Children's cortical speech tracking in face-to-face and online video communication
- Author(s)
- Fatih Sivridag, Josefine Schürholz, Stefanie Hoehl, Nivedita Mani
- Abstract
In today's digital age, online video communication has become an important way for children to interact with their social partners, especially given the increased use of such tools during the pandemic. While previous studies suggest that children can learn and engage well in virtual settings, there is limited evidence examining the neural mechanisms supporting speech processing in face-to-face and video interactions. This study examines 5-year-old German speaking children's cortical speech tracking (n = 29), a measure of how their brains process speech, in both scenarios. Our findings indicate comparable levels of cortical speech tracking in both conditions, albeit with subtle differences. This implies that children exhibit similar neural responses to speech in both situations and may adopt different strategies to overcome potential challenges in video communication. These neural results align with previous behavioural findings, supporting the notion that live online video interactions can serve as an effective communication medium for children.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology
- External organisation(s)
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Philipps Universität Marburg, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Volume
- 15
- Pages
- 20134
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04778-8
- Publication date
- 06-2025
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 501005 Developmental psychology
- Keywords
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/3a1923ac-ce0d-4e46-80e6-5e6a52a38be7