Neural Correlates of Processing Syntax in Music and ... - PubMan

Experiment II 116
in the ERP response to the two chord functions. User-defined contrasts helped to deter-
mine the scalp site at which the difference between the two chord functions was signifi-
cant: In the TLD group significant differences were found for both anterior ROIs (left:
F(1,19) =4.49, p = 0.048; right: F(1,19) =8.90, p = 0.008) whereas in the SLI group the
differences were not significant at any ROI. Taken together, the pattern of results for the
N5 resembled the pattern for the ERAN.
In addition to the results for the ERAN and the N5 (in the children with TLD), which
are in accordance with our hypotheses, there was also an unexpected finding in the
children with SLI: In contrast to the children with TLD, ERP responses to tonics and
supertonics differed in the children with SLI around 100 ms after stimulus onset (see
Figure 10-3). In children with SLI, tonic chords elicited a less positive potential around
100 ms (M =4.89μV, SEM = 0.66 μV; mean amplitude of all ROIs) compared to children
with TLD (M =6.65μV, SEM = 0.57 μV). The ERP responses to the supertonics
were similar in both groups (SLI: M = 6.42 μV, SEM =0.65μV; NLD: M =6.67μV,
SEM =0.57 μV).
An ANOVA with the within-subject factors chord function, anterior-posterior distribution,
and hemisphere revealed a main effect of chord function and an interaction of
chord function × subgroup (see first column of Table 10-1). However, no main effect of
subgroup was found. That is, the amplitude values per se did not differ in the two
groups. To investigate the chord function × subgroup interaction in more detail, two
further ANOVAs were computed for each group separately. In the group of children
with SLI, a main effect of chord function (F(1,14) = 10.72, p = 0.006) was revealed
whereas neither a main effect nor interactions with chord function were found in the
TLD group.
For the difference in the ERP waveforms around 800 to 1000 ms, neither significant
main effects nor interactions were found.
Correlation analyses and classification of the groups: In the hypotheses comparable
difficulties with syntax processing in children with SLI were assumed for both language
and music. This was tested by means of correlation analyses. Variables were, on the one
hand, the ERP amplitudes in the ERAN and the N5 time window (at anterior ROIs;
rows of Table 10-2) and, on the other hand, the behavioural measures (all subtests of a
language development test, tests of musical abilities, and subtests of a non-verbal intelligence;
columns of Table 10-2). For the amplitude of the early difference (around 100
to 180 ms) no significant correlations were found. All correlations are negative since
superior results in the tests (mostly for children with TLD) are related to large (more