Development of spoken word recognition during early childhood

理解语言是如此自然和容易，以至于它经常感觉语言是以完美的状态提供给我们的。这种感觉证明了我们大脑处理语言的能力。事实上，理解语言是一项非常复杂的任务。语言是多维的、多种多样的，需要数年时间才能学会。非凡的成就发生在婴儿期的早期。在出生的第一年，婴儿就能认出像“手”这样熟悉的单词。这些早期能力的快速发展给人一种印象，即语言完全是通过学校教育开始学习的。然而，语言技能在整个童年时期都在不断发展。语言的许多方面在幕后挑战着我们的大脑。学习者面临的一个挑战是语音中的许多细微变化。说出‘teek’和‘taken’两个词。注意你的嘴巴在不同的位置。这些定位变化导致语音信号中的变化。成年人可以在处理过程中利用这些细微的声音差异，最短可达15毫秒。这些线索也是儿童如何处理语言的一个基本方面；然而，儿童速度较慢，表现出不同的模式。我们对这一原理的理解仅限于少数研究，着眼于狭隘的背景。关于这些技能是如何在童年时期发展起来的，许多问题仍然没有答案。这些基本问题的核心是对什么是语言以及语言是如何学习的问题的回答。这项研究将通过关注儿童如何发展、组织和处理语言的心理表征来考察口语单词识别的发展。它使用眼睛跟踪，因为这种方法具有高度的可靠性和敏感性，使我们能够识别不同年龄、细微声音提示和背景的差异。具体目标是：1)丰富我们对学习者在口语识别过程中如何呈现和处理声音线索的理解；2)探索儿童如何在更大的环境中整合和处理这些线索；3)确定口语识别的发展模式和机制。这些实证研究将回答有关语言发展过程中口语识别这一基本任务的问题，并解决信息学习和处理过程中大脑和思维的基本过程。它们将加深我们对导致复杂和熟练行为的灵活学习机制和基本认知能力的理解。这些发现将引起认知科学和神经科学的研究人员以及相关临床领域的研究人员的兴趣，例如儿科人工耳蜗术。这项研究将在渥太华大学生活实验室进行，并邀请公众在一个社会创新的空间体验“科学在行动”。因此，该计划还将增加获得成果的公平性，提高加拿大人的科学素养，并丰富关于语言发展的公共话语。

Understanding language happens so naturally and easily that it often feels as if words are provided to us in perfect condition. This sensation is a testament to the power of how our brains process language. In actuality, understanding language is a very complex task. Language is multidimensional, variable, and takes years to learn. Remarkable accomplishments take place early in infancy. In the first year of life, infants can recognize familiar words like `hands'. The rapid development of these early abilities gives the impression that language is entirely learned by the onset of schooling. However, language skills continue to develop throughout childhood. Many aspects of language are challenging our brains behind the scenes. One challenge faced by learners are the many subtle variations in speech. Say the words `teek' and `took'. Notice how your mouth is in different positions. These positioning changes cause variations in the speech signal. Adults can exploit these subtle sound differences as short as 15 milliseconds during processing. These cues are also a fundamental aspect of how children process speech; however, children are slower and show different patterns. Our understanding of how this works is limited to a small number of studies, looking at narrow contexts. Many questions remain unanswered as to how these skills develop over childhood. At the core of these fundamental issues are answers to questions about what is language and how is language learned. This research will examine the development of spoken word recognition by focusing on how children develop, organize and process mental representations of language. It uses eye-tracking, given the method's high reliability and sensitivity, enabling us to identify differences across ages, subtle sound cues and contexts. The specific goals are to: 1) Enrich our understanding of how learners represent and process sound cues during spoken word recognition, 2) Explore how children integrate and process these cues within a larger environment, and 3) Identify developmental patterns and mechanisms in spoken word recognition. These empirical studies will bring answers to questions about the fundamental task of spoken word recognition during language development, and they address basic processes of the brain and mind during information learning and processing. They will deepen our understanding of the flexible learning mechanisms and basic cognitive capacities that lead to complex and skilled behaviours. These findings will be of interest to researchers in cognitive and neuroscience, and related clinical fields such as pediatric cochlear implants. This research will be conducted at the uOttawa Living Lab, and the public is invited to experience `science-in-action', in a socially innovative space. Thus, this program will also increase equity in access to outcomes, increase Canadians' scientific literacy, and enrich public discourse on language development.