The role of age and executive function in auditory category learning

Abstract

Auditory categorization is a natural and adaptive process that allows for the organization of highdimensional, continuous acoustic information into discrete representations. Studies in the visual domain have identified a rule-based learning system that learns and reasons via a hypothesistesting process that requires working memory and executive attention. The rule-based learning system in vision shows a protracted development, reflecting the influence of maturing prefrontal function on visual categorization. The aim of the current study is two-fold: (a) to examine the developmental trajectory of rule-based auditory category learning from childhood through adolescence, into early adulthood; and (b) to examine the extent to which individual differences in rule-based category learning relate to individual differences in executive function. Sixty participants with normal hearing, 20 children (age range, 7-12), 21 adolescents (age range, 13-19), and 19 young adults (age range, 20-23), learned to categorize novel dynamic ripple sounds using trial-by-trial feedback. The spectrotemporally modulated ripple sounds are considered the auditory equivalent of the well-studied Gabor patches in the visual domain. Results revealed that auditory categorization accuracy improved with age, with young adults outperforming children and adolescents. Computational modeling analyses indicated that the use of the task-optimal strategy (i.e. a conjunctive rule-based learning strategy) improved with age. Notably, individual differences in executive flexibility significantly predicted auditory category learning success. The current findings demonstrate a protracted development of rule-based auditory categorization. The results further suggest that executive flexibility coupled with perceptual processes play important roles in successful rule-based auditory category learning.

Visual and Auditory Interference Control of Attention in Developmental Dyslexia

“…Selective attention has been found to be a general domain process that contributes to language learning. Specifically, research suggests that the ability to successfully segment (Weiss et al, 2010) or categorize (Reetzke et al, 2016) sounds relies upon executive attention processes. Impaired attention could influence the ability to extract word forms from fluent speech which could in turn lead to a reduced vocabulary and more difficulty in processing lexical items.…”

“…Lehmann and Schönwiesner (2014) demonstrated that endogenous selective attention to speech signals modulates human brainstem response, while Yoncheva, Maurer, Zevin, and McCandliss (2014) showed that selective attention to phonology modulated cortical processing of auditory words. Finally, Reetzke, Maddox, and Chandrasekaran (2016) demonstrated that better executive flexibility as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test resulted in more successful rule-based learning of sound categories.…”

Linguistic Masking Release in School-Age Children and Adults

“…Further research is needed to better understand which aspects of cognitive maturation are important for this type of listening task. For example, children may be less able to inhibit attention to the competing speech, causing overall worse performance; support for this possibility comes from studies of the developmental trajectory of executive function (Reetzke, Maddox, & Chandrasekaran, 2016). It is also possible that children's reduced linguistic experience with the target language reduces their ability to use syntactical cues to improve their overall sentence recognition score.…”

Absence of cross-modality analogical transfer in perceptual categorization

“…The test stimuli were auditory tones that varied in length and pitch. We chose auditory tones as previous work showed successful learning of rule-based and II category structures using these stimuli (Maddox, Ing, & Lauritzen, 2006;Reetzke, Maddox, & Chandrasekaran, 2016;Smith, Johnston, et al, 2014;Yi, Maddox, Mumford, & Chandrasekaran, 2016). Successful analogical transfer required participants to understand that the length and height of the line is analogous to the length and pitch of the tone.…”