Background: Comprehensive aphasia assessments are time-consuming, posing challenges in rehabilitation settings, particularly in the acute phase. To address this gap, we translated, culturally adapted, and validated the Detection Test for Language Impairments in Adults and the Aged (DTLA) for Mandarin-speaking, post-stroke patients, creating the Chinese DTLA (CDTLA).Aim: This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the CDTLA and validate the CDTLA to facilitate timely referral and early rehabilitation planning. Methods & Procedures: The CDTLA was adapted using three-phase processes to ensure linguistic appropriateness for Chinese speakers. This included forward-backward translation, expert review, and pilot testing. The psychometric properties of the final CDTLA were then validated in a cohort of 38 patients with post-stroke aphasia and 205 healthy controls. We assessed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, known-group discriminant validity, and convergent validity against the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Outcomes & Results: The CDTLA demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .89) and test-retest reliability (r = .95). It effectively distinguished between individuals with aphasia and healthy participants, with the aphasia group scoring significantly lower (p < .001). Convergent validity with corresponding WAB subtests was high. ROC analysis revealed high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = .95) with a sensitivity of .82 and a specificity of .98 at a cutoff score of 64.00, determined by maximizing the Youden index. Conclusion: The CDTLA is a reliable, valid, and efficient tool for aphasia screening in middle-aged and elderly Chinese populations, providing a time-saving alternative to comprehensive batteries like the WAB for early identification. However, it is developed as a screening instrument and cannot replace comprehensive diagnostic assessments for detailed treatment planning.

While several perceptual procedures exist to assess pitch accuracy of singing, computer-assisted methods are scarce. We developed and tested a method that combines automated frequency analysis with manual note segmentation. PitchAnalyzer2.2 software was used to extract the fundamental frequency and the musical pitches of the audio samples. The onsets, offsets, and steady-state sections of the sung syllables were detected manually to identify the keys or root notes and modulations that were dominant in a sample. Finally, the difference between the singing-sample melody and the target melody was computed to determine the overall scores for each performance. We used samples obtained from Chinese primary school children to test the new method. The samples were collected before and after the children participated in an extracurricular training programme on music versus foreign-language learning. Replicating previous findings, girls outperformed boys in singing accuracy. There were no effects of training programme or age. Testing the new method for analysis of singing-pitch accuracy for a target melody revealed that it is appropriate to generate overall performance scores for samples of children's singing, particularly when their singing sample contains multiple modulations.

Age of acquisition (AoA) may have long-lasting effects on second language learning, such as vowel perception, especially in immersion contexts. However, it's important to note that an earlier start of second language learning may not be equally important for all learners. Identifying the key individual characteristics that moderate the AoA effect is essential to elucidate the nature of the AoA effect. This study aimed to investigate the significance of the AoA effect in a non-immersion second language learning context and examine whether individual characteristics, such as second language proficiency, general auditory processing, and attention switching abilities may moderate this effect. Fifty-eight native Chinese-speaking university students, with over ten years of non-immersion English learning, participated in tasks assessing English vowel perception, non-linguistic sound perception, and attention switching ability. The results showed that the AoA effect remained significant among non-immersion Chinese English learners. Moreover, stronger individual attention switching and higher English listening proficiency, but not auditory processing ability, buffered the AoA effect. The moderating effect of attention switching remained significant even after controlling for the moderating effect of English listening proficiency. Earlier start of second language learning may be particularly important for learners with a slower attention switch (indicated by a longer P3 latency) to learn speech perception, while not so much for those with a quicker attention switch (indicated by a shorter P3 latency). The findings were the first empirical evidence highlighting that the AoA effect on second language learning in non-immersive contexts may differ by learners' cognitive ability. The present study expanded the knowledge of the complexity of the AoA effect to more specific individual characteristics.

Aims and objectives: Attentional control is an important cognitive ability, and it includes the abilities of attention and inhibitory control. It remains unclear whether a bilingual advantage in attentional control exists and whether different bilingual experiences exert distinct effects on this ability. This study aimed to address these questions. Research Questions: (1) Does bilingual experience enhance attentional control? (2) Do different bilingual experiences differentially influence attentional control? Methodology: Chinese-English bilinguals, Spanish-English bilinguals, and English monolinguals were recruited for the study. The participants underwent assessments of their English learning experiences, English proficiency, and attentional control abilities. Data and Analysis: Data analysis was performed by using SPSS 23. The group differences in the English learning experiences, English proficiency, Attentional Network Task (ANT) indicators for Chinese-English bilinguals, Spanish-English bilinguals, and English monolinguals were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The correlations between ANT and English learning experiences, and English proficiency for three groups were analyzed using Pearson correlation. Conclusion: Compared with English monolinguals, both Chinese-English bilinguals and Spanish-English bilinguals did not show better attentional control ability. Further, we found that compared with Spanish-English bilinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals showed better inhibitory control, indicating that different bilingual experiences have different impacts on inhibitory control ability. However, no significant difference was found between Chinese-English bilinguals and Spanish-English bilinguals after controlling for age or AOA (age of acquisition), indicating age or AOA influenced the effect of different bilingual experiences on inhibitory control ability. The correlation results indicated the older the age, the better the attention ability for Chinese-English bilinguals; the older the age and AOA, the better the attention ability for Spanish-English bilinguals; the older the AOA, the poorer the inhibitory control ability for Spanish-English bilinguals. This study fills the gap in the effect of different bilingual experiences on attentional control ability.

Neural oscillations are electrophysiological indicators of synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Recent work suggests aberrant patterns of neuronal activity in patients with poststroke aphasia. Yet, there is a lack of systematic explorations of neural oscillations in poststroke aphasia. Investigating changes in the dynamics of neuronal activity after stroke may be helpful to identify neural markers of aphasia and language recovery and increase the current understanding of successful language rehabilitation. This review summarizes research on neural oscillations in poststroke aphasia and evaluates their potential as biomarkers for specific linguistic processes. We searched the literature through PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO, and selected 31 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Our analyses focused on neural oscillation activity in each frequency band, brain connectivity, and therapy-induced changes during language recovery. Our review highlights potential neurophysiological markers; however, the literature remains confounded, casting doubt on the reliability of these findings. Future research must address these confounds to confirm the robustness of cross-study findings on neural oscillations in poststroke aphasia.

Music and language share similar sound features and cognitive processes, which may lead to bidirectional transfer effects of training in one domain on the processing in the other domain. We investigated the impact of native language on musical working memory by comparing nontonal language (Finnish) speakers and tonal language (Chinese) speakers. For both language backgrounds, musicians and nonmusicians were recruited. In an experimenter-monitored online paradigm, participants performed a forward-memory task measuring the maintenance of musical sequences, and a backward-memory task measuring the manipulation of musical sequences. We found that maintenance of music sequences was facilitated in Chinese participants compared with Finnish participants, with musicians outperforming nonmusicians. However, performance in the backward-memory task did not differ between Chinese and Finnish participants, independently of music expertise. The presence or absence of tonal structure in the musical sequences did not affect the advantage of Chinese over Finnish participants in either maintenance or manipulation of the musical sequences. Overall, these findings suggest that Mandarin Chinese speakers have facilitated maintenance of musical sounds, compared with Finnish speakers, regardless of musical expertise and the presence of tonal structure. Our study furthers the understanding of language-to-music transfer and provides insights into cross-cultural differences in music cognition.

We found the review titled "The Therapeutic Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Post-stroke Aphasia and the Optimal Treatment Parameters: A Meta-analysis" in the recent issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to be quite intriguing. 1 Wang C Nie P Wang P Wang Y Zang Y Zhang Y. The Therapeutic effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation on post-stroke aphasia and the optimal treatment parameters: a meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2023 Nov 18; ([Epub ahead of print]) Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the overall efficacy of and optimal parameters for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for poststroke aphasia through subgroup analyses (eg, study design, TMS protocol). After a comprehensive examination of the entire text and thoughtful consideration, we have some suggestions that we would like to bring to the attention of the authors. Response to the Letter to the Editor on "The Therapeutic Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Post-stroke Aphasia and the Optimal Treatment Parameters: A Meta-analysis"Archives of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationPreviewThanks so much for your comments and suggestions. We used RoB 2, and ROBIS-I tool examined the study quality for RCT and non-RCT study independently. For RCT study, the overall risk of bias of 8 studies is "low", the overall risk of bias of 8 studies is "remains concern" (supplementary table 1, available online only at http://www.archives-pmr.org/ ). For non-RCT study, the overall bias of 1 study is "moderate" (supplementary table 2, available online only at http://www.archives-pmr.org/ ). Full-Text PDF

The nurturing of offspring within divorced families has consistently been a matter of concern. Parental divorce is a pivotal environmental determinant influencing the progression of adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Apart from the family, school serves as another significant sphere for adolescents, hence, school acceptance and support might also bear a substantial impact on shaping adolescents’ prosocial behavior. This investigation undertook a comprehensive longitudinal survey to elucidate the correlation between parental divorce and prosocial behavior in adolescents, subsequently exploring the moderating role of school acceptance and support on the connection between parental divorce and prosocial behavior. A collective sample of 1,655 and 1,322 Chinese adolescents partook in this study during the first year (Term 1 - T1) and the subsequent year (Term 2 - T2), respectively. The findings demonstrated that parental divorce was negatively correlated with prosocial behavior in adolescents, both concurrently and longitudinally. Additionally, school acceptance and support altered the relationship between parental divorce and prosocial behavior. Specifically, school acceptance and support could ameliorate the detrimental effect of parental divorce on prosocial behavior in adolescents. This study provides a unique perspective which may be beneficial in fostering adolescents’ prosocial behavior in divorced households.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to examine the overall effectiveness of TMS on post-stroke aphasia using a meta-analysis approach, as well as examine the effect of moderating variables (eg, study design, TMS protocol) on the effectiveness of TMS. Data Sources: A keyword search was conducted in 5 databases: ERIC, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and ProQuest (01/1985-12/2022). The search algorithm included all possible combinations of relevant keywords. Full-text articles were thoroughly examined using forward/backward search methods. Study Selection: Studies were thoroughly screened using the following inclusion criteria: patients were diagnosed with post-stroke aphasia; studies focused on the effect of TMS on post-stroke aphasia; language assessments were conducted at pretest and posttest for TMS treatment and data were reported; studies included both an experimental group (ie, a group with TMS treatment) and a control group (ie, a group without TMS Data Extraction: Information was extracted from each study including authors, publication year, first language of participants, study design, stroke duration, demographics of participants, TMS protocol, stimulation site, targeting, and statistical data of language performance pre- and post-TMS treatment. Data Synthesis: A total of 17 studies were included in the final review, involving 682 patients with post-stroke aphasia (348 in the experimental group, 334 in the control group). The results showed that TMS treatment has significant immediate (Hedges' g=0.37) and maintenance (Hedges' g=0.34) effects on post-stroke aphasia. Additionally, the moderating variables showed a moderation effect on the effectiveness of TMS. Conclusion: TMS treatment can significantly improve language ability for post-stroke aphasia. Additionally, this study provides an important reference for selecting the optimal TMS treatment parameters in treating post-stroke aphasia. Specifically, administering 15 sessions of rTMS lasting 10 min over the mirror area within Broca's area may produce the best TMS treatment outcomes. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2024;105:1388-98 (c) 2023 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Belief in a just world (BJW) has been found to have a positive effect on life satisfaction, which is an important part of well-being. However, previous studies have been cross-sectional and mainly focused on adults and older people. Thus, the longitudinal relationships between BJW (including both general BJW and personal BJW) and life satisfaction remain unclear, particularly in adolescents, who are in an important stage of academic, emotional, and personality development. The present study investigated the longitudinal relationships between BJW (general BJW and personal BJW) and life satisfaction in adolescents, and further investigated the mediating effect of peer relationships in this relationship. Participants (Time 1: n = 1156; Time 2: n = 930) were Chinese secondary vocational school students. Participants completed measures of BJW, life satisfaction, and peer relationships at both Time 1 and Time 2. The correlations analysis and cross-lagged panel model were performed. The results revealed that BJW (general BJW and personal BJW) was positively correlated with the life satisfaction, both concurrently and longitudinally. In addition, peer relationships mediated the relationship between BJW and life satisfaction. That is, adolescents with a stronger BJW had better peer relationships, which led to increased life satisfaction. This study provides a new perspective that could help to improve adolescents’ life satisfaction. The present results have important implications for promoting life satisfaction and well-being in adolescents at secondary vocational schools. Schools, families, and societies should pay more attention to the BJW and peer relationships of adolescents.

This randomized controlled trial study aimed to examine what experience other than immersion may help adult learners read with native-like neural responses. We compared a group of 13 native Chinese English learners completing English letter-sound association training with another group of 12 completing visual symbol-sound association training and included one group of native English readers as the reference. The results showed that after three hours of training, all learners no longer showed attenuated cross-modal mismatch negativity (MMN) to English letter-sound integration as in the pretest. After six hours of training, the learners receiving English letter-sound association training showed enhanced cross-modal MMN and theta oscillations, as native English readers did. The enhanced neural responses were significantly correlated with better phonological awareness. Thus, with training specific to critical second language reading skills of appropriate dosages, adult learners can overcome the constraints of their native language background and learn to read with native-like neural responses.

Sensation seeking has been extensively demonstrated as a risk factor for substance use. Potential bidirectional associations between sensation seeking and substance use at the within-person level are incompletely understood. The present study examined longitudinal trajectories of sensation seeking and substance use and bidirectional longitudinal associations between sensation seeking and substance use in Chinese adolescents during a 3-year period over three time points. A total of 10,138 adolescents (59.8%) male; Mage = 16.77, SD = 0.83 at time (1) were surveyed. Sensation seeking and substance use frequency increased concomitantly over time. At the within-person level, sensation seeking and substance use were reciprocally predictable, and there were no evidence of sex difference in longitudinal associations. This study provides unique data concerning the relationship between sensation seeking and substance use in a sample of Chinese adolescents, and highlights the importance of identifying sensation seeking behaviors to prevent substance use.

Both second language speech processing and general auditory processing are important for second language learning. It remains unclear, however, how second language immersion and musical experience affect second language speech and general auditory processing. Thus, the present study aimed to examine this research question. Native Chinese speakers with intermediate English proficiency (intermediate English learners), native Chinese speakers with English immersion experience (immersed English learners), native Chinese speakers with professional music training experience for more than 10 years (native Chinese-speaking musicians), and native English speakers completed both speech and general auditory oddball tasks. The results found that compared with intermediate English learners and native Chinese-speaking musicians, both immersed English learners and native English speakers showed significantly larger mismatch negativity (MMN) in the speech oddball task, indicating second language immersion experience could facilitate speech processing. However, for general auditory processing, no significant differences in MMN were found among the groups. In summary, second language immersion experience could benefit second language speech processing but not general auditory processing, suggesting the effect of second language immersion is domain-specific (i.e., speech perception). This study fills the gap in understanding the role of different learning experiences on second language learning.

Abstract Native language background exerts constraints on the individual's brain automatic response while learning a second language. It remains unclear, however, whether second language immersion experience could help the brain overcome such constraints and meet the requirements of a second language. This study compared native Chinese speakers with English-as-a-second-language immersion experience (immersive English learners), native Chinese speakers without English-as-a-second-language immersion experience (nonimmersive English learners), and native English speakers with an ERP cross-modal MMN paradigm. The results found that English-as-a-second-language immersion could benefit speech perception for native Chinese speakers. In addition, both immersive English learners and native English speakers showed enhanced cross-modal MMN, indicating that second language immersion could help native Chinese speakers successfully integrate English letter–sound like native English speakers. The present study further revealed that English listening and speaking exposure in an immersive environment is important in English letter–sound integration for immersive English learners.

Based on 378 studies, 541 independent samples, and over 34,000 participants, the current meta-analysis aimed to explore the associations between cognition and reading difficulties (RD). Results showed that compared with age-matched typically developing (TD) peers, RD showed deficits across processing speed, short-term memory, attention, working memory, inhibition, switching, visuospatial skills, and updating (g = -0.72 to -0.48), with more individual differences in inhibition, processing speed, switching, attention, visuospatial skills, and short-term memory (The natural logarithm of ratio of standard deviations [SDR] = .03-.17). The cognitive deficits among those with RD were more severe with age, with lower reading and intelligence (IQ) scores, and with verbal cognitive tasks. Individual differences in cognitive skills among those with RD were larger with age, with comprehensive/nonverbal IQ identification, and with reading comprehension identification. Comorbidity did not affect the cognitive profile of RD strongly. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling showed phonological processing and language comprehension explained over 70% of the variance between RD and TD across cognitive skills, yet executive function and visuospatial skills contributed uniquely to RD. These findings highlight a domain-specific cognitive path to RD. That is, cognitive deficits may lead to insufficient language development, causing RD indirectly. However, the association between cognitive deficits and RD is not unidirectional or static. Across development, insufficient accumulation of language skills among those with RD also affects cognitive development, especially in the verbal domain. Without high-quality and sustained instruction, such reciprocal associations between cognitive deficits and RD, forming a vicious circle, may be one major reason for persistent reading struggles among individuals with RD. Public Significance Statement Reading difficulties (RD) are related to a comprehensive set of cognitive deficits, yet there are large individual differences among individuals with RD on most cognitive skills. Executive function and visuospatial skills are uniquely related to RD even after controlling for language skills. These findings suggest that a comprehensive cognitive evaluation may provide more accurate information for individualized instruction for individuals with RD: Either addresses and compensates for cognitive deficits or utilizes cognitive strengths within the framework of explicit instruction on phonological processing, language comprehension, and reading.

It is important to investigate whether subjective health mediated the relationship between personality and life satisfaction, and whether the rural-to-urban migration experience moderated this relationship via subjective health. The findings could inform ways to promote subjective health and improve life satisfaction for rural-to-urban migrant adolescents and young adults. However, few studies have examined these research questions, and the present study therefore investigated them. Participants were recruited from six high schools and universities, and were selected randomly at each school using the cluster random sampling method. A total of 943 Chinese adolescents and young adults participated in the study (17.18 ± 1.76 years old; 415 with rural-to-urban migration experience and 528 without migration experience). The NEO-Five-Factor inventory, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and subjective health complaints were implemented. The results showed that subjective health was significantly correlated with both personality and life satisfaction. In addition, subjective health mediated the relationship between personality and life satisfaction. Moderated mediation analysis further indicated that the direct and indirect relationships between personality and life satisfaction were moderated by the rural-to-urban migration experience. The indirect effect of the extraversion dimension of personality on life satisfaction via subjective health was weaker for rural-to-urban migrant adolescents than for nonmigrant adolescents and young adults. In summary, subjective health mediated the relationship between personality and life satisfaction; further, the rural-to-urban migration experience moderated the relationship between personality and life satisfaction via subjective health, which fills the knowledge gaps.

The present two-year longitudinal study aimed to examine the relationship between depression and reasoning ability in adolescents, and further investigated the modulation effect of growth mindset on this relationship. A total of 1,961 and 1,667 Chinese adolescents participated in the study for the first year (T1) and second year (T2), respectively. The results showed that T1 depression was negatively correlated with T1 growth mindset (r = −0.35, p < 0.001), T1 reasoning (r = −0.30, p < 0.001), and T2 reasoning (r = −0.23, p < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that T1 depression and the interaction between T1 depression and T1 growth mindset significantly predicted T1 reasoning (β = −0.220/−0.044, all ps < 0.05). After controlling for gender, age, family socioeconomic status, and T1 reasoning ability, both T1 depression and the interaction between T1 depression and T1 growth mindset still significantly predicted T2 reasoning (β = −0.104/β = 0.054, all ps < 0.05). The simple slope analysis found that the negative correlation between depression and reasoning in the high growth mindset group was weaker than that of the low growth mindset group in both T1 and T2, suggesting that growth mindset plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between depression and reasoning. In conclusion, depression was negatively correlated with reasoning ability in adolescents, in addition, growth mindset moderated the relationship between depression and reasoning.

Music expertise is known to be beneficial for cognitive function and development. In this study, we conducted 1-year music training for school children (n = 123; 7–11 years of age before training) in China. The children were assigned to music or second-language after-class training groups. A passive control group was included. We aimed to investigate whether music training could facilitate working memory (WM) development compared to second-language training and no training. Before and after the training, auditory WM was measured via a digit span (DS) task, together with the vocabulary and block tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Child IV (WISC-IV). The results of the DS task revealed superior development in the music group compared to the other groups. However, further analysis of DS forward and backward tasks indicated that the performance of the three training/non-training groups only differed significantly in DS backward scores, but not in the DS forward scores. We conclude that music training may benefit the central executive system of WM, as reflected by the DS backward task.

Substance use is an important risk factor for physical and mental health, particularly in adolescents and young adults. The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) is a standardized questionnaire to measure personality traits linked to reinforcement-specific substance use profiles. However, the reliability and validity of Chinese version of the SURPS remains unknown. We therefore examined the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS. A total of 1,431 Chinese adolescents and young adults were enrolled in the study. We used the construct validity, internal reliability, and criteria-related validity analysis to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS. The Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS had a better construct validity than the original 28- and 23-item SURPS. The Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS had adequate internal reliability (0.69–0.76) for all four dimensions (Anxiety Sensitivity, Sensation Seeking, Hopelessness, Impulsivity). In addition, the criteria-related validity of the Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS was revealed by significant correlations with depression, life satisfaction, and personality traits. The Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS predicted 37% of substance use (frequency of smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use). The present study revealed that the Chinese version of the 23-item SURPS is a reliable and effective measure of personality traits that are linked to substance-related behavior in Chinese adolescents and young adults.

Sensitive perception to environmental sound is important for an individual's daily life since it helps in responding to the environment quickly and avoiding potential risks. It remains unclear, however, whether and how bilingual experiences with different native language backgrounds influence brain responses reflecting environmental sound perception. The present study compared Chinese-English bilinguals, Spanish-English bilinguals, and English monolinguals on their brain response to environmental sound perception and further examined its processing mechanism. The present study did not find the differences between English monolinguals and two bilingual groups on the environmental sound perception. However, we found that compared with Spanish-English bilinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals showed significantly larger mismatch negativity (MMN), indicating that Chinese-English bilinguals were more sensitive to the environmental sounds than that of Spanish-English bilinguals. Further, compared with Spanish-English bilinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals showed significantly larger theta oscillation. In addition, the theta oscillation is significantly correlated with MMN for Chinese-English bilinguals. The results indicated that the advantage of Chinese-English bilingual experience on environmental sound perception may be due to the enhanced top-down cognitive ability. In summary, these findings suggest that compared with the Spanish-English bilinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals showed an advantage in environmental sound perception via enhanced top-down cognitive modulation.