed that rScO2 values changed significantly within the first few days of life in babies who received more painful stimuli compared with the control group, similar to behavioral and physiological responses.
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Chen F, Zhang H, Ding H, Wang S, Peng G, Zhang Y. Neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in children with and without autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2021; 14:1357-1374. [PMID: 33792205 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The presence of vowel exaggeration in infant-directed speech (IDS) may adapt to the age-appropriate demands in speech and language acquisition. Previous studies have provided behavioral evidence of atypical auditory processing towards IDS in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. This event-related potential (ERP) study investigated the neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in 24 4- to 11-year-old children with ASD and 24 typically-developing (TD) peers. The EEG data were recorded using an alternating block design, in which each stimulus type (exaggerated/non-exaggerated sound) was presented with equal probability. ERP waveform analysis revealed an enhanced P1 for vowel formant exaggeration in the TD group but not in the ASD group. This speech-specific atypical processing in ASD was not found for the nonspeech stimuli which showed similar P1 enhancement in both ASD and TD groups. Moreover, the time-frequency analysis indicated that children with ASD showed differences in neural synchronization in the delta-theta bands for processing acoustic formant changes embedded in nonspeech. Collectively, the results add substantiating neurophysiological evidence (i.e., a lack of neural enhancement effect of vowel exaggeration) for atypical auditory processing of IDS in children with ASD, which may exert a negative effect on phonetic encoding and language learning. LAY SUMMARY: Atypical responses to motherese might act as a potential early marker of risk for children with ASD. This study investigated the neural responses to such socially relevant stimuli in the ASD brain, and the results suggested a lack of neural enhancement responding to the motherese even in individuals without intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China.,Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
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8
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Svrakic DM, Zorumski CF. Neuroscience of Object Relations in Health and Disorder: A Proposal for an Integrative Model. Front Psychol 2021; 12:583743. [PMID: 33790822 PMCID: PMC8005655 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.583743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in the neuroscience of episodic memory provide a framework to integrate object relations theory, a psychoanalytic model of mind development, with potential neural mechanisms. Object relations are primordial cognitive-affective units of the mind derived from survival- and safety-level experiences with caretakers during phase-sensitive periods of infancy and toddlerhood. Because these are learning experiences, their neural substrate likely involves memory, here affect-enhanced episodic memory. Inaugural object relations are encoded by the hippocampus-amygdala synaptic plasticity, and systems-consolidated by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Self- and object-mental representations, extracted from these early experiences, are at first dichotomized by contradictory affects evoked by frustrating and rewarding interactions ("partial object relations"). Such affective dichotomization appears to be genetically hardwired the amygdala. Intrinsic propensity of mPFC to form schematic frameworks for episodic memories may pilot non-conscious integration of dichotomized mental representations in neonates and infants. With the emergence of working memory in toddlers, an activated self- and object-representation of a particular valence can be juxtaposed with its memorized opposites creating a balanced cognitive-affective frame (conscious "integration of object relations"). Specific events of object relations are forgotten but nevertheless profoundly influence the mental future of the individual, acting (i) as implicit schema-affect templates that regulate attentional priorities, relevance, and preferential assimilation of new information based on past experience, and (ii) as basic units of experience that are, under normal circumstances, integrated as attractors or "focal points" for interactive self-organization of functional brain networks that underlie the mind. A failure to achieve integrated object relations is predictive of poor adult emotional and social outcomes, including personality disorder. Cognitive, cellular-, and systems-neuroscience of episodic memory appear to support key postulates of object relations theory and help elucidate neural mechanisms of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Derived through the dual prism of psychoanalysis and neuroscience, the gained insights may offer new directions to enhance mental health and improve treatment of multiple forms of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragan M. Svrakic
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Charles F. Zorumski
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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9
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Parlato-Oliveira E, Saint-Georges C, Cohen D, Pellerin H, Pereira IM, Fouillet C, Chetouani M, Dommergues M, Viaux-Savelon S. "Motherese" Prosody in Fetal-Directed Speech: An Exploratory Study Using Automatic Social Signal Processing. Front Psychol 2021; 12:646170. [PMID: 33790843 PMCID: PMC8006442 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.646170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Motherese, or emotional infant directed speech (IDS), is the specific form of speech used by parents to address their infants. The prosody of IDS has affective properties, expresses caregiver involvement, is a marker of caregiver-infant interaction quality. IDS prosodic characteristics can be detected with automatic analysis. We aimed to explore whether pregnant women “speak” to their unborn baby, whether they use motherese while speaking and whether anxio-depressive or obstetrical status impacts speaking to the fetus. Participants and Methods: We conducted an observational study of pregnant women with gestational ages from 26 to 38 weeks. Women were recruited in a university hospital department of obstetrics. Thirty-five women agreed to participate in the study, and 26 audio records were exploitable. We collected obstetrical and sociodemographic data, pregnancy outcomes, anxiety and depressive status using the Covy and Raskin Scales, and life events using the Sensations During Pregnancy and Life Event Questionnaire. Each participant was left alone with an audio recorder with a recommendation to feel free to speak to her fetus as she would have done at home. The recording was stopped after 3 min. Audio recordings were analyzed by two methods: psycholinguist experts' annotation and computational objective automatic analyses. Results: Most mothers (89%) reported speaking to their fetuses. We found a correlation between maternal first perceptions of fetal movements and the start of mother's speaking to fetus. Motherese prosody was detected with both annotation and automatic analysis with a significant correlation between the two methods. In this exploratory study, motherese use was not associated with maternal anxiodepressive or obstetrical status. However, the more future mothers were depressed, the less they spoke with their fetuses during the recording. Conclusion: Fetal directed speech (FDS) can be detected during pregnancy, and it contains a period of prosody that shares the same characteristics of motherese that can be described as prenatal motherese or emotional fetal-directed speech (e-FDS). This means that pregnant women start using motherese much earlier than expected. FDS seems to be correlated with maternal first perceptions of fetal movements and depression scores. However, more research is needed to confirm these exploratory results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Parlato-Oliveira
- School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,CRPMS, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotiques (ISIR), équipe Perception, Interaction, et Robotiques Sociales (PIRoS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Saint-Georges
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotiques (ISIR), équipe Perception, Interaction, et Robotiques Sociales (PIRoS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - David Cohen
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotiques (ISIR), équipe Perception, Interaction, et Robotiques Sociales (PIRoS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Hugues Pellerin
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotiques (ISIR), équipe Perception, Interaction, et Robotiques Sociales (PIRoS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | | | - Catherine Fouillet
- Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Mohamed Chetouani
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotiques (ISIR), équipe Perception, Interaction, et Robotiques Sociales (PIRoS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Marc Dommergues
- Service de Gynécologie Obstétrique, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Viaux-Savelon
- CRPMS, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, APHP Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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10
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García-Sierra A, Ramírez-Esparza N, Wig N, Robertson D. Language learning as a function of infant directed speech (IDS) in Spanish: Testing neural commitment using the positive-MMR. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 212:104890. [PMID: 33307333 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Spanish-English bilingual families (N = 17) were recruited to assess the association between infant directed speech (IDS) in Spanish and their degree of neural commitment to the Spanish language. IDS was assessed by extracting the caregivers' Vowel Space Area (VSA) from recordings of a storybook reading task done at home. Infants' neural commitment was assessed by extracting the positive mismatch brain response (positive-MMR), an Event-Related Potential (ERP) thought to be indicative of higher attentional processes and early language commitment. A linear mixed model analysis demonstrated that caregivers' VSA predicted the amplitude of the positive-MMR in response to a native speech contrast (Spanish), but not to a non-native speech contrast (Chinese), even after holding other predictors constant (i.e., socioeconomic status, infants' age, and fundamental frequency). Our findings provide support to the view that quality of language exposure fosters language learning, and that this beneficial relationship expands to the bilingual population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián García-Sierra
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Connecticut, 337 Mansfield Rd Unit 1272, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Nairán Ramírez-Esparza
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Rd, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Noelle Wig
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Connecticut, 337 Mansfield Rd Unit 1272, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Dylan Robertson
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Dr. Unit 1085, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
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11
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Raz G, Saxe R. Learning in Infancy Is Active, Endogenously Motivated, and Depends on the Prefrontal Cortices. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-084841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A common view of learning in infancy emphasizes the role of incidental sensory experiences from which increasingly abstract statistical regularities are extracted. In this view, infant brains initially support basic sensory and motor functions, followed by maturation of higher-level association cortex. Here, we critique this view and posit that, by contrast and more like adults, infants are active, endogenously motivated learners who structure their own learning through flexible selection of attentional targets and active interventions on their environment. We further argue that the infant brain, and particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is well equipped to support these learning behaviors. We review recent progress in characterizing the function of the infant PFC, which suggests that, as in adults, the PFC is functionally specialized and highly connected. Together, we present an integrative account of infant minds and brains, in which the infant PFC represents multiple intrinsic motivations, which are leveraged for active learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Raz
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Rebecca Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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12
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Domek GJ, Szafran LH, Bonnell LN, Berman S, Camp BW. Using Finger Puppets in the Primary Care Setting to Support Caregivers Talking With Their Infants: A Feasibility Pilot Study. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2020; 59:380-387. [PMID: 32037858 DOI: 10.1177/0009922820903407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Disadvantaged children often show disparities in early language development. We tested the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of introducing finger puppets in the primary care setting at the 2-month well visit to support caregivers talking with their infants. Caregivers completed a sociodemographic survey and were contacted by phone 2 weeks later to assess initial usage and satisfaction. Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) were independently recorded at well visits. A family cumulative risk score was calculated from the sociodemographic survey. Thirty-four caregiver-child pairs were enrolled. Caregivers reported high satisfaction with the intervention. ASQ-3 Communication and Total scores at 6, 12, and 18 months were significantly higher for high puppet users across all age levels with no significant interactions with age or cumulative risk. Finger puppets provide a low-cost way to promote language-rich interactions. Preliminary evidence suggests that high puppet usage may have long-lasting effects on child development and should be further evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen J Domek
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Levi N Bonnell
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Stephen Berman
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Bonnie W Camp
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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13
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Safyer P, Volling BL, Wagley N, Hu X, Swain JE, Arredondo MM, Kovelman I. More than meets the eye: The neural development of emotion face processing during infancy. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 59:101430. [PMID: 32146254 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the impact of infant temperament and maternal stress on the development of the infant medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) among sixteen 6-8-month-old infants. Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure activation of the infant mPFC in response to angry, happy, and sad faces. Infant temperament and dimensions of maternal stress were measured with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire and the Parenting Stress Index Respectively. Infants with high negative emotionality demonstrated increased mPFC activation in association with all emotion face conditions. Negative emotionality moderated the effect of total maternal stress on mPFC activation to angry and sad faces. Mother-infant dysfunctional interaction was related to increased mPFC activation associated with happy faces, supporting the "novelty hypothesis", in which the mPFC responds more strongly to unique experiences. Therefore, this study provides additional evidence that infant temperament and the quality of the mother-infant relationship influence the development of the mPFC and how infants process emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xiaosu Hu
- University of Michigan, United States
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14
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Maria A, Nissilä I, Shekhar S, Kotilahti K, Tuulari JJ, Hirvi P, Huotilainen M, Heiskala J, Karlsson L, Karlsson H. Relationship between maternal pregnancy-related anxiety and infant brain responses to emotional speech - a pilot study. J Affect Disord 2020; 262:62-70. [PMID: 31710930 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA) is reportedly related to neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants. However, the relationship between maternal PRA and the processing of emotions in the infant brain has not been extensively studied with neuroimaging. The objective of the present pilot study is to investigate the relationship between maternal PRA and infant hemodynamic responses to emotional speech at two months of age. METHODS The study sample included 19 mother-infant dyads from a general sample of a population of Caucasian mothers. Self-reported Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ-R2) data was collected from mothers during pregnancy at gestational weeks (gwks) 24 (N = 19) and 34 (N = 18). When their infants were two months old, the infants' brains functional responses to emotional speech in the left fronto-temporoparietal cortex were recorded using diffuse optical tomography (DOT). RESULTS Maternal PRAQ-R2 scores at gwk 24 correlated negatively with the total hemoglobin (HbT) responses to sad speech on both sides of the temporoparietal junction (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ρ = -0.87). The correlation was significantly greater at gwk 24 than gwk 34 (ρ = -0.42). LIMITATIONS The field of view of the measurement did not include the right hemisphere or parts of the frontal cortex. The sample size is moderate and the mothers were relatively highly educated, thus there may be some differences between the study sample and the general population. CONCLUSIONS Maternal pregnancy-related anxiety may affect child brain emotion processing development. Further research is needed to understand the functional and developmental significance of the findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambika Maria
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Ilkka Nissilä
- Aalto University, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Finland.
| | - Shashank Shekhar
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Neurology, MS, USA
| | - Kalle Kotilahti
- Aalto University, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Finland
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; The Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine (TCSM); University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford, United Kingdom; University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
| | - Pauliina Hirvi
- Aalto University, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Finland; Aalto University, Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis, Finland
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Educational Sciences, CICERO Learning, Finland
| | - Juha Heiskala
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
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15
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Rowe ML, Snow CE. Analyzing input quality along three dimensions: interactive, linguistic, and conceptual. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2020; 47:5-21. [PMID: 31668157 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000919000655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the features of caregiver input that facilitate language learning across early childhood. We discuss three dimensions of input quality: interactive, linguistic, and conceptual. All three types of input features have been shown to predict children's language learning, though perhaps through somewhat different mechanisms. We argue that input best designed to promote language learning is interactionally supportive, linguistically adapted, and conceptually challenging for the child's age/level. Furthermore, input features interact across dimensions to promote learning. Some but not all qualities of input vary based on parent socioeconomic status, language, or culture, and contexts such as book-reading or pretend play generate uniquely facilitative input features. The review confirms that we know a great deal about the role of input quality in promoting children's development, but that there is much more to learn. Future research should examine input features across the boundaries of the dimensions distinguished here.
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16
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Newborn infants differently process adult directed and infant directed speech. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 147:107-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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17
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McGowan EC, Vohr BR. Impact of Nonmedical Factors on Neurobehavior and Language Outcomes of Preterm Infants. Neoreviews 2019; 20:e372-e384. [PMID: 31261104 DOI: 10.1542/neo.20-7-e372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Preterm infants are at increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The impact of maternal, NICU, and social environmental factors on early neurobehavior and language outcomes of preterm infants is recognized. There is a need for health care professionals to have a clear understanding of the importance of facilitating positive mother-infant relationships, and to address not only the infant's sensory and language environment, but also focus on adverse maternal mental health and social adversities to optimize infant outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth C McGowan
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
| | - Betty R Vohr
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
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18
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新生儿情绪性语音加工的正性偏向——来自事件相关电位的证据. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2019. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2019.00462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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19
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Shekhar S, Maria A, Kotilahti K, Huotilainen M, Heiskala J, Tuulari JJ, Hirvi P, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Nissilä I. Hemodynamic responses to emotional speech in two-month-old infants imaged using diffuse optical tomography. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4745. [PMID: 30894569 PMCID: PMC6426868 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39993-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional speech is one of the principal forms of social communication in humans. In this study, we investigated neural processing of emotional speech (happy, angry, sad and neutral) in the left hemisphere of 21 two-month-old infants using diffuse optical tomography. Reconstructed total hemoglobin (HbT) images were analysed using adaptive voxel-based clustering and region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. We found a distributed happy > neutral response within the temporo-parietal cortex, peaking in the anterior temporal cortex; a negative HbT response to emotional speech (the average of the emotional speech conditions < baseline) in the temporo-parietal cortex, neutral > angry in the anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), happy > angry in the superior temporal gyrus and posterior superior temporal sulcus, angry < baseline in the insula, superior temporal sulcus and superior temporal gyrus and happy < baseline in the anterior insula. These results suggest that left STS is more sensitive to happy speech as compared to angry speech, indicating that it might play an important role in processing positive emotions in two-month-old infants. Furthermore, happy speech (relative to neutral) seems to elicit more activation in the temporo-parietal cortex, thereby suggesting enhanced sensitivity of temporo-parietal cortex to positive emotional stimuli at this stage of infant development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashank Shekhar
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland.,University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Ambika Maria
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Kalle Kotilahti
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland.,CICERO Learning, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Heiskala
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Pauliina Hirvi
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland.,University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- University of Turku, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland.,University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Turku, Finland
| | - Ilkka Nissilä
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland.
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20
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de Roever I, Bale G, Mitra S, Meek J, Robertson NJ, Tachtsidis I. Investigation of the Pattern of the Hemodynamic Response as Measured by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Studies in Newborns, Less Than a Month Old: A Systematic Review. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:371. [PMID: 30333736 PMCID: PMC6176492 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been 20 years since functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was first used to investigate the evoked hemodynamic response to a stimulus in newborns. The hemodynamic response to functional activation is well-established in adults, with an observed increase in concentration change of oxygenated hemoglobin (Δ[HbO2]) and decrease in deoxygenated hemoglobin (Δ[HHb]). However, functional studies in newborns have revealed a mixed response, particularly with Δ[HHb] where an inconsistent change in direction is observed. The reason for this heterogeneity is unknown, with potential explanations arising from differing physiology in the developing brain, or differences in instrumentation or methodology. The aim of this review is to collate the findings from studies that have employed fNIRS to monitor cerebral hemodynamics in term newborn infants aged 1 day-1 month. A total of 46 eligible studies were identified; some studies investigated more than one stimulus type, resulting in a total of 51 reported results. The NIRS parameters reported varied across studies with 50/51 cases reporting Δ[HbO2], 39/51 reporting Δ[HHb], and 13/51 reporting total hemoglobin concentration Δ[HbT] (Δ[HbO2] + Δ[HHb]). However, of the 39 cases reporting Δ[HHb] in graphs or tables, only 24 studies explicitly discussed the response (i.e., direction of change) of this variable. In the studies where the fNIRS responses were discussed, 46/51 cases observed an increase in Δ[HbO2], 7/51 observed an increase or varied Δ[HHb], and 2/51 reported a varied or negative Δ[HbT]. An increase in Δ[HbO2] and decrease or no change in Δ[HHb] was observed in 15 studies. By reviewing this body of literature, we have identified that the majority of research articles reported an increase in Δ[HbO2] across various functional tasks and did not report the response of Δ[HHb]. Confirming the normal, healthy hemodynamic response in newborns will allow identification of unhealthy patterns and their association to normal neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel de Roever
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma Bale
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Subhabrata Mitra
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Meek
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola J. Robertson
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ilias Tachtsidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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21
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Kalashnikova M, Peter V, Di Liberto GM, Lalor EC, Burnham D. Infant-directed speech facilitates seven-month-old infants' cortical tracking of speech. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13745. [PMID: 30214000 PMCID: PMC6137049 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32150-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This study assessed cortical tracking of temporal information in incoming natural speech in seven-month-old infants. Cortical tracking refers to the process by which neural activity follows the dynamic patterns of the speech input. In adults, it has been shown to involve attentional mechanisms and to facilitate effective speech encoding. However, in infants, cortical tracking or its effects on speech processing have not been investigated. This study measured cortical tracking of speech in infants and, given the involvement of attentional mechanisms in this process, cortical tracking of both infant-directed speech (IDS), which is highly attractive to infants, and the less captivating adult-directed speech (ADS), were compared. IDS is the speech register parents use when addressing young infants. In comparison to ADS, it is characterised by several acoustic qualities that capture infants' attention to linguistic input and assist language learning. Seven-month-old infants' cortical responses were recorded via electroencephalography as they listened to IDS or ADS recordings. Results showed stronger low-frequency cortical tracking of the speech envelope in IDS than in ADS. This suggests that IDS has a privileged status in facilitating successful cortical tracking of incoming speech which may, in turn, augment infants' early speech processing and even later language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kalashnikova
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2527, Australia.
| | - Varghese Peter
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2527, Australia
| | - Giovanni M Di Liberto
- School of Engineering, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Edmund C Lalor
- School of Engineering, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14627, USA
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2527, Australia
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22
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Powell LJ, Kosakowski HL, Saxe R. Social Origins of Cortical Face Areas. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:752-763. [PMID: 30041864 PMCID: PMC6098735 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Recently acquired fMRI data from human and macaque infants provide novel insights into the origins of cortical networks specialized for perceiving faces. Data from both species converge: cortical regions responding preferentially to faces are present and spatially organized early in infancy, although fully selective face areas emerge much later. What explains the earliest cortical responses to faces? We review two proposed mechanisms: proto-organization for simple shapes in visual cortex, and an innate subcortical schematic face template. In addition, we propose a third mechanism: infants choose to look at faces to engage in positively valenced, contingent social interactions. Activity in medial prefrontal cortex during social interactions may, directly or indirectly, guide the organization of cortical face areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey J Powell
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Heather L Kosakowski
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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23
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Sulpizio S, Doi H, Bornstein MH, Cui J, Esposito G, Shinohara K. fNIRS reveals enhanced brain activation to female (versus male) infant directed speech (relative to adult directed speech) in Young Human Infants. Infant Behav Dev 2018; 52:89-96. [PMID: 29909251 PMCID: PMC6528784 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We hypothesized an association between auditory stimulus structure and activity in the brain that underlies infant auditory preference. In a within-infant design, we assessed brain activity to female and male infant directed relative to adult directed speech in 4-month-old infants using fNIRS. Results are compatible with the hypothesis that enhanced frontal brain activation, specifically in prefrontal cortex that is involved in emotion and reward, is evoked selectively by infant directed speech produced by female voices and may serve as a neuronal substrate for attention to and preference for "motherese" displayed by infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Sulpizio
- Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Hirokazu Doi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Japan
| | - Marc H Bornstein
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USA; Institute for Fiscal Studies, London, UK.
| | - Joy Cui
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USA
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy; Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Kazuyuki Shinohara
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Japan.
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24
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Maria A, Shekhar S, Nissilä I, Kotilahti K, Huotilainen M, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Emotional Processing in the First 2 Years of Life: A Review of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Studies. J Neuroimaging 2018; 28:441-454. [PMID: 29883005 PMCID: PMC6175097 DOI: 10.1111/jon.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional stimuli processing during childhood helps us to detect salient cues in our environment and prepares us for our social life. In early childhood, the emotional valences of auditory and visual input are salient and relevant cues of social aspects of the environment, and it is of special interest to understand how exactly the processing of emotional stimuli develops. Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive neuroimaging tool that has proven valuable in studying emotional processing in children. After conducting a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases, we examined 50 NIRS studies performed to study emotional stimuli processing in children in the first 2 years of age. We found that the majority of these studies are done in infants and the most commonly used stimuli are visual and auditory. Many of the reviewed studies suggest the involvement of bilateral temporal areas in emotional processing of visual and auditory stimuli. It is unclear which neural activation patterns reflect maturation and at what age the emotional encoding reaches those typically seen in adults. Our review provides an overview of the database on emotional processing in children up to 2 years of age. Furthermore, it demonstrates the need to include the less‐studied age range of 1 to 2 years, and suggests the use of combined audio‐visual stimuli and longitudinal studies for future research on emotional processing in children. Thus, NIRS might be a vital tool to study the associations between the early pattern of neural responses and socioemotional development later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambika Maria
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Shashank Shekhar
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
| | - Ilkka Nissilä
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, School of Science, Espoo, Finland
| | - Kalle Kotilahti
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, School of Science, Espoo, Finland
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Cognitive Brain Research Unit and Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Child Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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25
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Hodel AS. Rapid Infant Prefrontal Cortex Development and Sensitivity to Early Environmental Experience. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2018; 48:113-144. [PMID: 30270962 PMCID: PMC6157748 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Over the last fifteen years, the emerging field of developmental cognitive neuroscience has described the relatively late development of prefrontal cortex in children and the relation between gradual structural changes and children's protracted development of prefrontal-dependent skills. Widespread recognition by the broader scientific community of the extended development of prefrontal cortex has led to the overwhelming perception of prefrontal cortex as a "late developing" region of the brain. However, despite its supposedly protracted development, multiple lines of research have converged to suggest that prefrontal cortex development may be particularly susceptible to individual differences in children's early environments. Recent studies demonstrate that the impacts of early adverse environments on prefrontal cortex are present very early in development: within the first year of life. This review provides a comprehensive overview of new neuroimaging evidence demonstrating that prefrontal cortex should be characterized as a "rapidly developing" region of the brain, discusses the converging impacts of early adversity on prefrontal circuits, and presents potential mechanisms via which adverse environments shape both concurrent and long-term measures of prefrontal cortex development. Given that environmentally-induced disparities are present in prefrontal cortex development within the first year of life, translational work in intervention and/or prevention science should focus on intervening early in development to take advantages of this early period of rapid prefrontal development and heightened plasticity.
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26
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Redcay E, Warnell KR. A Social-Interactive Neuroscience Approach to Understanding the Developing Brain. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 54:1-44. [PMID: 29455860 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
From birth onward, social interaction is central to our everyday lives. Our ability to seek out social partners, flexibly navigate and learn from social interactions, and develop social relationships is critically important for our social and cognitive development and for our mental and physical health. Despite the importance of our social interactions, the neurodevelopmental bases of such interactions are underexplored, as most research examines social processing in noninteractive contexts. We begin this chapter with evidence from behavioral work and adult neuroimaging studies demonstrating how social-interactive context fundamentally alters cognitive and neural processing. We then highlight four brain networks that play key roles in social interaction and, drawing on existing developmental neuroscience literature, posit the functional roles these networks may play in social-interactive development. We conclude by discussing how a social-interactive neuroscience approach holds great promise for advancing our understanding of both typical and atypical social development.
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27
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Abstract
In this paper, we argue that prefrontal cortex ontogenetic functional development is best understood through an ecological lens. We first begin by reviewing evidence supporting the existing consensus that PFC structural and functional development is protracted based on maturational constraints. We then examine recent findings from neuroimaging studies in infants, early life stress research, and connectomics that support the novel hypothesis that PFC functional development is driven by reciprocal processes of neural adaptation and niche construction. We discuss implications and predictions of this model for redefining the construct of executive functions and for informing typical and atypical child development. This ecological account of PFC functional development moves beyond descriptions of development that are characteristic of existing frameworks, and provides novel insights into the mechanisms of developmental change, including its catalysts and influences. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M Werchan
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University
| | - Dima Amso
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University
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28
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Kalashnikova M, Carignan C, Burnham D. The origins of babytalk: smiling, teaching or social convergence? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170306. [PMID: 28878980 PMCID: PMC5579095 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
When addressing their young infants, parents systematically modify their speech. Such infant-directed speech (IDS) contains exaggerated vowel formants, which have been proposed to foster language development via articulation of more distinct speech sounds. Here, this assumption is rigorously tested using both acoustic and, for the first time, fine-grained articulatory measures. Mothers were recorded speaking to their infant and to another adult, and measures were taken of their acoustic vowel space, their tongue and lip movements and the length of their vocal tract. Results showed that infant- but not adult-directed speech contains acoustically exaggerated vowels, and these are not the product of adjustments to tongue or to lip movements. Rather, they are the product of a shortened vocal tract due to a raised larynx, which can be ascribed to speakers' unconscious effort to appear smaller and more non-threatening to the young infant. This adjustment in IDS may be a vestige of early mother-infant interactions, which had as its primary purpose the transmission of non-aggressiveness and/or a primitive manifestation of pre-linguistic vocal social convergence of the mother to her infant. With the advent of human language, this vestige then acquired a secondary purpose-facilitating language acquisition via the serendipitously exaggerated vowels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kalashnikova
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1957, Penrith 2527, Australia
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29
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Listen up! Developmental differences in the impact of IDS on speech segmentation. Cognition 2017; 160:98-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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30
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Abstract
The theory of natural pedagogy is an important focus of research on the evolution and development of cultural learning. It proposes that we are born pupils; that human children genetically inherit a package of psychological adaptations that make them receptive to teaching. In this article, I first examine the components of the package-eye contact, contingencies, infant-directed speech, gaze cuing, and rational imitation-asking in each case whether current evidence indicates that the component is a reliable feature of infant behavior and a genetic adaptation for teaching. I then discuss three fundamental insights embodied in the theory: Imitation is not enough for cumulative cultural inheritance, the extra comes from blind trust, and tweaking is a powerful source of cognitive change. Combining the results of the empirical review with these insights, I argue that human receptivity to teaching is founded on nonspecific genetic adaptations for social bonding and social learning and acquires its species- and functionally specific features through the operation of domain-general processes of learning in sociocultural contexts. We engage, not in natural pedagogy, but in cultural pedagogy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford
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31
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Peter V, Kalashnikova M, Santos A, Burnham D. Mature neural responses to Infant-Directed Speech but not Adult-Directed Speech in Pre-Verbal Infants. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34273. [PMID: 27677352 PMCID: PMC5039709 DOI: 10.1038/srep34273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infant directed speech (IDS), the speech register adults use when talking to infants, has been shown to have positive effects on attracting infants' attention, language learning, and emotional communication. Here event related potentials (ERPs) are used to investigate the neural coding of IDS and ADS (adult directed speech) as well as their discrimination by both infants and adults. Two instances of the vowel /i/, one extracted from ADS and one from IDS, were presented to 9-month-old infants and adults in two oddball conditions: ADS standard/IDS deviant and IDS standard/ADS deviant. In Experiment 1 with adults, the obligatory ERPs that code acoustic information were different for ADS and IDS; and discrimination, indexed by mismatch negativity (MMN) responses, showed that IDS and ADS deviants were discriminated equally well; although, the P3a response was larger for IDS suggesting it captured adults' attention more than did ADS. In infants the obligatory responses did not differ for IDS and ADS, but for discrimination, while IDS deviants generated both a slow-positive mismatch response (MMR) as well as an adult-like MMN, the ADS deviants generated only an MMR. The presence of a mature adult-like MMN suggests that the IDS stimulus is easier to discriminate for infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varghese Peter
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Marina Kalashnikova
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Aimee Santos
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Denis Burnham
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
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32
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Bosseler AN, Teinonen T, Tervaniemi M, Huotilainen M. Infant Directed Speech Enhances Statistical Learning in Newborn Infants: An ERP Study. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162177. [PMID: 27617967 PMCID: PMC5019490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning and the social contexts of language addressed to infants are hypothesized to play important roles in early language development. Previous behavioral work has found that the exaggerated prosodic contours of infant-directed speech (IDS) facilitate statistical learning in 8-month-old infants. Here we examined the neural processes involved in on-line statistical learning and investigated whether the use of IDS facilitates statistical learning in sleeping newborns. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while newborns were exposed to12 pseudo-words, six spoken with exaggerated pitch contours of IDS and six spoken without exaggerated pitch contours (ADS) in ten alternating blocks. We examined whether ERP amplitudes for syllable position within a pseudo-word (word-initial vs. word-medial vs. word-final, indicating statistical word learning) and speech register (ADS vs. IDS) would interact. The ADS and IDS registers elicited similar ERP patterns for syllable position in an early 0-100 ms component but elicited different ERP effects in both the polarity and topographical distribution at 200-400 ms and 450-650 ms. These results provide the first evidence that the exaggerated pitch contours of IDS result in differences in brain activity linked to on-line statistical learning in sleeping newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis N. Bosseler
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Tuomas Teinonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mari Tervaniemi
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Huotilainen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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33
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Bicks LK, Koike H, Akbarian S, Morishita H. Prefrontal Cortex and Social Cognition in Mouse and Man. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1805. [PMID: 26635701 PMCID: PMC4659895 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Social cognition is a complex process that requires the integration of a wide variety of behaviors, including salience, reward-seeking, motivation, knowledge of self and others, and flexibly adjusting behavior in social groups. Not surprisingly, social cognition represents a sensitive domain commonly disrupted in the pathology of a variety of psychiatric disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Schizophrenia (SCZ). Here, we discuss convergent research from animal models to human disease that implicates the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a key regulator in social cognition, suggesting that disruptions in prefrontal microcircuitry play an essential role in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders with shared social deficits. We take a translational perspective of social cognition, and review three key behaviors that are essential to normal social processing in rodents and humans, including social motivation, social recognition, and dominance hierarchy. A shared prefrontal circuitry may underlie these behaviors. Social cognition deficits in animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders like ASD and SCZ have been linked to an altered balance of excitation and inhibition (E/I ratio) within the cortex generally, and PFC specifically. A clear picture of the mechanisms by which altered E/I ratio in the PFC might lead to disruptions of social cognition across a variety of behaviors is not well understood. Future studies should explore how disrupted developmental trajectory of prefrontal microcircuitry could lead to altered E/I balance and subsequent deficits in the social domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy K Bicks
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Koike
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA
| | - Schahram Akbarian
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA
| | - Hirofumi Morishita
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY, USA
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34
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Golinkoff RM, Can DD, Soderstrom M, Hirsh-Pasek K. (Baby)Talk to Me. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.1177/0963721415595345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Since the mid-20th century, scientists have observed unique features in speech, facial expression, and content directed to infants and toddlers in comparison to speech directed to adults. Whereas much research has studied the characteristics of so-called infant-directed speech and speculated about its significance for language learning, research directly testing these ideas has been more limited until recently. Studies now suggest that infant-directed speech (a) promotes infant attention to language, (b) fosters social interaction between infants and caregivers, and (c) informs infants about various aspects of their native language by heightening distinctions relative to the speech addressed to adults. New developments focusing on the social role of infant-directed conversational interactions highlight the importance of caregiver responsiveness to the infant. Building a communicative foundation even prior to the time language emerges is crucial for fostering language development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dilara Deniz Can
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington
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Bornstein MH, Putnick DL, Cote LR, Haynes OM, Suwalsky JTD. Mother-Infant Contingent Vocalizations in 11 Countries. Psychol Sci 2015; 26:1272-84. [PMID: 26133571 PMCID: PMC4529355 DOI: 10.1177/0956797615586796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mother-infant vocal interactions serve multiple functions in child development, but it remains unclear whether key features of these interactions are community-common or community-specific. We examined rates, interrelations, and contingencies of vocal interactions in 684 mothers and their 5½-month-old infants in diverse communities in 11 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, and the United States). Rates of mothers' and infants' vocalizations varied widely across communities and were uncorrelated. However, collapsing the data across communities, we found that mothers' vocalizations to infants were contingent on the offset of the infants' nondistress vocalizing, infants' vocalizations were contingent on the offset of their mothers' vocalizing, and maternal and infant contingencies were significantly correlated. These findings point to the beginnings of dyadic conversational turn taking. Despite broad differences in the overall talkativeness of mothers and infants, maternal and infant contingent vocal responsiveness is found across communities, supporting essential functions of turn taking in early-childhood socialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H Bornstein
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Diane L Putnick
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - O Maurice Haynes
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Joan T D Suwalsky
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
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36
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Matsuda YT, Ueno K, Cheng K, Konishi Y, Mazuka R, Okanoya K. Auditory observation of infant-directed speech by mothers: experience-dependent interaction between language and emotion in the basal ganglia. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:907. [PMID: 25426054 PMCID: PMC4226166 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults address infants with a special speech register known as infant-directed speech (IDS), which conveys both linguistic and emotional information through its characteristic lexicon and exaggerated prosody (e.g., higher pitched, slower, and hyperarticulated). Although caregivers are known to regulate the usage of IDS (linguistic and emotional components) depending on their child's development, the underlying neural substrates of this flexible modification are largely unknown. Here, using an auditory observation method and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of four different groups of females, we revealed the experience-dependent influence of the emotional component on linguistic processing in the right caudate nucleus when mothers process IDS: (1) non-mothers, who do not use IDS regularly, showed no significant difference between IDS and adult-directed speech (ADS); (2) mothers with preverbal infants, who primarily use the emotional component of IDS, showed the main effect of the emotional component of IDS; (3) mothers with toddlers at the two-word stage, who use both linguistic and emotional components of IDS, showed an interaction between the linguistic and emotional components of IDS; and (4) mothers with school-age children, who use ADS rather than IDS toward their children, showed a tendency toward the main effect of ADS. The task that was most comparable to the naturalistic categories of IDS (i.e., explicit-language and implicit-emotion processing) recruited the right caudate nucleus, but it was not recruited in the control, less naturalistic condition (explicit-emotion and implicit-language processing). Our results indicate that the right caudate nucleus processes experience-and task-dependent interactions between language and emotion in mothers' IDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshi-Taka Matsuda
- Okanoya Emotional Information Project, Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Cognition and Behavior Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako, Saitama, Japan
- Laboratory for Language Development, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako, Saitama, Japan
- Center for Baby Science, Doshisha UniversityKyoto, Japan
| | - Kenichi Ueno
- Support Unit for Functional MRI, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako-shi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kang Cheng
- Support Unit for Functional MRI, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako-shi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yukuo Konishi
- Center for Baby Science, Doshisha UniversityKyoto, Japan
| | - Reiko Mazuka
- Laboratory for Language Development, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Okanoya Emotional Information Project, Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Cognition and Behavior Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science InstituteWako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of TokyoTokyo, Japan
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37
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Dissociating Cortical Activity during Processing of Native and Non-Native Audiovisual Speech from Early to Late Infancy. Brain Sci 2014; 4:471-87. [PMID: 25116572 PMCID: PMC4194034 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci4030471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Initially, infants are capable of discriminating phonetic contrasts across the world's languages. Starting between seven and ten months of age, they gradually lose this ability through a process of perceptual narrowing. Although traditionally investigated with isolated speech sounds, such narrowing occurs in a variety of perceptual domains (e.g., faces, visual speech). Thus far, tracking the developmental trajectory of this tuning process has been focused primarily on auditory speech alone, and generally using isolated sounds. But infants learn from speech produced by people talking to them, meaning they learn from a complex audiovisual signal. Here, we use near-infrared spectroscopy to measure blood concentration changes in the bilateral temporal cortices of infants in three different age groups: 3-to-6 months, 7-to-10 months, and 11-to-14-months. Critically, all three groups of infants were tested with continuous audiovisual speech in both their native and another, unfamiliar language. We found that at each age range, infants showed different patterns of cortical activity in response to the native and non-native stimuli. Infants in the youngest group showed bilateral cortical activity that was greater overall in response to non-native relative to native speech; the oldest group showed left lateralized activity in response to native relative to non-native speech. These results highlight perceptual tuning as a dynamic process that happens across modalities and at different levels of stimulus complexity.
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38
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Saint-Georges C, Chetouani M, Cassel R, Apicella F, Mahdhaoui A, Muratori F, Laznik MC, Cohen D. Motherese in interaction: at the cross-road of emotion and cognition? (A systematic review). PLoS One 2013; 8:e78103. [PMID: 24205112 PMCID: PMC3800080 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Various aspects of motherese also known as infant-directed speech (IDS) have been studied for many years. As it is a widespread phenomenon, it is suspected to play some important roles in infant development. Therefore, our purpose was to provide an update of the evidence accumulated by reviewing all of the empirical or experimental studies that have been published since 1966 on IDS driving factors and impacts. Two databases were screened and 144 relevant studies were retained. General linguistic and prosodic characteristics of IDS were found in a variety of languages, and IDS was not restricted to mothers. IDS varied with factors associated with the caregiver (e.g., cultural, psychological and physiological) and the infant (e.g., reactivity and interactive feedback). IDS promoted infants' affect, attention and language learning. Cognitive aspects of IDS have been widely studied whereas affective ones still need to be developed. However, during interactions, the following two observations were notable: (1) IDS prosody reflects emotional charges and meets infants' preferences, and (2) mother-infant contingency and synchrony are crucial for IDS production and prolongation. Thus, IDS is part of an interactive loop that may play an important role in infants' cognitive and social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Saint-Georges
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7222, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Mohamed Chetouani
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7222, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Raquel Cassel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé (LPPS, EA 4057), Institut de Psychologie de l'Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Fabio Apicella
- IRCCS Scientific Institute Stella Maris, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ammar Mahdhaoui
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7222, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Filippo Muratori
- IRCCS Scientific Institute Stella Maris, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marie-Christine Laznik
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Association Santé Mentale du 13ème, Centre Alfred Binet, Paris, France
| | - David Cohen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7222, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
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39
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Parise E, Csibra G. Neural responses to multimodal ostensive signals in 5-month-old infants. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72360. [PMID: 23977289 PMCID: PMC3747163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Infants' sensitivity to ostensive signals, such as direct eye contact and infant-directed speech, is well documented in the literature. We investigated how infants interpret such signals by assessing common processing mechanisms devoted to them and by measuring neural responses to their compounds. In Experiment 1, we found that ostensive signals from different modalities display overlapping electrophysiological activity in 5-month-old infants, suggesting that these signals share neural processing mechanisms independently of their modality. In Experiment 2, we found that the activation to ostensive signals from different modalities is not additive to each other, but rather reflects the presence of ostension in either stimulus stream. These data support the thesis that ostensive signals obligatorily indicate to young infants that communication is directed to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Parise
- Cognitive Development Center, Central European University, Budapest.
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40
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Grossmann T. The role of medial prefrontal cortex in early social cognition. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:340. [PMID: 23847509 PMCID: PMC3701864 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One major function of our brain is to enable us to behave with respect to socially relevant information. Much research on how the adult human brain processes the social world has shown that there is a network of specific brain areas, also called the social brain, preferentially involved during social cognition. Among the specific brain areas involved in the adult social brain, functional activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC), particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is of special importance for human social cognition and behavior. However, from a developmental perspective, it has long been thought that PFC is functionally silent during infancy (first year of life), and until recently, little was known about the role of PFC in the early development of social cognition. I shall present an emerging body of recent neuroimaging studies with infants that provide evidence that mPFC exhibits functional activation much earlier than previously thought, suggesting that the mPFC is involved in social information processing from early in life. This review will highlight work examining infant mPFC function across a range of social contexts. The reviewed findings will illustrate that the human brain is fundamentally adapted to develop within a social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Grossmann
- Early Social Development Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
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Daikoku T, Ogura H, Watanabe M. The variation of hemodynamics relative to listening to consonance or dissonance during chord progression. Neurol Res 2012; 34:557-63. [PMID: 22642826 DOI: 10.1179/1743132812y.0000000047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to identify the variation of cerebral hemodynamics in relation to listening to chord progressions involving consonant or dissonant chords based on western music theory by near-infrared spectroscopy. We also tried to find out the influence of musical education on the cortical hemodynamics. METHODS Twenty subjects participated in this study. They were classified into two groups, namely persons with and without special musical training histories. We used two types of chord progressions involving consonant and dissonant chords as stimuli. Then, the hemodynamics of each group was analyzed by optical topography to investigate the effects of each type of chord in the areas of left and right auditory cortices. RESULTS In the left auditory cortex (superior temporal cortex), the group with higher musical training showed a significant increase in oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) when listening to dissonant chords as compared with consonant chords, while the group without higher education for music did not show significant changes in oxy-Hb between consonant chords and dissonant chords. No significant changes in oxy-Hb in the right auditory cortex were observed in response to either chord, neither in the group with higher education for music, nor in the group without it. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that special musical training could enhance music-syntactic processing in the left auditory area and react more sensitively to the dissonant chords.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- Graduate School of Nursing and Rehabilitation Sciences, Showa University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
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43
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Quaresima V, Bisconti S, Ferrari M. A brief review on the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for language imaging studies in human newborns and adults. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 121:79-89. [PMID: 21507474 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2011.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2010] [Revised: 01/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Upon stimulation, real time maps of cortical hemodynamic responses can be obtained by non-invasive functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) which measures changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin after positioning multiple sources and detectors over the human scalp. The current commercially available transportable fNIRS systems have a time resolution of 1-10 Hz, a depth sensitivity of about 1.5 cm, and a spatial resolution of about 1cm. The goal of this brief review is to report infants, children and adults fNIRS language studies. Since 1998, 60 studies have been published on cortical activation in the brain's classic language areas in children/adults as well as newborns using fNIRS instrumentations of different complexity. In addition, the basic principles of fNIRS including features, strengths, advantages, and limitations are summarized in terms that can be understood even by non specialists. Future prospects of fNIRS in the field of language processing imaging are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Quaresima
- Department of Health Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
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44
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Rossi S, Telkemeyer S, Wartenburger I, Obrig H. Shedding light on words and sentences: near-infrared spectroscopy in language research. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 121:152-63. [PMID: 21546074 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2011.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2010] [Revised: 03/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Investigating the neuronal network underlying language processing may contribute to a better understanding of how the brain masters this complex cognitive function with surprising ease and how language is acquired at a fast pace in infancy. Modern neuroimaging methods permit to visualize the evolvement and the function of the language network. The present paper focuses on a specific methodology, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), providing an overview over studies on auditory language processing and acquisition. The methodology detects oxygenation changes elicited by functional activation of the cerebral cortex. The main advantages for research on auditory language processing and its development during infancy are an undemanding application, the lack of instrumental noise, and its potential to simultaneously register electrophysiological responses. Also it constitutes an innovative approach for studying developmental issues in infants and children. The review will focus on studies on word and sentence processing including research in infants and adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Rossi
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1a;04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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45
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Wallois F, Mahmoudzadeh M, Patil A, Grebe R. Usefulness of simultaneous EEG-NIRS recording in language studies. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 121:110-23. [PMID: 21546072 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2011.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 03/08/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
One of the most challenging tasks in neuroscience in language studies, is investigation of the brain's ability to integrate and process information. This task can only be successfully addressed by applying various assessment techniques integrated into a multimodal approach. Each of these techniques has its advantages and disadvantages, but help to elucidate certain aspects of the capacity of neural networks to process information. These methods provide information about changes in electrical, hemodynamic and metabolic activities. Ideally, they should be noninvasive in order to facilitate their use particularly in children. In the present review, we describe the advantages of simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) acquisition with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in cerebral activation. This coregistration is also useful to avoid misleading interpretation of NIRS, notably during the various phases of sleep. Development and implementation of the various tools required and assessment strategies are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Wallois
- GRAMFC, EA4293, Research Group on Functional Cerebral Multimodal Analysis, Faculty of Medecine, 3 rue des Louvels, 80036 Amiens, France.
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Gauthier B, Shi R. A connectionist study on the role of pitch in infant-directed speech. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2011; 130:EL380-EL386. [PMID: 22225130 DOI: 10.1121/1.3653546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Infant-directed speech (IDS) is believed to facilitate language learning. However, the benefit may be either due to clearer acoustic correlates to linguistic structures, or simply increased attention from infants induced by IDS exaggerated prosody. This study investigated the pure effect of IDS pitch on lexical tone learning, with attentional/affective factors removed by using artificial neural networks. Following training with the pitch of Mandarin tones in IDS versus adult-directed speech, the networks yielded equal tonal categorization for both registers. IDS pitch produced no additional linguistic support. IDS pitch appears to strictly play the non-linguistic role of attention/affect, which may indirectly benefit learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Gauthier
- Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal, Québec, H1E 1A4, Canada.
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Beauchamp MS, Beurlot MR, Fava E, Nath AR, Parikh NA, Saad ZS, Bortfeld H, Oghalai JS. The developmental trajectory of brain-scalp distance from birth through childhood: implications for functional neuroimaging. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24981. [PMID: 21957470 PMCID: PMC3177859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Measurements of human brain function in children are of increasing interest in cognitive neuroscience. Many techniques for brain mapping used in children, including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), use probes placed on or near the scalp. The distance between the scalp and the brain is a key variable for these techniques because optical, electrical and magnetic signals are attenuated by distance. However, little is known about how scalp-brain distance differs between different cortical regions in children or how it changes with development. We investigated scalp-brain distance in 71 children, from newborn to age 12 years, using structural T1-weighted MRI scans of the whole head. Three-dimensional reconstructions were created from the scalp surface to allow for accurate calculation of brain-scalp distance. Nine brain landmarks in different cortical regions were manually selected in each subject based on the published fNIRS literature. Significant effects were found for age, cortical region and hemisphere. Brain-scalp distances were lowest in young children, and increased with age to up to double the newborn distance. There were also dramatic differences between brain regions, with up to 50% differences between landmarks. In frontal and temporal regions, scalp-brain distances were significantly greater in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere. The largest contributors to developmental changes in brain-scalp distance were increases in the corticospinal fluid (CSF) and inner table of the cranium. These results have important implications for functional imaging studies of children: age and brain-region related differences in fNIRS signals could be due to the confounding factor of brain-scalp distance and not true differences in brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Beauchamp
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America.
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Naoi N, Minagawa-Kawai Y, Kobayashi A, Takeuchi K, Nakamura K, Yamamoto JI, Kojima S. Cerebral responses to infant-directed speech and the effect of talker familiarity. Neuroimage 2011; 59:1735-44. [PMID: 21867764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.07.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Revised: 06/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of behavioral studies suggest that infant-directed speech (IDS) plays a more important role in facilitating both: a) speech perception, and b) adult-infant social interactions than does adult-directed speech (ADS), and hence that IDS contributes to subsequent social and language development. However neural substrates that may underlie these IDS functions have not been examined. The present study examined cerebral hemodynamic responses to IDS in 48 infants (4-13 months of age) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Japanese sentences uttered by the infants' own mothers and by unfamiliar mothers were used to record activations in temporal and frontal area separately. Increased activations were observed predominantly in infants' left and right temporal areas when they listened to IDS rather than to ADS when both involved voices of their own and unfamiliar mothers. In contrast, significantly greater activations were observed in the frontal area when infants listened to IDS produced by their own mothers, not when IDS arose from unfamiliar mothers. Furthermore, the present results indicate that responses to IDS do vary as a function of the infant's age and the talker familiarity. These findings suggest a differential function for frontal and temporal areas in processing infant-directed speech by the different speakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Naoi
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, 2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345, Japan.
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Fava E, Hull R, Bortfeld H. Linking behavioral and neurophysiological indicators of perceptual tuning to language. Front Psychol 2011; 2:174. [PMID: 21866226 PMCID: PMC3149679 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the neural mechanisms that underlie tuning to the native language(s) in early infancy. Here we review language tuning through the lens of type and amount of language experience and introduce a new manner in which to conceptualize the phenomenon of language tuning: the relative speed of tuning hypothesis. This hypothesis has as its goal a characterization of the unique time course of the tuning process, given the different components (e.g., phonology, prosody, syntax, semantics) of one or more languages as they become available to infants, and biologically based maturational constraints. In this review, we first examine the established behavioral findings and integrate more recent neurophysiological data on neonatal development, which together demonstrate evidence of early language tuning given differential language exposure even in utero. Next, we examine traditional accounts of sensitive and critical periods to determine how these constructs complement current data on the neural mechanisms underlying language tuning. We then synthesize the extant infant behavioral and neurophysiological data on monolingual, bilingual, and sensory deprived tuning, thereby scrutinizing the effect of these three different language profiles on the specific timing, progression, and outcome of language tuning. Finally, we discuss future directions researchers might pursue to further understand this aspect of language development, advocating our relative speed of tuning hypothesis as a useful framework for conceptualizing the complex process by which language experience works together with biological constraints to shape language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eswen Fava
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX, USA
| | - Rachel Hull
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX, USA
| | - Heather Bortfeld
- Department of Psychology, University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT, USA
- Child Language Studies, Haskins LaboratoriesNew Haven, CT, USA
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Wagner JB, Fox SE, Tager-Flusberg H, Nelson CA. Neural processing of repetition and non-repetition grammars in 7- and 9-month-old infants. Front Psychol 2011; 2:168. [PMID: 21811483 PMCID: PMC3144465 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
An essential aspect of infant language development involves the extraction of meaningful information from a continuous stream of auditory input. Studies have identified early abilities to differentiate auditory input along various dimensions, including the presence or absence of structural regularities. In newborn infants, frontal and temporal regions were found to respond differentially to these regularities (Gervain et al., 2008), and in order to examine the development of this abstract rule learning we presented 7- and 9-month-old infants with syllables containing an ABB pattern (e.g., “balolo”) or an ABC pattern (e.g., “baloti”) and measured activity in left and right lateral brain regions using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). While prior newborn work found increases in oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) activity in response to ABB blocks as compared to ABC blocks in anterior regions, 7- and 9-month-olds showed no differentiation between grammars in oxyHb. However, changes in deoxyhemoglobin (deoxyHb) pointed to a developmental shift, whereby 7-month-olds showed deoxyHb responding significantly different from zero for ABB blocks, but not ABC blocks, and 9-month-olds showed the opposite pattern, with deoxyHb responding significantly different from zero for the ABC blocks but not the ABB blocks. DeoxyHb responses were more pronounced over anterior regions. A grammar by time interaction also illustrated that during the early blocks, deoxyHb was significantly greater to ABC than in later blocks, but there was no change in ABB activation over time. The shift from stronger activation to ABB in newborns (Gervain et al., 2008) and 7-month-olds in the present study to stronger activation to ABC by 9-month-olds here is discussed in terms of changes in stimulus salience and novelty preference over the first year of life. The present discussion also highlights the importance of future work exploring the coupling between oxyHb and deoxyHb activation in infant NIRS studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B Wagner
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
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