scholarly journals Population-level differences in the neural substrates supporting Statistical Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Florencia Assaneo ◽  
Joan Orpella ◽  
Pablo Ripollés ◽  
Laura Noejovich ◽  
Diana López-Barroso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Intelligent Systems ◽  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Cognitive Skill ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Entire Sample

The ability to extract regularities from the environment is arguably an adaptive characteristic of intelligent systems. In the context of speech, statistical word-learning is thought to be an important mechanism for language acquisition. By taking into account individual differences in speech auditory-motor synchronization, an independent component analysis of fMRI data reveals that the neural substrates of this cognitive ability are not shared across individuals. While a network of auditory and superior pre/motor regions is universally activated to produce learning, a fronto-parietal network is instead additionally and selectively engaged by some individuals, boosting their performance. Interfering with the use of this network via articulatory suppression (producing irrelevant speech during learning) normalizes performance across the entire sample. Crucially, the engagement of this network predicts speech auditory-motor synchrony, directly relating this cognitive skill with language abilities.

An Exploration of Individual Differences in Statistical Learning

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy C. Erickson ◽  
Michael Kaschak ◽  
Erik D. Thiessen ◽  
Cassie Berry
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Statistical Learning

scholarly journals What counts in preschool number knowledge? A Bayes factor analytic approach towards theoretical model development

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Mou ◽  
Ilaria Berteletti ◽  
Daniel C. Hyde
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Model Comparison ◽  
Bayes Factor ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Numerical Ability ◽  
Selection Strategies ◽  
Bayesian Model Comparison ◽  
Mathematics Knowledge ◽  
Number Knowledge

Preschool children vary tremendously in their numerical knowledge and these individual differences strongly predict later mathematics achievement. To better understand the sources of these individual differences, we measured a variety of cognitive and linguistic abilities motivated by previous literature to be important and then analyzed which combination of these variables best-explained individual differences in actual number knowledge. Through various data-driven Bayesian model comparison and selection strategies on competing multiple regression models, our analyses identified five variables of unique importance to explaining individual differences in preschool children’s symbolic number knowledge: knowledge of the count list, non-verbal approximate numerical ability, working memory, executive conflict processing, and knowledge of letters and words. Further our analyses revealed that knowledge of the count list, likely a proxy for explicit practice or experience with numbers, and non-verbal approximate numerical ability were much more important to explaining individual differences in number knowledge than general cognitive and verbal abilities. These findings suggest that children bring a diverse set of number-specific, general cognitive and language abilities that are involved in children’s learning of mathematics knowledge, and further suggest that number-specific abilities overshadow more general ones in their contribution to children’s early learning of symbolic numbers.

scholarly journals Information-theoretic Modeling of Perceived Musical Complexity

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-178
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Sauvé ◽  
Marcus T. Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Probabilistic Prediction ◽  
Information Theoretic ◽  
Musical Background ◽  
Musical Excerpts ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Perceived Complexity

What makes a piece of music appear complex to a listener? This research extends previous work by Eerola (2016), examining information content generated by a computational model of auditory expectation (IDyOM) based on statistical learning and probabilistic prediction as an empirical definition of perceived musical complexity. We systematically manipulated the melody, rhythm, and harmony of short polyphonic musical excerpts using the model to ensure that these manipulations systematically varied information content in the intended direction. Complexity ratings collected from 28 participants were found to positively correlate most strongly with melodic and harmonic information content, which corresponded to descriptive musical features such as the proportion of out-of-key notes and tonal ambiguity. When individual differences were considered, these explained more variance than the manipulated predictors. Musical background was not a significant predictor of complexity ratings. The results support information content, as implemented by IDyOM, as an information-theoretic measure of complexity as well as extending IDyOM's range of applications to perceived complexity.

Individual differences at 20 months: analytic and holistic strategies in language acquisition

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Bretherton ◽  
Sandra McNew ◽  
Lynn Snyder ◽  
Elizabeth Bates
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Holistic Processing ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Partial Support ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Processing Strategies ◽  
Acquisition Strategies ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTThe study focuses on the language abilities of 30 20-month-old children, using data from two sources: a detailed maternal interview and 90 minutes of videotaped observation. Observed language was coded into the categories used for the interview. Production and comprehension at 28 months (MLU, PPVT and morphology comprehension) were also assessed. Observation and interview data at 20 months were highly intercorrelated. Cluster analyses of both data sets yielded referential, grammatical morpheme and dialogue clusters, providing partial support for the nominal/pronominal and referential/expressive acquisition styles reported in the literature. However, the referential and grammatical morpheme clusters were highly correlated, suggesting that two acquisition strategies are developing in parallel. Only for those children who heavily emphasize one strategy can one speak of a distinctive style. All interview and observation clusters predicted 28-months MLU, but the grammatical morpheme clusters did not predict later performance on a Grammatical Morpheme Test. It is tentatively suggested that holistic processing strategies underlie the pronominal/expressive style.

scholarly journals Bridging the gap: global disparity processing in the human visual cortex

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (9) ◽  
pp. 2421-2429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit R. Cottereau ◽  
Suzanne P. McKee ◽  
Anthony M. Norcia
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Regions Of Interest ◽  
Inverse Technique ◽  
Lateral Occipital Complex ◽  
Reference Information ◽  
Depth Discrimination ◽  
Edge Detectors ◽  
Stereoscopic System

The human stereoscopic system is remarkable in its ability to utilize widely separated features as references to support fine depth discrimination. In a search for possible neural substrates of this ability, we recorded high-density EEG and used a distributed inverse technique to estimate population-level disparity responses in five regions of interest (ROIs): V1, V3A, hMT+, V4, and lateral occipital complex (LOC). The stimulus was a central modulating disk surrounded by a correlated “reference” annulus presented in the fixation plane. We varied a gap separating the disk from the annulus parametrically from 0 to 5.5° as a test of long-range disparity integration. In the V1, LOC, and hMT+ ROIs, the responses with gaps >0.5° were equal to those obtained in a control condition where the surround was composed of uncorrelated noise (no reference). By contrast, in the V4 and V3A ROIs, responses with gaps as large as 5.5° were still significantly higher than the control. As a test of the spatial distribution of the disparity reference information, we manipulated the properties of the stimulus by placing noise between the center and the surround or throughout the surround. The V3A ROI was particularly sensitive to disparity noise between the center and annulus regions, suggesting an important contribution of disparity edge detectors in this ROI.

scholarly journals Neonatal imitation and an epigenetic account of mirror neuron development

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Simpson ◽  
Nathan A. Fox ◽  
Antonella Tramacere ◽  
Pier F. Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Neuron Development ◽  
False Dichotomy

AbstractNeonatal imitation should not exclusively be considered at the population-level; instead, we propose that inconsistent findings regarding its occurrence result from important individual differences in imitative responses. We also highlight what we consider to be a false dichotomy of genetic versus learning accounts of the development of mirror neurons, and instead suggest a more parsimonious epigenetic perspective.

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