Implementing Temporal Sampling Theory through Rhythmic-Melodic Activities in Preschool: A Motor-Rhythm Based Intervention to Enhance Language Skills

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Implementing Temporal Sampling Theory through Rhythmic-Melodic Activities in Preschool: A Motor-Rhythm Based Intervention to Enhance Language Skills
Language: English
Authors: Arantza Campollo-Urkiza (ORCID 0000-0001-6005-0091), Marie Lallier (ORCID 0000-0003-4340-1296), Nicola Molinaro (ORCID 0000-0002-7549-6042), Marina Kalashnikova (ORCID 0000-0002-7924-8687), Usha Goswami (ORCID 0000-0001-7858-2336)
Source: Mind, Brain, and Education. 2026 20(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Language Skills, Skill Development, Language Acquisition, Individual Differences, Language Rhythm, Language Processing, Language Patterns, Spanish, Psychomotor Skills
DOI: 10.1111/mbe.70033
ISSN: 1751-2271
1751-228X
Abstract: The sensory-neural temporal sampling (TS) theory of language acquisition emphasizes the role of individual differences in speech rhythm processing. According to this theory, neural oscillations track loudness or amplitude modulation (AM) patterns--rhythmic fluctuations in speech intensity or energy--across multiple timescales. These nested AM rhythms, which occur universally across languages, support the parsing of stress patterns, syllables, and onset-rime units. Accurate tracking of these rhythms facilitates linguistic comprehension. Although rhythm-based language interventions that align motor and oral rhythms have shown benefits, existing approaches have not systematically targeted the full hierarchy of nested AM rhythms. The present intervention, developed in Spanish, is structured around musical meter, which organizes smaller nested units across multiple timescales. A series of motor activities that should indirectly engage multiple AM timescales are proposed, aimed at enhancing language development. The intervention is highly engaging and is explained in detail, along with predicted music-language enhancements within the framework of TS theory.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1498445
Database: ERIC
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