Phonetic Skills and Verbal Memory Capacity Predict Phonetic-based Word Learning: An Event-related Potential Study

Abstract

The learning of new words is a challenge that accompanies human beings throughout the entire life span. Although the main electrophysiological markers of word learning have already been described, little is known about the performance-dependent neural machinery underlying this exceptional human faculty. Furthermore, it is currently unknown how word learning abilities are related to verbal memory capacity, auditory attention functions, phonetic discrimination skills, and musicality. Accordingly, we used EEG and examined 40 individuals, who were assigned to two groups (low and high performers [HPs]) based on a median split of word learning performance, while they completed a phonetic-based word learning task. Furthermore, we collected behavioral data during an attentive listening and a phonetic discrimination task with the same stimuli to address relationships between auditory attention and phonetic discrimination skills, word learning performance, and musicality. The phonetic-based word learning task, which also included a nonlearning control condition, was sensitive enough to segregate learning-specific and unspecific N200/N400 manifestations along the anterior–posterior topographical axis. Notably, HPs exhibited enhanced verbal memory capacity and we also revealed a performance-dependent spatial N400 pattern, with maximal amplitudes at posterior electrodes in HPs and central maxima in low performers. Furthermore, phonetic-based word learning performance correlated with verbal memory capacity and phonetic discrimination skills, whereas the latter 1was related to musicality. This experimental approach clearly highlights the multifaceted dimensions of phonetic-based word learning and is helpful to disentangle learning-specific and unspecific ERPs.

Tracking lexical access and code switching in multilingual participants with different degrees of simultaneous interpretation expertise

“…Furthermore, we checked the topographies during the chosen time window to provide further evidence for common neural generators during the entire processing stage of the N400 component. In particular, based on the distribution of the N400 component along the anterior–posterior topographical axis (Figure 1) and in line with previous studies that evaluated the N400 component (Dittinger et al, 2019; Elmer et al, 2021; Erlbeck et al, 2014), mean N400 amplitudes were evaluated at an anterior (F3, Fz and F4), central (C3, Cz and C4) and posterior (P3, Pz and P4) pool of electrodes. Because the results of an additional frontopolar pool did not differ from those of the anterior pool, only the results of the anterior pool are described in more detail below.…”

Foreign speech sound discrimination and associative word learning lead to a fast reconfiguration of resting-state networks

“…Results originating from the evaluation of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) during associative word learning tasks converged on two key findings, namely that novel word learning based on word-referent mapping mechanisms is a fast process ( Borovsky et al, 2010 ;Carey, 1978 ), and that it is generally manifested in a shift of the N200 and N400 components from anterior to central-posterior scalp sites ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). Since different topographies imply the involvement of distinct neural populations, it has been proposed that the anterior N200 component that develops at the beginning of the learning phase potentially reflects phonetic discrimination, whereas the N400 component has been associated with the maintenance of novel information in short-term and working memory ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). In contrast, the learning-dependent displacement of ERP components along the anterior-posterior topographical axis might mirror the incorporation of new word forms into episodic and semantic memory ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ).…”

“…These studies typically used associative word learning tasks relying on word-referent mapping, and consisting of acquiring the meaning of new speech sounds through pictorial representations (word-to-picture mapping) or already known lexical items (word-to-word mapping) in both children ( Dittinger et al, 2017 ;Francois et al, 2017 ;Friedrich and Friederici, 2008 ;Junge et al, 2012 ) and adults ( Bakker et al, 2015 ;Borovsky et al, 2010 ;Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Dobel et al, 2009b ;Francois et al, 2017 ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). Results originating from the evaluation of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) during associative word learning tasks converged on two key findings, namely that novel word learning based on word-referent mapping mechanisms is a fast process ( Borovsky et al, 2010 ;Carey, 1978 ), and that it is generally manifested in a shift of the N200 and N400 components from anterior to central-posterior scalp sites ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). Since different topographies imply the involvement of distinct neural populations, it has been proposed that the anterior N200 component that develops at the beginning of the learning phase potentially reflects phonetic discrimination, whereas the N400 component has been associated with the maintenance of novel information in short-term and working memory ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In recent years, a growing number of electroencephalography (EEG) studies have attempted to non-invasively trace word learning processes in the human brain with a specific focus on the dynamics of brain activity ( Bakker et al, 2015 ;Borovsky et al, 2010 ;Dittinger et al, 2019 ;Dobel et al, 2009a ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Francois et al, 2017 ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). These studies typically used associative word learning tasks relying on word-referent mapping, and consisting of acquiring the meaning of new speech sounds through pictorial representations (word-to-picture mapping) or already known lexical items (word-to-word mapping) in both children ( Dittinger et al, 2017 ;Francois et al, 2017 ;Friedrich and Friederici, 2008 ;Junge et al, 2012 ) and adults ( Bakker et al, 2015 ;Borovsky et al, 2010 ;Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Dobel et al, 2009b ;Francois et al, 2017 ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Since different topographies imply the involvement of distinct neural populations, it has been proposed that the anterior N200 component that develops at the beginning of the learning phase potentially reflects phonetic discrimination, whereas the N400 component has been associated with the maintenance of novel information in short-term and working memory ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ). In contrast, the learning-dependent displacement of ERP components along the anterior-posterior topographical axis might mirror the incorporation of new word forms into episodic and semantic memory ( Dittinger et al, 2016 ;Elmer et al, 2021a ;Ramos-Escobar et al, 2021 ).…”