The Role of Audiovisual Statistical Learning in Phonological Awareness

This study investigates multisensory statistical learning in adolescence, focusing on the brain’s ability to extract regularities from audiovisual stimuli at two hierarchical levels simultaneously: syllables forming words and words forming sentences. Multisensory learning enhances perception and cognition by integrating inputs across visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities, supported by cortical and subcortical networks such as the superior temporal sulcus, posterior parietal cortex, and hippocampus. Previous research demonstrates that musical training and child-directed cues can strengthen statistical learning and multisensory integration, suggesting that concurrent learning across levels is feasible. Using a multilevel, multisensory ERP paradigm, this study examined cortical responses to structured syllable and word sequences, aiming to detect stronger neural responses to predictable elements at both word and sentence levels. The findings are expected to provide evidence for the parallel operation of statistical learning mechanisms in the human brain, contributing to our understanding of multisensory learning, language acquisition, and cognitive development.