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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

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Inner versus Overt Speech Production: Does This Make a Difference in the Developing Brain?

Franziska Stephan^1,2,3, Henrik Saalbach^1,2, Sonja Rossi³

¹Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany.

|December 9, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Children

Keywords:

event-related brain potentials (ERPs)functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)inner speech production overt speech production preparation of speech production

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Speech Production

Background:

Adult studies reveal distinct neural processing for inner and overt speech.
Limited understanding exists regarding differential speech processing in children.
Investigating early speech development is crucial for understanding cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate differential neural processing of inner and overt speech in children.
To differentiate domain-general executive control from linguistic control in speech production.
To examine the preparation phase of speech production in young children.

Main Methods:

Simultaneous application of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
Utilized a picture-naming task to differentiate speech preparation and execution.
Analyzed brain activity during the preparation phase of speech production.

Main Results:

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) showed greater activation for overt speech compared to inner speech during preparation.
This difference was observed in bilateral prefrontal to parietal regions.
No significant differences were found between inner and overt speech when concrete linguistic content and execution were required.

Conclusions:

Children's brains can prepare for subsequent speech production, requiring distinct domain-general executive control.
Unlike adults, children's brains do not exhibit differential processing for inner and overt speech with concrete content.
This suggests that domain-specific executive control processes for speech are still developing in 6- to 7-year-olds.