Acquiring language with a cochlear implant: The role of sequential learning

描述(由申请人提供)：人工耳蜗植入领域取得进展的一个关键障碍是理解学习和记忆的基本机制在语言结果中所起的作用。长期目标是更好地理解和帮助治疗许多植入人工耳蜗术的聋儿表现出的语言延迟。这一研究项目的总体目标是从认知序列学习能力的潜在困难的角度来理解这一人群中的语言延迟。我们的中心假设是，这些儿童的语言延迟部分是由于顺序学习的干扰造成的--由于发育早期的听觉和/或语言剥夺--通过加强顺序学习，语言功能可以得到改善。提出这项研究的理由是，我们预计，在本项目结束时，不仅确定了这一人群语言延迟的主要原因，而且还制定了一种新的、有希望的干预措施，专门针对顺序学习技能的发展。我们计划检验这一中心假说，并通过以下三个具体目标来实现这一应用的目标：1)确定先天性耳聋对顺序学习的神经机制的影响；2)确定顺序学习技能与语言结果之间的关系；3)通过提高顺序学习能力来改善植入人工耳蜗者的语言结果。对于第一个目标，我们将比较耳聋儿童和年龄匹配的听力正常儿童的视觉顺序学习的神经生理学(事件相关电位，ERP)相关性。对于第二个目标，我们将比较听力正常组和聋人组在语言处理方面的两项指标，这两项指标被认为依赖于排序技能--单词可预测性和句法知识--然后从经验上确定它们与顺序学习能力的关联。对于第三个目标，植入人工耳蜗的聋儿将接受计算机化的视觉序列训练方案；通过比较训练组和对照组未受过训练的学习和语言测量来评估训练和迁移效果。在我们看来，这项拟议的研究是创新的，因为它提供了一种完全不同的方法，专注于非听觉的、领域通用的学习能力，这些能力在以前对这一群体的研究中被忽视了。这项拟议的研究项目的贡献有望证明，对顺序学习能力的干扰解释了为什么许多植入人工耳蜗的聋儿在获得语言方面遇到了困难。此外，我们期望透过电脑化训练技术加强这些学习能力，从而改善语言和沟通功能。这一贡献将是重大的，因为它有可能改善数以千计的聋哑儿童的生活质量，由于基础和关键的学习能力存在困难，目前他们从植入物中获得的好处最少。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A critical barrier to progress in the field of cochlear implantation understands the role that fundamental mechanisms of learning and memory play in language outcomes. The long-term goal is to better understand and help treat the language delays exhibited by many deaf children with cochlear implants. The overall objective of this particular research project is to understand language delays in this population in terms of difficulties with underlying cognitive sequence learning abilities. Our central hypothesis is that language delays in these children are caused in part by disturbances to sequential learning- due to auditory and/or linguistic deprivation early in development -- and that by enhancing sequential learning, language function can be improved. The rationale that motivates the proposed research is that we expect at the conclusion of this project to have not only identified a major cause of language delays in this population but to also have formulated a new and promising intervention that specifically targets the development of sequential learning skills. We plan to test the central hypothesis and attain the objective of this application by pursuing the following three specific aims: 1) Determine the effects that congenital deafness has on the neural mechanisms of sequential learning; 2) Identify the relation between sequential learning skill and language outcomes; 3) Improve language outcomes in deaf children with cochlear implants by enhancing sequential learning abilities. For the first aim, we will compare the neurophysiologic (event-related potential, ERP) correlates of visual sequential learning in deaf children with cochlear implants to those of age-matched normal-hearing children. For the second aim, we will compare normal-hearing and deaf groups on two measures of language processing that are thought to rely on sequencing skills -- knowledge of word predictability and syntax -- and then empirically determine the association with sequential learning abilities. For the third aim, deaf children with cochlear implants will receive a computerized visual sequence training regimen; training and transfer effects will be assessed by comparing the training group to a control group on non-trained measures of learning and language. The proposed research is innovative, in our opinion, because it offers an entirely different approach that focuses on non- auditory, domain-general learning abilities that have been neglected in previous research with this population. The contribution of the proposed research project is expected to be the demonstration that disturbances to sequential learning abilities explain why many deaf children with cochlear implants struggle with acquiring language. Furthermore, we expect that by enhancing these learning abilities through computerized training techniques, language and communication function can be improved. This contribution will be significant because it has the potential to improve the quality of life for thousands of deaf children who currently exhibit minimum benefit from their implants because of difficulties with fundamental and crucial learning abilities.