Effects of Face Masks on Word Learning in Preschool-Age Children

项目摘要 当语音质量较低时，儿童从口语中理解和学习的能力就会下降。这可以 尤其是在学龄前，当孩子们的词汇的唯一来源是 通过口语，当孩子们建立起对未来至关重要的基础词汇知识时， 阅读和学术成就。在教育环境中，包括在学前教育中使用口罩， 减缓COVID-19传播的努力给儿童所需的高保真语音输入带来了障碍。 具体地说，面罩通过限制对必要的高频语音声音的访问来声学过滤语音。 为了准确的语音感知（例如，cheese中的/ch/和/s/。此外，一些口罩限制 获得视觉语言提示。尽管学龄前儿童经常被要求解决退化的语言问题， 由于自然环境中的背景噪音，他们的言语感知不如 大一点的孩子会受到这些操纵。一个强大的文献表明，退化的语音都扰乱了 识别口语以及税收的认知过程，如注意力和工作记忆， 是词汇学习的基础因此，长期接触使用口罩的谈话者可能会产生障碍 学龄前儿童的词汇发展，这可能会导致负面的下游后果 未来的语言发展。本研究的目的是测试口罩对 学龄前儿童的单词学习。我们假设听觉和视觉接触的减少 由于目标说话者使用的掩模而导致的语音分量将导致较差的单词学习。为了验证这一 假设，4至6岁的儿童将在不同的条件下学习单词， 语音信号的声学保真度（目标1.1）和基于目标使用的面罩获得视觉语音提示 谈话者（目标1.2）。尽管透明面罩的可用性允许获得视觉语音提示，但它们可能导致 更好的声音过滤测试声音保真度和可视语音可用性之间的潜在权衡 提示，我们还将测试面具类型的影响（目标1.3）：我们将比较儿童的单词学习之间的 一次性医用口罩，具有中等的声音过滤，但限制了对视觉语音提示的访问， ClearMask®具有显著的声学过滤，但提供对视觉语音提示的访问。最后我们将 确定个体因素，如词汇量和口头工作记忆技能， 影响儿童在这些条件下的表现（目标2）。通过实现这些目标， 确定口罩如何影响学龄前儿童的单词学习，并将确定哪些儿童是 当使用口罩时，大多数人都有词汇发展不良的风险。更广泛地说，结果将显示 高保真语音信号的中断如何改变儿童形成新语音的能力 表示。这项工作符合儿童发展和行为分支的研究重点， 因为词汇的发展对长期的语言和学术发展至关重要。

Project Summary Children’s ability to understand and learn from spoken language declines when speech quality is low. This can be particularly problematic during the preschool years, a time when children’s sole source of vocabulary is through spoken language and when children build foundational vocabulary knowledge that is essential for future reading and academic achievement. The use of face masks in educational settings, including preschools, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 introduces a barrier to the high-fidelity speech input that children need. Specifically, face masks acoustically filter speech by limiting access to high frequency speech sounds necessary for accurate speech perception (e.g., the /ch/ and /s/ in the word “cheese”). Furthermore, some face masks limit access to visual speech cues. Although preschool children are frequently tasked with resolving degraded speech due to background noise in their naturalistic environments, their speech perception is less resilient than that of older children to these manipulations. A robust literature demonstrates that degraded speech both disrupts the recognition of spoken words as well as taxes cognitive processes, such as attention and working memory, that are fundamental to word learning. Thus, chronic exposure to talkers who use face masks may create a barrier to vocabulary development in preschool-age children, which may lead to negative downstream consequences on their future language development. The purpose of the present study is to test the effect of face masks on word learning in preschool-age children. We hypothesize that reduced access to the acoustic and visual components of speech due to mask use by the target talker will result in poorer word learning. To test this hypothesis, children between 4 and 6 years of age will be taught words across conditions that vary in both the acoustic fidelity of the speech signal (Aim 1.1) and access to visual speech cues based on mask use by a target talker (Aim 1.2). Although the availability of clear masks allows access to visual speech cues, they can cause greater acoustic filtering. To test the potential trade-off between acoustic fidelity and availability of visual speech cues, we will also test the effect of mask type (Aim 1.3): we will compare children’s word learning between a disposable medical mask that has moderate acoustic filtering but limits access to visual speech cues and a ClearMask® that has significant acoustic filtering but provides access to visual speech cues. Finally, we will determine the extent to which individual factors, such as vocabulary size and verbal working memory skills, influence children’s performance across these conditions (Aim 2). Through accomplishing these aims, we will determine how face masks affect word learning in preschool-age children and will identify which children are most at risk for poor vocabulary development when face masks are used. More broadly, the results will show how disrupted access to a high-fidelity speech signal alters children’s ability to form new phonological representations. This work aligns with the research priorities of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the NICHD because vocabulary development is critical to long-term language and academic development.