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Words and Meters: Neural Evidence for a Connection between Individual Differences in Statistical Learning and Rhythmic Ability in Infancy

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Title: Words and Meters: Neural Evidence for a Connection between Individual Differences in Statistical Learning and Rhythmic Ability in Infancy
Language: English
Authors: Iris van der Wulp (ORCID 0000-0002-0195-7707), Marijn Struiksma (ORCID 0000-0002-1166-1424), Frank Wijnen (ORCID 0000-0002-7196-6000)
Source: Developmental Science. 2026 29(2).
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: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Infants, Parent Child Relationship, Parent Influence, Music, Language Rhythm, Incidental Learning, Syllables, Phonemes, Correlation, Predictor Variables, Age Differences, Brain, Parent Background
Geographic Terms: Netherlands
DOI: 10.1111/desc.70116
ISSN: 1363-755X
1467-7687
Abstract: Music and language are both hierarchically structured: syllables combine into words, and meters are groupings of musical beats. Statistical learning (SL) supports speech segmentation through computation of transitional probabilities between syllables, and individual differences in SL ability were found predictive of further language development. The current study investigated whether rhythmic ability (RA; the ability to perceive the beat and infer the meter in a rhythmic stimulus auditory input) correlated with SL in 6- to 9-month-old infants. We further explored whether RA of the parents predicted infant RA and/or SL. We used EEG to measure infants' neural entrainment in two conditions: (1) a speech segmentation SL condition in which transitional probabilities between syllables were the only cue to segment the speech stream into words; (2) a RA condition exposing infants to a syncopated rhythm in a quadruple meter. We correlated neural entrainment to the words in the SL condition with entrainment to the meter in the RA condition. Parents completed behavioral tasks measuring their RA and were asked about their engagement with music. Results revealed a correlation between neural entrainment indexing SL and RA in infants, which was unaffected by infant age. This correlation was specific to neural entrainment to words and meters, suggesting similarity between processing items at hierarchically corresponding levels. We found no evidence that parental RA predicted infant RA or SL. However, frequency of parent--child joint musical engagement appeared to have a positive effect on infant RA.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1498517
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Words and Meters: Neural Evidence for a Connection between Individual Differences in Statistical Learning and Rhythmic Ability in Infancy
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Iris+van+der+Wulp%22">Iris van der Wulp</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-7707">0000-0002-0195-7707</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marijn+Struiksma%22">Marijn Struiksma</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1166-1424">0000-0002-1166-1424</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Frank+Wijnen%22">Frank Wijnen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7196-6000">0000-0002-7196-6000</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Science%22"><i>Developmental Science</i></searchLink>. 2026 29(2).
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  Data: 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
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 16
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Infants%22">Infants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Child+Relationship%22">Parent Child Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Influence%22">Parent Influence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Music%22">Music</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Rhythm%22">Language Rhythm</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Incidental+Learning%22">Incidental Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Syllables%22">Syllables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phonemes%22">Phonemes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Correlation%22">Correlation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Differences%22">Age Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Brain%22">Brain</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Background%22">Parent Background</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/desc.70116
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  Data: 1363-755X<br />1467-7687
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  Data: Music and language are both hierarchically structured: syllables combine into words, and meters are groupings of musical beats. Statistical learning (SL) supports speech segmentation through computation of transitional probabilities between syllables, and individual differences in SL ability were found predictive of further language development. The current study investigated whether rhythmic ability (RA; the ability to perceive the beat and infer the meter in a rhythmic stimulus auditory input) correlated with SL in 6- to 9-month-old infants. We further explored whether RA of the parents predicted infant RA and/or SL. We used EEG to measure infants' neural entrainment in two conditions: (1) a speech segmentation SL condition in which transitional probabilities between syllables were the only cue to segment the speech stream into words; (2) a RA condition exposing infants to a syncopated rhythm in a quadruple meter. We correlated neural entrainment to the words in the SL condition with entrainment to the meter in the RA condition. Parents completed behavioral tasks measuring their RA and were asked about their engagement with music. Results revealed a correlation between neural entrainment indexing SL and RA in infants, which was unaffected by infant age. This correlation was specific to neural entrainment to words and meters, suggesting similarity between processing items at hierarchically corresponding levels. We found no evidence that parental RA predicted infant RA or SL. However, frequency of parent--child joint musical engagement appeared to have a positive effect on infant RA.
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        Value: 10.1111/desc.70116
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Infants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Child Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: Parent Influence
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      – SubjectFull: Language Rhythm
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      – SubjectFull: Syllables
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      – SubjectFull: Phonemes
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      – SubjectFull: Correlation
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      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
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      – SubjectFull: Age Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Netherlands
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Words and Meters: Neural Evidence for a Connection between Individual Differences in Statistical Learning and Rhythmic Ability in Infancy
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            NameFull: Marijn Struiksma
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            NameFull: Frank Wijnen
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