Neurocognitive basis of auditory-linguistic rule learning in infancy and adulthood: From rule extraction to memory storage

婴儿期和成年期听觉语言规则学习的神经认知基础：从规则提取到记忆存储

• 批准号: 349971154
• 负责人: Professorin Dr. Jutta Mueller
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Kognitionswissenschaft
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2016-12-31 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/349971154?language=en
• 关键词: Neurocognitive; basis; auditory; linguistic; rule

The proposal suggests to investigate the neurocognitive development of basic language learning mechanisms by utilizing state-of-the art electrophysiological methods to assess auditory artificial language learning in infants and adults. Specifically, it aims to specify the relation between auditory grammar learning and its underlying perceptual code, memory mechanisms and linguistic and cognitive functions. Processing dependencies between distant speech elements is central to human language (e.g. he is singing). Behavioral studies report evidence of learning such so-called non-adjacent dependencies starting from the second year of life. Recent electrophysiological evidence, however, suggests that infants detect grammatical relations between non-adjacent syllables already during their first half year of life and that this ability is related to basic auditory development. Yet, besides this first positive evidence not much is known about the nature of the underlying learning mechanism. The present proposal targets three pressing issues which together target the underlying mechanisms of artificial grammar learning in the wider context of perception, memory and language. First, it is yet unclear which speech elements carry the perceptual code for grammatical learning. Experiments varying the linguistic segments which code the rule will tackle this issue. Second, it is unknown whether and under which conditions the regularities extracted in the first step are stored in long-term memory, a crucial factor for rule learning in natural language acquisition. Experiments introducing a significant delay between learning and testing and varying the factor sleep will approach this question. Third, there is increasing interest in the predictive value of laboratory learning tasks for the explanation of natural language learning and processing as well as cognitive function in general. The experiments assessing interindividual variations in on-line artificial grammar learning will be related to experiments on language processing and to standardized parameters of cognitive function. To address these three questions, the proposal delineates a series of systematic EEG studies focusing on early infancy and adulthood. The main pillar of the project will be the assessment of basic rule learning mechanisms based on a recently proposed modification of the classic oddball-design which provides a reliable measure of the learning of non-adjacent dependencies between elements of speech. The outcome of the project will be a more precise characterization of the neural basis of auditory rule learning and its developmental changes. This will eventually contribute to a better understanding of language learning across the lifespan and provide an informative basis for research on language therapy and teaching. Thus, the project will fill a noticeable gap in basic research, provide excellent training opportunities for students and deliver new insights relevant for applied science.

本研究建议利用最先进的电生理学方法来评估婴儿和成人的听觉人工语言学习，以研究基本语言学习机制的神经认知发展。具体来说，它旨在明确听觉语法学习与其潜在的感知代码、记忆机制以及语言和认知功能之间的关系。处理远距离语音元素之间的依赖关系是人类语言的核心（例如，他在唱歌）。行为研究报告了学习这种所谓的非相邻依赖从生命的第二年开始的证据。然而，最近的电生理学证据表明，婴儿在出生后的头半年就已经发现了非相邻音节之间的语法关系，这种能力与基本的听觉发展有关。然而，除了这第一个积极的证据之外，人们对潜在学习机制的本质知之甚少。目前的建议针对三个紧迫的问题，这些问题共同针对人工语法学习在更广泛的感知、记忆和语言背景下的潜在机制。首先，目前尚不清楚哪些语音元素携带语法学习的感知代码。改变编码规则的语言片段的实验将解决这个问题。其次，第一步提取的规则是否以及在什么条件下存储在长期记忆中是未知的，而长期记忆是自然语言习得中规则学习的关键因素。引入学习和测试之间的显著延迟以及改变睡眠因素的实验将解决这个问题。第三，人们对实验室学习任务在解释自然语言学习和处理以及一般认知功能方面的预测价值越来越感兴趣。评估在线人工语法学习的个体差异的实验将与语言处理实验和认知功能的标准化参数相关。为了解决这三个问题，该提案描述了一系列系统的脑电图研究，重点是早期婴儿和成年期。该项目的主要支柱将是基于最近提出的对经典古怪设计的修改来评估基本规则学习机制，该机制提供了一种可靠的方法来学习语音元素之间的非相邻依赖关系。该项目的结果将是更精确地描述听觉规则学习的神经基础及其发展变化。这将最终有助于更好地理解终身语言学习，并为语言治疗和教学的研究提供信息基础。因此，该项目将填补基础研究的显著空白，为学生提供良好的培训机会，并提供与应用科学相关的新见解。