Developmental differences in the influence of phonological similarity on spoken word processing in Mandarin Chinese.

Authors

Jeffrey G Malins, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London N6A 5B7, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven 06511, USA
Danqi Gao, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Ran Tao, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
James R Booth, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston 60208, USA
Hua Shu, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Marc F Joanisse, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London N6A 5B7, CanadaFollow
Li Liu, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaFollow
Amy S Desroches, Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg R3B 2E9, CanadaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2014

Journal

Brain and language

Volume

138

First Page

38

Last Page

50

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1016/j.bandl.2014.09.002

Abstract

The developmental trajectory of spoken word recognition has been well established in Indo-European languages, but to date remains poorly characterized in Mandarin Chinese. In this study, typically developing children (N=17; mean age 10; 5) and adults (N=17; mean age 24) performed a picture-word matching task in Mandarin while we recorded ERPs. Mismatches diverged from expectations in different components of the Mandarin syllable; namely, word-initial phonemes, word-final phonemes, and tone. By comparing responses to different mismatch types, we uncovered evidence suggesting that both children and adults process words incrementally. However, we also observed key developmental differences in how subjects treated onset and rime mismatches. This was taken as evidence for a stronger influence of top-down processing on spoken word recognition in adults compared to children. This work therefore offers an important developmental component to theories of Mandarin spoken word recognition.