Abstract:
Procedural memory allows us to acquire knowledge automatically and unconsciously, without paying
attention, simply by experiencing it. This automaticity is the result of implicit learning, a process that
initially transforms complex and conscious actions into fluid and automatic sequences such as washing
and dressing, but it is also responsible for the acquisition of aspects concerning the recognition and
articulation of sounds and the rules of inflexion and word combination.
Therefore, to be efficient, an intervention aimed at improving language development and the
development of the various subcomponents of the system should focus on implicit learning and
procedural memory. In fact, repeated exposure to rhythmic-musical stimuli, such as songs, in which
some patterns or routines directly activate the emotion and reward system (history of past learning
with ‘lullabies’), leads to changes in behaviour or perceptions without explicit awareness, greatly
improving phonatory articulation.
The study reported here was conducted with 11 subjects (8 males and 3 females aged between 2.3 and
5.1 years; average age 3.9 years) who were presented with various nursery rhymes or children’s songs
(activation of procedural memory). After six months of treatment, the vocal requests had increased
considerably, and their intelligibility had improved significantly. |
