Open AccessImplicit learning of non-verbal regularities by deaf children with cochlear implants: An investigation with a dynamic temporal prediction task
Author(s) -
Ambra Fastelli,
Giovanni Mento,
Chloë Marshall,
Barbara Arfé
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0251050
Subject(s) - task (project management) , psychology , cognitive psychology , audiology , cochlear implant , spoken language , hearing loss , population , language acquisition , developmental psychology , neuroscience , computer science , medicine , artificial intelligence , mathematics education , management , environmental health , economics
Some deaf children continue to show difficulties in spoken language learning after cochlear implantation. Part of this variability has been attributed to poor implicit learning skills. However, the involvement of other processes (e.g. verbal rehearsal) has been underestimated in studies that show implicit learning deficits in the deaf population. In this study, we investigated the relationship between auditory deprivation and implicit learning of temporal regularities with a novel task specifically designed to limit the load on working memory, the amount of information processing, and the visual-motor integration skills required. Seventeen deaf children with cochlear implants and eighteen typically hearing children aged 5 to 11 years participated. Our results revealed comparable implicit learning skills between the two groups, suggesting that implicit learning might be resilient to a lack of early auditory stimulation. No significant correlation was found between implicit learning and language tasks. However, deaf children’s performance suggests some weaknesses in inhibitory control.