Language development in the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic : evidence from audiovisual speech perception

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing and mask-wearing were effective preventive measures implemented globally, which dramatically changed the environment where children acquire language. However, whether these long-term protective measures, designed to reduce interpersonal interaction, impact speech development among children remains unclear. Audiovisual speech perception, a crucial component of language acquisition, was investigated using the McGurk paradigm among two groups of 5–6-year-old children native to the same language (i.e., Cantonese) but from regions implementing differing public measures against the pandemic, i.e., Hong Kong (HK) vs. mainland China. Results showed that HK children experiencing stricter and prolonged mandatory measures demonstrated reduced visual reliance when processing incongruent stimuli, especially under the noisy condition, compared to their mainland China counterparts. Combining a tendency to identify congruent stimuli less accurately, slower development in audiovisual speech processing is suggested among HK children. The results raise the possibility that social changes during public health crises could influence language development, perhaps via changes in the surrounding environment. Policymakers may need to exercise heightened caution when considering the developmental needs of children.