Neural Correlates of Morphosyntactic Processing in Spanish-English Bilingual Children: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Neural Correlates of Morphosyntactic Processing in Spanish-English Bilingual Children: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.
Authors:	Baron, Alisa¹ barona@uri.edu, Wagley, Neelima², Xiaosu Hu³, Kovelman, Ioulia⁴
Source:	Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Sep2023, Vol. 66 Issue 9, p3500-3514. 15p. 4 Diagrams, 6 Charts.
Subject Terms:	Phonological awareness, Multilingualism, Comparative grammar, Children, Semantics, Evoked potentials (Electrophysiology), Neural transmission, Near infrared spectroscopy, English language, Cognitive processing speed, Linguistics, Task performance, Regression analysis, Magnetic resonance imaging, T-test (Statistics), Spanish language, Research funding, Descriptive statistics, Questionnaires, Data analysis software, Neuroradiology
Geographic Terms:	Michigan
Abstract:	Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of early bilingual exposure on Spanish-English bilingual children's neural organization of English morphosyntactic structures. This study examines how children's age and language experiences are related to morphosyntactic processing at the neural level. Method: Eighty-one children (ages 6-11 years) completed an auditory sentence judgment task during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. The measure tapped into children's processing of early-acquired (present progressive -ing) and later-acquired (past tense -ed and third-person singular -s) English morphosyntactic structures, the primary language of academic instruction. Results: We observed effects of syntactic structure and age. Early-acquired morphemic structures elicited activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, while the later-acquired structures elicited additional activations in the left middle temporal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (STG). Younger children had a more distributed neural response, whereas older children had a more focal neural response. Finally, there was a trending association between children's English language use and left STG activation for later-acquired structures. Conclusion: The findings inform theories of language and brain development by highlighting the mechanisms by which age and language experiences influence bilingual children's neural architecture for morphosyntactic processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of early bilingual exposure on Spanish-English bilingual children's neural organization of English morphosyntactic structures. This study examines how children's age and language experiences are related to morphosyntactic processing at the neural level. Method: Eighty-one children (ages 6-11 years) completed an auditory sentence judgment task during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. The measure tapped into children's processing of early-acquired (present progressive -ing) and later-acquired (past tense -ed and third-person singular -s) English morphosyntactic structures, the primary language of academic instruction. Results: We observed effects of syntactic structure and age. Early-acquired morphemic structures elicited activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, while the later-acquired structures elicited additional activations in the left middle temporal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (STG). Younger children had a more distributed neural response, whereas older children had a more focal neural response. Finally, there was a trending association between children's English language use and left STG activation for later-acquired structures. Conclusion: The findings inform theories of language and brain development by highlighting the mechanisms by which age and language experiences influence bilingual children's neural architecture for morphosyntactic processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10924388
DOI:	10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00598