Action observation and speech production: study on children and adults

Neuropsychologia
Maurizio GentilucciPaola Santunione

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine whether observation of upper limb actions selectively influences speech production. We compared the effects on children with those on adults, hypothesizing that action observation is used by children for speech learning. Children and adults observed an actor either grasping a cherry or an apple, or bringing the same fruits to his mouth. They pronounced the syllable/ba/ at the end of the action. In a control experiment, children and adults executed the two bringing-to-the-mouth actions, still pronouncing/ba/. As previously found ([Euro. J. Neurosci., 17 (2003) 179]; [Euro. J. Neurosci., 19 (2004) 192]), the observed kinematics of the action, which were different according to the fruit size, influenced lip shaping kinematics and voice formants. In addition, the effect was selective for the action since the observations of actions such as grasping and bringing-to-the-mouth affected formant 1 and formant 2 in the voice spectra, respectively. The effects on speech were greater in the children than in the adults. By contrast, the effects on lip shaping did not differ between the two groups. Effects similar to those found for action observation were found for action execution in spite of a differen...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Jan 10, 2008·Experimental Brain Research·Paolo BernardisMaurizio Gentilucci
Sep 9, 2011·Experimental Brain Research·Cesare V Parise, Francesco Pavani
May 13, 2008·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Maurizio Gentilucci, Riccardo Dalla Volta
Feb 16, 2007·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Vittorio Gallese
Jul 15, 2006·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Maurizio GentilucciRiccardo Dalla Volta
Apr 28, 2009·Current Anthropology·Michael A ArbibSimone Pika
May 4, 2010·Brain Research Bulletin·Catherine Y WanGottfried Schlaug
May 13, 2009·Behavioural Brain Research·Sergio ChieffiMaurizio Gentilucci
Feb 24, 2009·Brain and Language·Filippo BarbieriMaurizio Gentilucci
Mar 24, 2007·Brain and Language·Silvia StefaniniVirginia Volterra
Feb 7, 2012·Child Development·Maria Cristina CaselliVirginia Volterra
Jul 12, 2005·Neuropsychologia·Paolo Bernardis, Maurizio Gentilucci
Apr 29, 2008·Journal of Physiology, Paris·Maurizio GentilucciClaudia Gianelli
Sep 25, 2007·Journal of Child Neurology·Veronica SalettiDaria Riva
Oct 15, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Elisa De Stefani, Doriana De Marco
Jan 20, 2017·PloS One·Lari VainioMartti Vainio

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