19 research outputs found
The Relationship of Verbal and Non-verbal Stroop Tests to Language Ability in Monolingual and Bilingual Adults
Am I Being Watched? The Hawthorne Effect Modulates Neural Responses in a Sequential Learning Task
Concurrent Learning of Adjacent and Nonadjacent Dependencies in Visuo-Spatial and Visuo-Verbal Sequences
Both adjacent and non-adjacent dependencies (AD and NAD) are present in natural language and other domains, yet the learning of non-adjacent sequential dependencies generally only occurs under favorable circumstances. It is currently unknown to what extent adults can learn AD and NAD, presented concurrently in spatial and verbal sequences during a single session, and whether a second session improves performance. In addition, the relationship between AD and NAD learning and other theoretically related cognitive and language processes has not yet been fully established. In this study, participants reproduced two types of sequences generated from an artificial grammar: visuo-spatial sequences with stimuli presented in four spatial locations, and visuo-verbal sequences with printed syllables. Participants were tested for incidental learning by reproducing novel sequences, half consistent with the grammar and half containing violations of either AD or NAD. The procedure was repeated on a second day. Results showed that both AD and NAD were learned in both visuo-spatial and visuo-verbal tasks, although AD learning was better than NAD and learning of NAD decreased over time. Furthermore, NAD learning for both spatial and verbal tasks was positively correlated with a language measure, whereas AD learning for both spatial and verbal tasks was negatively associated with working memory measures in the opposite domain. These results demonstrate that adults can learn both AD and NAD within a single session, but NAD learning is more easily disrupted than AD and both types of learning are sub-served by partially distinct cognitive processes. These findings increase our understanding of the processes governing the learning of AD and NAD in verbal and spatial domains
The Double-Edged Sword of Selective Attention: A Developmental Shift in the Relationship Between Statistical Learning, Executive Function, and Language Ability in Children
How statistical learning interacts with the socioeconomic environment to shape children’s language development
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Developmental Shift in the Relationship Between Sequential Learning, ExecutiveFunction, and Language Ability as Revealed by Event-Related Potentials
Previous research has shown a link between sequentiallearning (SL) and language as well as links between executivefunction (EF) and both language and SL. However, littleresearch has focused on both the development of therelationship between these factors and their neurologicalunderpinnings. Here we report a study of the event-relatedpotential (ERP) correlates of SL and behavioral measures oflanguage and EF in a sample of 7-12-year-old children.Results revealed that both SL and EF had independentassociations with language development but that thecontribution that both made toward language developmentshifted dramatically between the ages of 7 to 11-12 years. Theresults furthermore suggest that this developmental shift maybe due in part to the maturation of EF abilities and changesdue to neural entrenchment and commitment as aconsequence of language acquisition