Neural Entrainment Indexes Statistical Learning in Children
Abstract
Statistical learning is proposed as a mechanism for discovering structural patterns in speech through incidental exposure. However, studies have largely relied on assessing explicit memory after learning has occurred, which does not capture the time course and process of statistical learning per se. To better understand the dynamics of statistical learning, we assessed 8- to 12-year-old children using an EEG measure of learning, which captures changes in neural entrainment to words embedded in a continuous artificial language. Statistical learning was assessed post-learning using implicit and explicit behavioural tests. The neural entrainment results demonstrated rapid learning of word-level information, while post-learning tasks demonstrated syllable prediction and recognition of the trisyllabic words. These results replicate findings in adults and hint to the possibility that children and adults use similar language learning mechanisms. Importantly, this is the first study to demonstrate that neural entrainment is a sensitive indicator of statistical learning in children.