Exposure to linguistic labels during childhood modulates the neural architecture of race categorical perception

Abstract

Perceptually categorizing a face to its racial belonging may have important consequences on interacting with people. However, race categorical perception (CP) has been scarcely investigated nor its developmental pathway. In this study, we tested the neurolinguistics rewiring hypothesis, stating that language acquisition modulates the brain processing of social perceptual categories. Accordingly, we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of race CP in a group of adults and children between 3 and 5 years of age. For both groups we found a greater modulation of the N400 connected with the processing of between category boundaries (i.e., faces belonging to different race groups) than within-category boundaries (i.e., different faces belonging to the same race group). This effect was the same in both adults and children, as shown by the comparable between-group amplitude of the differential wave (DW) elicited by the between-category faces. Remarkably, this effect was positively correlated with racial-labels acquisition, but not with age, in children. Finally, brain source analysis revealed the activation of a more modularized cortical network in adults than in children, with unique activation of the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), which are areas connected to language processing. These are the first results accounting for an effect of language in rewiring brain connectedness when processing racial categories.

Play Montage to Improve The Intelligence of The Early Children's Language

“…Research by Nur Ihsan Hali (2017) in this study is a literature review research that explains about literary learning for children's language and speech intelligence, in this study the learning result can be designed through 5 learning components. Research by Susanna Timeo, et al (2019) this study explains that children's linguistics influences children's race and social class. Research by Silvia Ortiz Mantilla, et al (2019) this study discusses the differences between normal children and children with autism against children's language, the results obtained from this study are children with autism have less vocabulary compared with normal children.…”

Neural timing of the other‐race effect across the lifespan: A review

“…A face race sensitivity was found for the P100, considered as an index of low‐level stimulus processing and attention, and for the N400, an index of semantic categorization for face stimuli (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011). Despite the investigation (Anzures et al, 2022; Timeo, Mento, et al, 2019), no modulation as a function of race was found for the N170, sensitive to face stimuli from childhood on (Kuefner et al, 2010). Thus, this latter will not be discussed further.…”

“…It is a mid‐latency negative going deflection, peaking between 200 and 600 ms following stimulus onset (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011) over centro‐pariental and frontal sites. Some evidence exists for a face race sensitivity of the N400, in the form of larger N400 amplitude to racially incongruent than racially congruent pairs of faces (Timeo, Mento, et al, 2019). The effect was found in Caucasian 3‐ and 5‐year‐olds and Caucasian adults as they watched a centrally‐ displayed video while face pairs appeared bilaterally.…”

“…Second, we found a scarcity of investigation in the developmental population. So far, few studies were conducted in infants (Balas et al, 2011; Vogel et al, 2012) and children (Anzures et al, 2022; Timeo, Mento, et al, 2019). ERP studies in this population are particularly important because they allow to understand the onset and development of processing differences between own‐race and other‐race faces.…”

Challenges and new perspectives of developmental cognitive EEG studies

“…In particular, electro-encephalographic recordings (EEG) applied to developmental research represent an irreplaceable source of knowledge to understand the temporal dynamics of brain activity and, consequently, the timing of cognitive processes in typical and atypical populations. Noteworthy, under specific technical and methodological conditions, EEG can provide reliable spatial information about the neural generators underlying scalp-level activity in infants Richard, 2005 , 2009 ;Reynolds et al, 2010 ) and children ( Bathelt et al, 2014 ;Timeo et al, 2019 ). Further, EEG is an essential tool for studying brain activity in newborns (0 to 1 month old), infants (2 to 24 months old), and very young children (2 to 4 years old) because it presents undeniable advantages compared to other neuroimaging techniques.…”