Earlier age of second language learning induces more robust speech encoding in the auditory brainstem in adults, independent of amount of language exposure during early childhood

Giroud, Nathalie; Baum, Shari R; Gilbert, Annie C; Phillips, Natalie A; Gracco, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104815

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Giroud, N., Baum, S. R., Gilbert, A. C., Phillips, N. A., & Gracco, V. (2020). Earlier age of second language learning induces more robust speech encoding in the auditory brainstem in adults, independent of amount of language exposure during early childhood. Brain and Language, 207, 104815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104815

Abstract

Learning a second language (L2) at a young age is a driving factor of functional neuroplasticity in the auditory brainstem. To date, it remains unclear whether these effects remain stable until adulthood and to what degree the amount of exposure to the L2 in early childhood might affect their outcome. We compared three groups of adult English-French bilinguals in their ability to categorize English vowels in relation to their frequency following responses (FFR) evoked by the same vowels. At the time of testing, cognitive abilities as