Randomized Trial to Increase Speech Sound Differentiation in Infants Born Preterm

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Linguistics
• Auditory neuroscience

Background:

• Early language exposure is crucial for infant speech sound differentiation.
• Understanding how active learning influences bilingualism development is essential.
• Previous research often focuses on passive exposure, limiting insights into active learning mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if active, infant-directed foreign language learning enhances speech sound differentiation.
• To determine if this enhancement is specific to the learned foreign language.
• To assess if foreign language learning negatively impacts native English speech sound differentiation.

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized controlled trial involving preterm infants with normal hearing.
• Three groups: passive English exposure (control), active French contingent learning, and active Mandarin contingent learning.
• Event-related potentials (ERPs) measured pre- and post-intervention to assess speech sound differentiation.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in English speech sound differentiation across groups.
• Infants in the French contingent group showed greater French sound differentiation than other groups.
• Infants in the Mandarin contingent group showed greater Mandarin sound differentiation than other groups.

Conclusions:

• Active infant-directed foreign language exposure promotes language-specific speech sound differentiation.
• This learning method does not impair the differentiation of native English speech sounds.
• Contingent learning appears to be an effective strategy for early foreign language acquisition.