Language exposure predicts infants' neural processing of others' actions based on language group.

ABSTRACT: What language a person speaks has been shown to divide even infants' worlds. However, open questions remain about what neural processes are involved in the differentiation of native and foreign speakers in the infant's brain. This study used electroencephalography (EEG) to examine the neural responses related to top-down attention (frontal theta synchronization), action processing (mu desynchronization), and approach-avoidance (frontal alpha asymmetry) of 8- to 12-month-old infants as they observed a native (English) speaker and a foreign (French) speaker perform a goal-directed action (i.e., grasping objects). We further examined whether infants' language exposure modulated these neural responses. We found that monolingual infants exhibited stronger mu desynchronization when observing a n

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12681974 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature