Does early object exploration support gesture and language development in extremely preterm infants and full-term infants?

Background: An increasing body of research on typically and atypically developing infants has shown that motor skills play an important role in language development. To date, however, the role of specific object exploration skills for early gesture and vocabulary development has not been investigated in extremely low gestational age infants (ELGA, GA < 28 weeks), who are at greater risk for motor and language delays than full-term (FT) infants. Purpose: This longitudinal study examined relations between 6-month active exploratory behaviors and 12- month word comprehension, gestures and vocal production, controlling for cognitive performance and neonatal condition (ELGA vs FT). Methods: Forty infants, 20 ELGA and 20 FT, and their mothers participated in the study. Mother-infant play interaction was video-recorded at 6 and 12 months. Oral and manual object exploration at 6 months and spontaneous gestures and vocal production at 12 months were coded. Word comprehension was evaluated with the Italian version of the MacArthur-Bates CDI parent questionnaire at 12 months. Cognitive performance was examined with the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales at 6 months and the Bayley-III Scales at 12 months. Results: Regression analyses showed that after accounting for cognitive performance and neonatal condition, oral exploration was related to word comprehension, and manual exploration to gestures and vocal production in the overall sample. Conclusions: Cascading effects of specific object exploration skills on gestures and language comprehension and production in preterm infants and FT infants are discussed. Clinical implications for early assessment of and interventions involving object exploration skills, which may affect language development, are considered for the preterm population

Computational and Robotic Models of Early Language Development: A Review

We review computational and robotics models of early language learning and development. We first explain why and how these models are used to understand better how children learn language. We argue that they provide concrete theories of language learning as a complex dynamic system, complementing traditional methods in psychology and linguistics. We review different modeling formalisms, grounded in techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence such as Bayesian and neural network approaches. We then discuss their role in understanding several key mechanisms of language development: cross-situational statistical learning, embodiment, situated social interaction, intrinsically motivated learning, and cultural evolution. We conclude by discussing future challenges for research, including modeling of large-scale empirical data about language acquisition in real-world environments. Keywords: Early language learning, Computational and robotic models, machine learning, development, embodiment, social interaction, intrinsic motivation, self-organization, dynamical systems, complexity.Comment: to appear in International Handbook on Language Development, ed. J. Horst and J. von Koss Torkildsen, Routledg

Spring School on Language, Music, and Cognition: Organizing Events in Time

The interdisciplinary spring school “Language, music, and cognition: Organizing events in time” was held from February 26 to March 2, 2018 at the Institute of Musicology of the University of Cologne. Language, speech, and music as events in time were explored from different perspectives including evolutionary biology, social cognition, developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience of speech, language, and communication, as well as computational and biological approaches to language and music. There were 10 lectures, 4 workshops, and 1 student poster session. Overall, the spring school investigated language and music as neurocognitive systems and focused on a mechanistic approach exploring the neural substrates underlying musical, linguistic, social, and emotional processes and behaviors. In particular, researchers approached questions concerning cognitive processes, computational procedures, and neural mechanisms underlying the temporal organization of language and music, mainly from two perspectives: one was concerned with syntax or structural representations of language and music as neurocognitive systems (i.e., an intrapersonal perspective), while the other emphasized social interaction and emotions in their communicative function (i.e., an interpersonal perspective). The spring school not only acted as a platform for knowledge transfer and exchange but also generated a number of important research questions as challenges for future investigations

A comparative developmental approach to multimodal communication in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Studying how communication of our closest relatives, the great-apes, develops can inform our understanding of the socio-ecological drivers shaping language evolution. However, despite a now recognized ability of great apes to produce multimodal signal combinations, a key feature of human language, we lack knowledge about when or how this ability manifests throughout ontogeny. In this thesis, I aimed to address this issue by examining the development of multimodal signal combinations (also referred to as multimodal combinations) in chimpanzees. To establish an ontogenetic trajectory of combinatorial signalling, my first empirical study examined age and context related variation in the production of multimodal combinations in relation to unimodal signals. Results showed that older individuals used multimodal combinations at significantly higher frequencies than younger individuals although the unimodal signalling remained dominant. In addition, I found a strong influence of playful and aggressive contexts on multimodal communication, supporting previous suggestions that combinations function to disambiguate messages in high-stakes interactions. Subsequently, I looked at influences in the social environment which may contribute to patterns of communication development. I turned first to the mother-infant relationship which characterises early infancy before moving onto interactive behaviour in the wider social environment and the role of multimodal combinations in communicative interactions. Results indicate that mothers support the development of communicative signalling in their infants, transitioning from more action-based to signalling behaviours with infant age. Furthermore, mothers responded more to communicative signals than physical actions overall, which may help young chimpanzees develop effective communication skills. Within the wider community, I found that interacting with a wider number of individuals positively influenced multimodal combination production. Moreover, in contrast to the literature surrounding unimodal signals, these multimodal signals appeared highly contextually specific. Finally, I found that within communicative interactions, young chimpanzees showed increasing awareness of recipient visual orientation with age, producing multimodal combinations most often when the holistic signal could be received. Moreover, multimodal combinations were more effective in soliciting recipient responses and satisfactory interactional outcomes irrespective of age. Overall, these findings highlight the relevance of studying ape communication development from a multimodal perspective and provide new evidence of developmental patterns that echo those seen in humans, while simultaneously highlighting important species differences. Multimodal communication development appears to be influenced by varying socio-environmental factors including the context and patterns of communicative interaction

Introduction: The Third International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics

This paper summarizes the paper and poster contributions to the Third International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics. The focus of this workshop is on the cross-disciplinary interaction of developmental psychology and robotics. Namely, the general goal in this area is to create robotic models of the psychological development of various behaviors. The term "epigenetic" is used in much the same sense as the term "developmental" and while we could call our topic "developmental robotics", developmental robotics can be seen as having a broader interdisciplinary emphasis. Our focus in this workshop is on the interaction of developmental psychology and robotics and we use the phrase "epigenetic robotics" to capture this focus

Imitation, mirror neurons and autism

Various deficits in the cognitive functioning of people with autism have been documented in recent years but these provide only partial explanations for the condition. We focus instead on an imitative disturbance involving difficulties both in copying actions and in inhibiting more stereotyped mimicking, such as echolalia. A candidate for the neural basis of this disturbance may be found in a recently discovered class of neurons in frontal cortex, 'mirror neurons' (MNs). These neurons show activity in relation both to specific actions performed by self and matching actions performed by others, providing a potential bridge between minds. MN systems exist in primates without imitative and ‘theory of mind’ abilities and we suggest that in order for them to have become utilized to perform social cognitive functions, sophisticated cortical neuronal systems have evolved in which MNs function as key elements. Early developmental failures of MN systems are likely to result in a consequent cascade of developmental impairments characterised by the clinical syndrome of autism

Speech articulation in children with Williams syndrome or 7q11.23 duplication syndrome.

Williams syndrome (WS) and 7q11.23 duplication syndrome (Dup7) are associated with communication disorders (Huffman et al., 2013). However, articulatory accuracy has not been systematically examined in these populations. The dissertation involved two studies. Using standardized citation assessment, Study 1 addressed articulatory accuracy with regard to age norms and differences between groups. Results indicated that for both groups, (a) consonant accuracy was significantly below expectations, (b) older children pronounced consonants with significantly better accuracy than younger children, (c) children with IQs at or above 70 earned significantly higher articulation standard scores, and (d) for particular groups of consonant sounds, arranged as a function of features of articulation, significant differences were found across consonant groups for (c.1) expected period of acquisition in development, (c.2) articulatory place of production, (c.3) articulatory manner of production, and (c.4) movement transition across consonants within clusters. Study 2 addressed variance relations among speech articulatory accuracy, phonological processing, and particular cognitive and linguistic measures. Articulatory accuracy was shown moderately, to strongly, related to each study variable. For the children with WS, articulatory accuracy contributed unique variance to phonological processing beyond that contributed by verbal short-term memory, spatial ability, and the combined factor of lexical understanding and use. Overall, the results showed children in both groups were significant delayed in consonantal development. Patterns of articulatory accuracy did not differ greatly from those of younger, typically developing children. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated positive relations among articulatory accuracy, phonological processing, intellectual abilities, and vocabulary abilities for children with these syndromes

Phonological development in toddlers with Down syndrome and mixed-etiology developmental delays

Consonant inventory and syllable complexity measures were taken at two points from 50 children with developmental delays. Twenty-six children had Down syndrome (DS). Canonical and noncanonical words and utterances, and the initial- and final-consonant inventory were coded during two 15-minute videotaped conversational samples with a parent at two points in time, 18 months apart. For all measures at Time 1 (age ~25 months), the children with DS performed equally well or better than their peers without DS. The reverse was true for all measures at Time 2 (~ 43 months). Phonological skills in young children with DS are delayed beyond the level predictable by mental age during early lexical development. A clear relationship between slow phonological growth and slow lexical growth at the period of "first word" acquisition was established for children with DS