Name:Anna M. Czepiel

School/Affiliation:University of Toronto Mississauga

Co-Authors:Christina M. Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

Song can be more effective than speech in language learning. This effectiveness could be due to rhythmic predictability as well as the enjoyable aspects of music (Fiveash et al., 2023). Indeed, song is processed more readily than speech by the brain via neural tracking (Czepiel et al., in prep.; der Nederlanden et al., 2020), especially for familiar songs (der Nederlanden et al., 2022). However, our knowledge almost exclusively comes from controlled laboratory settings. The current study assesses neural tracking and learning in a real-world classroom environment. Groups of university students (5-6 per group) will be invited to attend a basic language learning course constituting of three sessions. Sessions will cover three topics, each with around 10 phrases/words for participants to learn (i.e., 30 phrases and 30 words to learn in total). In a within-subjects design, phrases/words from two topics will be presented by an instructor in three conditions: novel song, familiar song, and speech. Conditions will be counterbalanced across groups. Brain activity will be recorded from students and the instructor throughout sessions using mobile EEG. Students’ learning of phrases and words will be assessed after each session alongside neural tracking of spoken/sung utterances. We hypothesize that 1) song enhances learning, 2) song has heightened neural tracking and that 3) higher neural tracking will reflect enhanced learning.