A hallmark of human development is the ability to make adaptive changes in perception that occurred as a result of experience. The internal representations that influence perception must be constructed from multiple levels of statistical information that are present in the natural environment. To illustrate what is meant by statistical information, after hearing a bark, there is a higher probability of seeing a dog than seeing a cat (i.e. p(Vdog | Adog) > p(Vcat | Adog). While it is widely believed that information acquired via statistical learning is an essential component of experience-based perceptual development, little is known about the neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms that translate experience into lasting perceptual change or how variations in these mechanisms can lead to atypical or delayed development. This proposal addresses three major gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms of experience-based perceptual development: 1) the effect of statistical information on neural activity in sensory cortices in infancy; 2) whether deviations in these neural responses predict developmental delays in a high-risk population; 3) the relationship between statistically-induced changes in neural activity and behavioral changes in perception.
Aim 1 Characterize the effects of statistical information on neural activity early in postnatal development. Typically developing, 6-month-olds will undergo near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) recording to reveal changes in neural activity in auditory and visual sensory cortices during and after experience with cross-modal statistical information. We hypothesize that infant sensory cortex will exhibit significant changes in activity (i.e., increased activity during an unexpected visual omission) as result of statistical experience.
Aim 2 Examine deviations in statistically-induced neural activity in at-risk populations. If statistically-induced neural responses support typical development in numerous domains, abnormal neural responses to statistical information will predict poor behavioral outcomes later in postnatal life and establish biomarkers that could assist in ameliorating abnormal development. Using data from Aim 1 as a comparison group, we will characterize neural responses in infants at high risk for delays in perceptual and cognitive develop- ment as a result of being born extremely preterm (< 28 weeks).
Aim 3 Determine the relationship between statistically-induced neural activity and perceptual change. Visual cortex activity after a visual stimulus produces a visual percept, but the behavioral consequences of visual cortex activity during the unexpected omission of a stimulus are unknown yet are essential to understanding how statistically-induced neural changes support perceptual development. Guided by specific hypotheses, we will correlate neural responses to unexpected omissions to behavior on perceptual tasks.

Public Health Relevance

Changes in perception as a result of our experience are an essential component of infant development and in turn are key to supporting human cognition. The current proposal is significant because it is the first step in a program of research which is expected to lead to a full understanding of how experience shapes the perceptual systems in the human brain starting in infancy. Because this process of experienced-based changes in perception is believed to be foundational for normative development, such an understanding could help predict developmental delays and re-conceptualize a myriad of developmental disorders such as autism, WIlliam's Syndrome and Specific Language Impairment.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Transition Award (R00)
Project #
5R00HD076166-04
Application #
9327009
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (NSS)
Program Officer
Freund, Lisa S
Project Start
2015-09-01
Project End
2019-08-31
Budget Start
2017-09-01
Budget End
2019-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Princeton University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
002484665
City
Princeton
State
NJ
Country
United States
Zip Code
08543
Karuza, Elisabeth A; Emberson, Lauren L; Roser, Matthew E et al. (2017) Neural Signatures of Spatial Statistical Learning: Characterizing the Extraction of Structure from Complex Visual Scenes. J Cogn Neurosci 29:1963-1976
Emberson, Lauren L; Boldin, Alex M; Riccio, Julie E et al. (2017) Deficits in Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Infants At Risk due to Premature Birth. Curr Biol 27:431-436
Emberson, Lauren L; Zinszer, Benjamin D; Raizada, Rajeev D S et al. (2017) Decoding the infant mind: Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) using fNIRS. PLoS One 12:e0172500
Emberson, Lauren L; Cannon, Grace; Palmeri, Holly et al. (2017) Using fNIRS to examine occipital and temporal responses to stimulus repetition in young infants: Evidence of selective frontal cortex involvement. Dev Cogn Neurosci 23:26-38
Emberson, Lauren L; Crosswhite, Stephen L; Richards, John E et al. (2017) The Lateral Occipital Cortex Is Selective for Object Shape, Not Texture/Color, at Six Months. J Neurosci 37:3698-3703
Emberson, L L (2017) How Does Experience Shape Early Development? Considering the Role of Top-Down Mechanisms. Adv Child Dev Behav 52:1-41
Emberson, Lauren L; Crosswhite, Stephen L; Goodwin, James R et al. (2016) Isolating the effects of surface vasculature in infant neuroimaging using short-distance optical channels: a combination of local and global effects. Neurophotonics 3:031406
Goodwin, James R; Cannaday, Ashley E; Palmeri, Holly G et al. (2016) Methodology for high-yield acquisition of functional near-infrared spectroscopy data from alert, upright infants. Neurophotonics 3:031415
Emberson, Lauren L; Rubinstein, Dani Y (2016) Statistical learning is constrained to less abstract patterns in complex sensory input (but not the least). Cognition 153:63-78
Aslin, Richard N; Shukla, Mohinish; Emberson, Lauren L (2015) Hemodynamic correlates of cognition in human infants. Annu Rev Psychol 66:349-79

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