title: Cross-modal matching of audio-visual German and French fluent speech in infancy.
abstract: The present study examined when and how the ability to cross-modally match audio-visual fluent speech develops in 4.5-, 6- and 12-month-old German-learning infants. In Experiment 1, 4.5- and 6-month-old infants' audio-visual matching ability of native (German) and non-native (French) fluent speech was assessed by presenting auditory and visual speech information sequentially, that is, in the absence of temporal synchrony cues. The results showed that 4.5-month-old infants were capable of matching native as well as non-native audio and visual speech stimuli, whereas 6-month-olds perceived the audio-visual correspondence of native language stimuli only. This suggests that intersensory matching narrows for fluent speech between 4.5 and 6 months of age. In Experiment 2, auditory and visual speech information was presented simultaneously, therefore, providing temporal synchrony cues. Here, 6-month-olds were found to match native as well as non-native speech indicating facilitation of temporal synchrony cues on the intersensory perception of non-native fluent speech. Intriguingly, despite the fact that audio and visual stimuli cohered temporally, 12-month-olds matched the non-native language only. Results were discussed with regard to multisensory perceptual narrowing during the first year of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kubicek
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition, CNRS UMR 5105, Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hillairet de Boisferon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition, CNRS UMR 5105, Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dupierrix
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition, CNRS UMR 5105, Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pascalis
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition, CNRS UMR 5105, Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France ; Speech and Cognition Department - GIPSA-lab, CNRS UMR 5216, Université de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lœvenbruck
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France ; Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, CNRS UMR 8158, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gervain
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwarzer
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001245:Association Learning; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*