The Interplay between Language Development, Short-Term Memory, and Auditory Associative Word Learning in Younger and Older Children

Auditory associative word learning has been shown in infants and proven to be a difficult task in young adults, where learning is only successful under specific conditions. In order to better understand the transition from successful infant auditory associative word learning to the challenging adult learning, we tested 5-6-year-olds and 9-10-year-olds in a sequential associative task to investigate their ability in associating novel pseudowords with environmental sounds. Additionally, we explored short-term episodic recognition memory, language development, sex, and musical training and their effects on behavioral and electrophysiological measures of word learning. EEG data were collected to assess word learning in an initial training phase (consistent vs. inconsistent pairings) and a subsequent testing phase (matching vs. violated pairings) with additional button-press reactions for behavioral learning data. While learning effects were seen in the first half of the training phase in younger children, no early effects of learning were found in older children. Only musically trained 9-10-year-olds indicated word learning in the second half of the training phase. In the testing phase, only non-musically trained 9-10-year-olds revealed trend-level N400-like responses. Short-term memory (auditory-verbal, auditory-nonverbal, and visual-nonverbal) and language development improved with age, but only visual-nonverbal short-term recognition memory was positively correlated with improved auditory associative word learning. Unlike cross-modal visual associative word learning, our results, together with earlier findings in infants and young adults, suggest a difficulty in auditory associative word learning beyond infancy, which is sustained from childhood to young adulthood.