Statistical learning of orthography-semantics regularities: A developmental neurophysiological study

Combining event-related potential (ERP) with an artificial orthography learning paradigm, this study examined how 7–11-year-old Chinese children from first to fifth grade implicitly acquired orthography-semantics regularities of artificial characters. We manipulated the semantic consistency levels of radicals embedded in artificial characters at high (100 %), moderate (80 %), and low (60 %). The behavioral results indicated that 8-year-olds in the second grade were able to acquire regularities of semantic radicals within a sequence of artificial characters. The ERP results revealed a N170-P300-N400 pattern. The N170 component in the occipitotemporal area indicated orthographic identification during the early stages of learning, while the P300 and N400 components reflected attentional allocation and semantic activation during the later stages of statistical learning of orthography-semantics connections. The interactions between neural activation of statistical learning and grade suggest a significant developmental change in 7-11-year-old children. These findings support the multi-component model of statistical learning and the age-related hypothesis.