scholarly journals Impaired Statistical Learning in Developmental Dyslexia

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 934-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafit Gabay ◽  
Erik D. Thiessen ◽  
Lori L. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Sine Wave ◽  
Procedural Learning ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Learning Impairments ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
Statistical Regularities

Purpose Developmental dyslexia (DD) is commonly thought to arise from phonological impairments. However, an emerging perspective is that a more general procedural learning deficit, not specific to phonological processing, may underlie DD. The current study examined if individuals with DD are capable of extracting statistical regularities across sequences of passively experienced speech and nonspeech sounds. Such statistical learning is believed to be domain-general, to draw upon procedural learning systems, and to relate to language outcomes. Method DD and control groups were familiarized with a continuous stream of syllables or sine-wave tones, the ordering of which was defined by high or low transitional probabilities across adjacent stimulus pairs. Participants subsequently judged two 3-stimulus test items with either high or low statistical coherence as being the most similar to the sounds heard during familiarization. Results As with control participants, the DD group was sensitive to the transitional probability structure of the familiarization materials as evidenced by above-chance performance. However, the performance of participants with DD was significantly poorer than controls across linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli. In addition, reading-related measures were significantly correlated with statistical learning performance of both speech and nonspeech material. Conclusion Results are discussed in light of procedural learning impairments among participants with DD.

Prior real-world experience influences non-linguistic statistical learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽  
Ingrid Johnsrude ◽  
Laura Batterink
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Real World ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Pitch Range ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Instrument Measuring ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Context Free ◽  
Specific Learning

Listeners are adept at extracting regularities from the environment, a process known as statistical learning (SL). SL has been generally assumed to be a form of “context-free” learning that occurs independently of prior knowledge, and SL experiments typically involve exposing participants to presumed novel regularities, such as repeating nonsense words. However, recent work has called this assumption into question, demonstrating that learners’ previous language experience can considerably influence SL performance. In the present experiment, we tested whether previous knowledge also shapes SL in a non-linguistic domain, using a paradigm that involves extracting regularities over tone sequences. Participants learned novel tone sequences, which consisted of pitch intervals not typically found in Western music. For one group of participants, the tone sequences used artificial, computerized instrument sounds. For the other group, the same tone sequences used familiar instrument sounds (piano or violin). Knowledge of the statistical regularities was assessed using both trained sounds (measuring specific learning) and sounds that differed in pitch range and/or instrument (measuring transfer learning). In a follow-up experiment, two additional testing sessions were administered to gauge retention of learning (one day and approximately one-week post-training). Compared to artificial instruments, training on sequences played by familiar instruments resulted in reduced correlations among test items, reflecting more idiosyncratic performance. Across all three testing sessions, learning of novel regularities presented with familiar instruments was worse compared to unfamiliar instruments, suggesting that prior exposure to music produced by familiar instruments interfered with new sequence learning. Overall, these results demonstrate that real-world experience influences SL in a non-linguistic domain, supporting the view that SL involves the continuous updating of existing representations, rather than the establishment of entirely novel ones.

Statistical Learning and the Effect of Starting Small in Developmental Dyslexia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dorottya Dobó ◽  
Krisztina Sára Lukics ◽  
Ágnes Szőllősi ◽  
Kornél Németh ◽  
Ágnes Lukács
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Random Order ◽  
Artificial Grammar ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Performance Levels ◽  
Nonsense Syllables

Purpose Impairments in statistical learning abilities of individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD) have been demonstrated in word segmentation and in visual artificial grammar learning (AGL) tasks, but so far, little attention has been devoted to the AGL abilities of this population in the acoustic verbal domain. This study aimed to test whether adolescents with dyslexia have difficulties in extracting abstract patterns from auditory sequences of nonsense syllables based on a finite state grammar relative to typically developing (TD) peers. We also tested whether incremental presentation of stimuli of different lengths (starting small) has a facilitating effect on learning complex structures in dyslexia (and in TD) as opposed to presenting strings in random order. Method Thirty-one adolescents with DD and 31 age-matched control participants completed an AGL task. Participants passively listened to acoustic sequences of nonsense syllables generated by an artificial grammar in the training phase. In the test phase, they were presented with pairs of novel grammatical and nongrammatical sequences and were required to decide which member of a sequence pair was more similar to the material heard during training. Results Performance levels and the proportion of learners were smaller in participants with DD than in the control group. While the starting small effect was nominally present both in performance levels and in the number of learners in participants with DD, but not in the group with TD, the presentation of strings in incremental order did not statistically improve learning performance in either group. Conclusion Our results suggest that (a) statistical learning of abstract sequences in the acoustic domain is less efficient in people with dyslexia than in TD controls and (b) while incremental presentation of stimuli of different length did not improve learning in our study, the observed pattern of results suggests that the effects of different training designs should be explored further in developmental disorders.

scholarly journals When less is more: Enhanced statistical learning of non-adjacent dependencies after disruption of bilateral DLPFC

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géza Gergely Ambrus ◽  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Karolina Janacsek ◽  
Anna B. C. Trimborn ◽  
Gyula Kovács ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Less Is More ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Model Free ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Qualitative Changes

AbstractBrain networks related to human learning can interact in cooperative but also competitive ways to optimize performance. The investigation of such interactive processes is rare in research on learning and memory. Previous studies have shown that manipulations reducing the engagement of prefrontal cortical areas could lead to improved statistical learning performance. However, no study has investigated how disruption of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) affects the acquisition and consolidation of non-adjacent second-order dependencies. The present study aimed to test the role of the DLPFC, more specifically, the Brodmann 9 area in implicit temporal statistical learning of non-adjacent dependencies. We applied 1 Hz inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation or sham stimulation over both the left and right DLPFC intermittently during the learning. The DLPFC-stimulated group showed better performance compared to the sham group after a 24-hour consolidation period. This finding suggests that the disruption of DLPFC during learning induces qualitative changes in the consolidation of non-adjacent statistical regularities. A possible mechanism behind this result is that the stimulation of the DLPFC promotes a shift to model-free learning by weakening the access to model-based processes.

scholarly journals Linguistic entrenchment: prior knowledge impacts statistical learning performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam Siegelman ◽  
Louisa Bogaerts ◽  
Amit Elazar ◽  
Joanne Arciuli ◽  
Ram Frost
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
General Mechanism ◽  
Verbal Tasks ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Fourth Experiment

Statistical Learning (SL) is typically considered to be a domain-general mechanism by which cognitive systems discover the underlying statistical regularities in the input. Recent findings, however, show clear differences in processing regularities across modalities and stimuli as well as low correlations between performance on visual and auditory tasks. Why does a presumably domain-general mechanism show distinct patterns of modality and stimulus specificity? Here we claim that the key to this puzzle lies in the prior knowledge brought upon by learners to the learning task. Specifically, we argue that learners’ already entrenched expectations about speech co-occurrences from their native language impacts what they learn from novel auditory verbal input. In contrast, learners are free of such entrenchment when processing sequences of visual material such as abstract shapes. We present evidence from three experiments supporting this hypothesis by showing that auditory-verbal tasks display distinct item-specific effects resulting in low correlations between test items. In contrast, non-verbal tasks – visual and auditory – show high correlations between items. Importantly, we also show that individual performance in visual and auditory SL tasks that do not implicate prior knowledge regarding co-occurrence of elements, is highly correlated. In a fourth experiment, we present further support for the entrenchment hypothesis by showing that the variance in performance between different stimuli in auditory-verbal statistical learning tasks can be traced back to their resemblance to participants' native language. We discuss the methodological and theoretical implications of these findings, focusing on models of domain generality/specificity of SL.

scholarly journals Functional illiteracy and developmental dyslexia: looking for common roots. A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Réka Vágvölgyi ◽  
Kirstin Bergström ◽  
Aleksandar Bulajić ◽  
Maria Klatte ◽  
Tânia Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Behavioral Profile ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Basic Reading Skills

AbstractA considerable amount of the population in more economically developed countries are functionally illiterate (i.e., low literate). Despite some years of schooling and basic reading skills, these individuals cannot properly read and write and, as a consequence have problems to understand even short texts. An often-discussed approach (Greenberg et al. 1997) assumes weak phonological processing skills coupled with untreated developmental dyslexia as possible causes of functional illiteracy. Although there is some data suggesting commonalities between low literacy and developmental dyslexia, it is still not clear, whether these reflect shared consequences (i.e., cognitive and behavioral profile) or shared causes. The present systematic review aims at exploring the similarities and differences identified in empirical studies investigating both functional illiterate and developmental dyslexic samples. Nine electronic databases were searched in order to identify all quantitative studies published in English or German. Although a broad search strategy and few limitations were applied, only 5 studies have been identified adequate from the resulting 9269 references. The results point to the lack of studies directly comparing functional illiterate with developmental dyslexic samples. Moreover, a huge variance has been identified between the studies in how they approached the concept of functional illiteracy, particularly when it came to critical categories such the applied definition, terminology, criteria for inclusion in the sample, research focus, and outcome measures. The available data highlight the need for more direct comparisons in order to understand what extent functional illiteracy and dyslexia share common characteristics.

The Perception of "Sine-Wave Speech" by Adults With Developmental Dyslexia

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burton S. Rosner ◽  
Joel B. Talcott ◽  
Caroline Witton ◽  
James D. Hogg ◽  
Alexandra J. Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Sine Wave ◽  
Auditory Memory ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Word Position ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Impaired Speech ◽  
Sine Wave Speech

Numerous studies have shown that, as a group, children or adults with developmental dyslexia perceive isolated syllables or words abnormally. Continuous speech containing reduced acoustic information also might prove perceptually difficult to such listeners. They might, however, exploit the intact syntactic and semantic features present in whole utterances, thereby compensating fully for impaired speech perception. "Sine-wave speech" sentences afford a test of these competing possibilities. The sentences contain only 4 frequency-modulated sine waves, lacking many acoustic cues present in natural speech. Adults with and without dyslexia were asked to orally reproduce 9 sine-wave utterances, each occurring in 4 immediately successive trials. Participants with dyslexia reported fewer words than did control listeners. Practice, phonological contrasts, and word position affected both groups similarly. Comprehension of sine-wave sentences seems impaired in many, but not all, adults with dyslexia. A reduced auditory memory capacity may contribute to this deficit.

scholarly journals A free and publicly available stimuli set for statistical learning experiments in language and music

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique T Vuvan ◽  
Erica H Wojcik
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Language And Music ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Segmentation Task ◽  
Current Report ◽  
Validation Experiments

The ability to encode regularities from the environment and abstract these patterns into structured cognitive representations is called statistical learning. Currently, one of the most studied paradigms of statistical learning is a word segmentation task originally introduced in a landmark paper by Saffran, Newport, and Aslin (1996). In this paradigm, participants hear a continuous stream of artificial words without acoustic cues to the boundaries separating the words. Then, they are asked to discriminate between words and non-words in the artificial language. One of the barriers that has impeded research progress using this paradigm is the lack of stimulus standardization. This lack of standardization is inefficient, causing researchers to create new stimuli for each new line of experiments. Furthermore, it makes the comparison of methods and results between different experiments difficult, if not impossible. The goal of the current report is to introduce a publically available stimuli set for language (syllable) and music (tone) segmentation experiments of statistical learning. All stimuli, data, and code associated with the current report are available for download on Open Science Framework, and we report here our validation experiments for both sets of stimuli.

scholarly journals Developmental Dyslexia, Reading Acquisition, and Statistical Learning: A Sceptic’s Guide

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1143
Author(s):  
Xenia Schmalz ◽  
Barbara Treccani ◽  
Claudio Mulatti
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Causal Chain ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Underlying Processes ◽  
Theoretical Issues

Many theories have been put forward that propose that developmental dyslexia is caused by low-level neural, cognitive, or perceptual deficits. For example, statistical learning is a cognitive mechanism that allows the learner to detect a probabilistic pattern in a stream of stimuli and to generalise the knowledge of this pattern to similar stimuli. The link between statistical learning and reading ability is indirect, with intermediate skills, such as knowledge of frequently co-occurring letters, likely being causally dependent on statistical learning skills and, in turn, causing individual variation in reading ability. We discuss theoretical issues regarding what a link between statistical learning and reading ability actually means and review the evidence for such a deficit. We then describe and simulate the “noisy chain hypothesis”, where each intermediary link between a proposed cause and the end-state of reading ability reduces the correlation coefficient between the low-level deficit and the end-state outcome of reading. We draw the following conclusions: (1) Empirically, there is evidence for a correlation between statistical learning ability and reading ability, but there is no evidence to suggest that this relationship is causal, (2) theoretically, focussing on a complete causal chain between a distal cause and developmental dyslexia, rather than the two endpoints of the distal cause and reading ability only, is necessary for understanding the underlying processes, (3) statistically, the indirect nature of the link between statistical learning and reading ability means that the magnitude of the correlation is diluted by other influencing variables, yielding most studies to date underpowered, and (4) practically, it is unclear what can be gained from invoking the concept of statistical learning in teaching children to read.

scholarly journals Statistical learning in domestic chicks is modulated by strain and sex

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Santolin ◽  
Orsola Rosa-Salva ◽  
Bastien S. Lemaire ◽  
Lucia Regolin ◽  
Giorgio Vallortigara
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Automated Tracking ◽  
Domestic Chicks ◽  
Continuous Stream

Abstract Statistical learning is a key mechanism for detecting regularities from a variety of sensory inputs. Precocial newborn domestic chicks provide an excellent model for (1) exploring unsupervised forms of statistical learning in a comparative perspective, and (2) elucidating the ecological function of statistical learning using imprinting procedures. Here we investigated the role of the sex of the chicks in modulating the direction of preference (for familiarity or novelty) in a visual statistical learning task already employed with chicks and human infants. Using both automated tracking and direct human coding, we confirmed chicks’ capacity to recognize the presence of a statistically defined structure underlying a continuous stream of shapes. Using a different chicken strain than previous studies, we were also able to highlight sex differences in chicks’ propensity to approach the familiar or novel sequence. This could also explain a previous failure to reveal statistical learning in chicks which sex was however not determined. Our study confirms chicks’ ability to track visual statistics. The pivotal role of sex in determining familiarity or novelty preferences in this species and the interaction with the animals’ strain highlight the importance to contextualize comparative research within the ecology of each species.

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