Prediction and learning in the infant brain: From auditory perception to social interaction

在这个世界上运作需要我们不断地预测未来——预计会发生什么以及何时发生，以便及时准备最佳的反应。例如，我们的祖先需要预测捕食者或猎物下一步会在何时何地出现，以便在正确的时间出现在正确的地方。言语的音素和音乐的音符在急流中出现，一旦发出，就消失了。将这些数据流实时地解码并组织成有意义的单位，如单词和短语，依赖于预测和错误监控。对成年人的研究表明，大脑会不断预测接下来会听到什么声音，并将预测结果与实际发生的情况进行比较。预测状态和实际状态之间的不匹配会产生误差信号，这些误差信号可以用脑电图（EEG）来测量。预测错误吸引注意力，并导致学习，以最大限度地减少未来的预测错误。******提出的研究重点是婴儿期预测过程的发展以及它们如何塑造发展。第1部分中的研究考察了预测编码（预期是什么）和预测计时（何时预期）的发展。预测编码将通过脑电图对音调序列中偶尔遗漏的反应来测量，比较可预测的遗漏和不可预测的遗漏。预计预测编码将在出生后的第一年得到改善。预测计时将与节奏序列一起研究，因为它们的规律性可以预测下一个节拍的时间。我们将研究受节奏性刺激影响的振荡性大脑反应的发展，以及增强的神经干扰（良好的时间预测）是否会导致对声音的感知增强。其他的问题包括婴儿是否会对听觉和触觉刺激的同时流形成多感官预测，以及预测性学习是否会通过与成年人的积极接触而得到加强。******第二部分的研究考察了母亲和婴儿之间人际互动的预测。父母和婴儿之间的互动协调被认为与最佳的社会、情感和认知发展有关。在成年人中，非语言交流体现在潜意识的动作同步以及一个人的行为对另一个人未来行为的影响。在这里，我们使用动作捕捉和数学模型来测量父母和婴儿之间的动作协调，以及它与压力、自主神经系统功能和早期语言发展的关系。******预测处理是感知、认知、学习和社会发展的基础。例如，了解它在典型人群中的发展可能会导致早期识别有学习障碍风险的婴儿，并对患有产后抑郁症的母亲进行干预，这些母亲有可能与婴儿进行不良的社交互动

Functioning in the world requires that we continually predict the futurewhat is expected to happen as well as whenin order to prepare timely optimal responses. For example, our ancestors needed to predict where and when a predator or prey would go next to be in the right place at the right time. The phonemes of speech and the notes of music occur in rapid streams and, once sounded, are gone. Deciphering and organizing such streams in real time into meaningful units such as words and phrases relies on prediction and error monitoring. Studies in adults indicate that the brain continually predicts what sounds it expects next and compares its predictions with what actually happens. Mismatches between predicted and actual states generate error signals that can be measured with electroencephalography (EEG). Predictive errors engage attention and lead to learning that minimizes future prediction errors. ******The proposed research focuses on the development of predictive processes in infancy and how they shape development. The studies in Part 1 examine the development of predictive coding (what is expected) and predictive timing (when it is expected). Predictive coding will be measured with EEG responses to the occasional omission of tones in a sequence of tones, comparing omissions that are predictable to omissions that are not predictable. It is expected that predictive coding will improve over the first year after birth. Predictive timing will be studied with rhythmic sequences, as their regularity enables prediction of when the next beats are expected. The development of oscillatory brain responses entrained to the tempo of the rhythmic stimuli will be examined, and whether enhanced neural entrainment (good timing prediction) leads to enhanced perception the sounds. Additional questions include whether infants form multisensory predictions for concurrent streams of auditory and touch stimuli and whether predictive learning is enhanced by active engagement with an adult. ******The studies in Part 2 examine prediction in interpersonal interactions between mothers and infants. Interactive coordination between parents and infants is thought relate to optimal social, emotional and cognitive development. In adults, nonverbal communication is reflected in subconscious synchronization of movements and the influence of one person's actions on the future actions of the other. Here we use motion capture and mathematical models to measure movement coordination between parents and infants and how it relates to stress, autonomic nervous system function and early language development.******Predictive processing is fundamental to perception, cognition, learning and social development. Understanding its development in typical populations could lead, for example, to early identification of infants at risk for learning disabilities, and interventions with mothers suffering post partum depression who are at risk for poor social interaction with their infant.**