[PS-1.10] The importance of attentional tracking of slow speech modulations for speech intelligibility and reading development

Ríos, P. , Molnar, M. , Lizarazu, M. & Lallier, M.

BCBL

In this study we examined the link between reading abilities and attentional entrainment to speech rhythmic modulations. While evidence in dyslexia research points towards the existence of this relation, little is known about its characteristics in typically developing readers. Two groups of children (8 and 11 years old) were asked to recall a pseudoword embedded in sentences presented either in quiet or noisy environments. Targets were located in different positions in sentences to track attentional shifting (entrainment) over speech. Half of the sentences were primed with their syllabic and prosodic amplitude envelope to determine whether a boost in attentional shifting to these speech features enhanced pseudoword intelligibility. The factors Age, Prime, Position and Environment interacted to modulate pseudoword recall performance. Correlations between reading skills and performance were highlighted. Our results support the importance of syllabic and prosodic tracking in spoken language for reading development.