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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
Published on: June 12, 2017
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Working memory relates to individual differences in speech category learning: Insights from computational modeling
Jacie R McHaney1, Rachel Tessmer2, Casey L Roark3
1Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, United States.
Brain and Language
|August 28, 2021
Summary
Individuals with higher working memory (WM) learn non-native speech categories more effectively. Higher WM supports better learning strategies and attention, impacting speech perception.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Working memory (WM) influences various learning tasks, but its role in non-native speech category acquisition is debated.
- Some theories suggest speech learning relies on WM-independent procedural mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between individual differences in working memory (WM) and the ability to learn non-native speech categories in adults.
- To clarify the role of WM in the complex process of acquiring new speech sound distinctions.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted involving adult participants with varying working memory capacities.
- Participants learned non-native speech categories, with measures including learning speed, extent, strategy use, and speech-evoked pupillary responses.
Main Results:
- Higher working memory capacity correlated with faster and more extensive acquisition of non-native speech categories.
- Individuals with higher WM employed more optimal, procedural learning strategies.
- Distinct pupillary responses were observed for correct versus incorrect trials in higher WM individuals.
Conclusions:
- Working memory significantly impacts the acquisition of non-native speech categories in adulthood.
- Higher WM may facilitate learning by enhancing stimulus attention, leading to robust representations and effective strategies.
- Findings offer insights into neurobiological models of speech category learning.
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