Academic Journal
View in EDS

Statistical learning in childhood: Dimensions, developmental trajectory, and relation with cognitive control.

Bibliographic Details
Title: Statistical learning in childhood: Dimensions, developmental trajectory, and relation with cognitive control.
Authors: Johnston M; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom., Dolan J; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom., Nemeth D; CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, INSERM, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France.; NAP Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University and Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.; Gran Canaria Cognitive Research Center, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Atlántico Medio, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain., Chevalier N; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Source: Child development [Child Dev] 2026 Jul 03; Vol. 97 (4), pp. 1068-1085.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0372725 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-8624 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00093920 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Child Dev Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishers
Original Publication: [Chicago, etc.] : Published by the University of Chicago Press for the Society for Research in Child Development [etc.]
MeSH Terms: Child Development*/physiology , Executive Function*/physiology , Learning*/physiology , Probability Learning*, Humans ; Female ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Male
Abstract: Compared to other developmental processes, such as cognitive control, there is relatively little consensus on the developmental trajectory of statistical learning (the ability to implicitly extract environmental regularities). The literature is further complicated as statistical learning may comprise distinct subtypes, differing in the regularities being tracked. Three statistical learning abilities and cognitive control were assessed in one hundred eighty-seven 5-12-year-olds (42.8% female, 84.6% White) at a university laboratory between March 2023 and August 2024. The ability to extract cue-based and nonadjacent statistics was age invariant, whereas adjacent dependency extraction yielded a greater benefit in younger than in older children. Despite research suggesting immature top-down guidance facilitates statistical learning, there was only weak evidence of an association with cognitive control, and the direction of these associations varied between "online" and "offline" measures of children's sensitivity to adjacent dependencies. Importantly, the different subtypes were uncorrelated, supporting the notion that statistical learning is multifaceted.
(© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development.)
Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: There is no conflict of interest to declare.
Grant Information: RPG-2021-235 Developmental dynamics between cognitive control and statistical learning
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: cognitive control; developmental trajectory; implicit learning; statistical learning
Local Abstract: [plain-language-summary] Young children are excellent learners and can pick up repeated patterns through mere exposure. For example, infants learn which syllables tend to go together in speech. We explored how this implicit learning ability, also known as “statistical learning,” changes throughout middle childhood. One hundred eighty-seven 5–12-year-olds completed computerized tasks assessing learning of three types of statistical regularities. Children showed no age differences in learning cue-based patterns (i.e., when a cue indicates presence of something important in the environment) or complex patterns when certain events occur more often than others. However, older children were somewhat less sensitive than younger children to patterns of visual shapes appearing one after another. Importantly, performance across the three different tasks was unrelated, potentially suggesting that statistical learning has multiple different components.
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260413 Date Completed: 20260703 Latest Revision: 20260703
Update Code: 20260704
DOI: 10.1093/chidev/aacag031
PMID: 41973827
Database: MEDLINE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: http://www.jstor.org/openurl?issn=14678624&date=2026&volume=97&issue=4&spage=1068
    Name: JSTOR (all content) (s7799221)
    Category: fullText
    Text:
    Icon: https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/branding/jstor/iconJSTOR.gif
    MouseOverText: Full Text from JSTOR
  – Url: https://resolver.ebsco.com/c/fiv2js/result?sid=EBSCO:cmedm&genre=article&issn=14678624&ISBN=&volume=97&issue=4&date=20260703&spage=1068&pages=1068-1085&title=Child development&atitle=Statistical%20learning%20in%20childhood%3A%20Dimensions%2C%20developmental%20trajectory%2C%20and%20relation%20with%20cognitive%20control.&aulast=Johnston%20M&id=DOI:10.1093/chidev/aacag031
    Name: Full Text Finder (for New FTF UI) (ns324271)
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text Finder
    MouseOverText: Full Text Finder
Header DbId: cmedm
DbLabel: MEDLINE
An: 41973827
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Statistical learning in childhood: Dimensions, developmental trajectory, and relation with cognitive control.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Johnston+M%22">Johnston M</searchLink>; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Dolan+J%22">Dolan J</searchLink>; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Nemeth+D%22">Nemeth D</searchLink>; CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, INSERM, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France.; NAP Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University and Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.; Gran Canaria Cognitive Research Center, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Atlántico Medio, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Chevalier+N%22">Chevalier N</searchLink>; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%220372725%22">Child development</searchLink> [Child Dev] 2026 Jul 03; Vol. 97 (4), pp. 1068-1085.
– Name: TypePub
  Label: Publication Type
  Group: TypPub
  Data: Journal Article
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Journal Info
  Group: Src
  Data: <i>Publisher: </i><searchLink fieldCode="PB" term="%22Blackwell+Publishers%22">Blackwell Publishers </searchLink><i>Country of Publication: </i>England <i>NLM ID: </i>0372725 <i>Publication Model: </i>Print <i>Cited Medium: </i>Internet <i>ISSN: </i>1467-8624 (Electronic) <i>Linking ISSN: </i><searchLink fieldCode="IS" term="%2200093920%22">00093920 </searchLink><i>NLM ISO Abbreviation: </i>Child Dev <i>Subsets: </i>MEDLINE
– Name: PublisherInfo
  Label: Imprint Name(s)
  Group: PubInfo
  Data: <i>Publication</i>: Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishers<br /><i>Original Publication</i>: [Chicago, etc.] : Published by the University of Chicago Press for the Society for Research in Child Development [etc.]
– Name: SubjectMESH
  Label: MeSH Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Child+Development%22">Child Development*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Child+Development+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Executive+Function%22">Executive Function*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Executive+Function+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Learning%22">Learning*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Learning+physiology%22">physiology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Probability+Learning%22">Probability Learning*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Humans%22">Humans</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Female%22">Female</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Child%22">Child</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Child%2C+Preschool%22">Child, Preschool</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Male%22">Male</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Compared to other developmental processes, such as cognitive control, there is relatively little consensus on the developmental trajectory of statistical learning (the ability to implicitly extract environmental regularities). The literature is further complicated as statistical learning may comprise distinct subtypes, differing in the regularities being tracked. Three statistical learning abilities and cognitive control were assessed in one hundred eighty-seven 5-12-year-olds (42.8% female, 84.6% White) at a university laboratory between March 2023 and August 2024. The ability to extract cue-based and nonadjacent statistics was age invariant, whereas adjacent dependency extraction yielded a greater benefit in younger than in older children. Despite research suggesting immature top-down guidance facilitates statistical learning, there was only weak evidence of an association with cognitive control, and the direction of these associations varied between "online" and "offline" measures of children's sensitivity to adjacent dependencies. Importantly, the different subtypes were uncorrelated, supporting the notion that statistical learning is multifaceted.<br /> (© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
  Group: Ab
  Data: Conflicts of interest: There is no conflict of interest to declare.
– Name: GrantInfo
  Label: Grant Information
  Group: Grant
  Data: RPG-2021-235 Developmental dynamics between cognitive control and statistical learning
– Name: SubjectMinor
  Label: Contributed Indexing
  Group:
  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>cognitive control; developmental trajectory; implicit learning; statistical learning<br /><i>Local Abstract: </i>[plain-language-summary] Young children are excellent learners and can pick up repeated patterns through mere exposure. For example, infants learn which syllables tend to go together in speech. We explored how this implicit learning ability, also known as “statistical learning,” changes throughout middle childhood. One hundred eighty-seven 5–12-year-olds completed computerized tasks assessing learning of three types of statistical regularities. Children showed no age differences in learning cue-based patterns (i.e., when a cue indicates presence of something important in the environment) or complex patterns when certain events occur more often than others. However, older children were somewhat less sensitive than younger children to patterns of visual shapes appearing one after another. Importantly, performance across the three different tasks was unrelated, potentially suggesting that statistical learning has multiple different components.
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date(s)
  Group: Date
  Data: <i>Date Created: </i>20260413 <i>Date Completed: </i>20260703 <i>Latest Revision: </i>20260703
– Name: DateUpdate
  Label: Update Code
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260704
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1093/chidev/aacag031
– Name: AN
  Label: PMID
  Group: ID
  Data: 41973827
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=cmedm&AN=41973827
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1093/chidev/aacag031
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        StartPage: 1068
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Humans
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Female
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child, Preschool
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Male
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child Development physiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Executive Function physiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning physiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Probability Learning
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Statistical learning in childhood: Dimensions, developmental trajectory, and relation with cognitive control.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Johnston M
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Dolan J
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Nemeth D
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Chevalier N
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 03
              M: 07
              Text: 2026 Jul 03
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1467-8624
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 97
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Child development
              Type: main
ResultId 1