Engagement of networks related to attention, executive function, and sensory processing during parental vs experimenter story-listening: an fMRI study.

BACKGROUND

Caregivers shape children's reading abilities and neural networks. While joint reading is well-studied, the impact of parental storytelling on reading-related networks (executive function [EF], attention, sensory processing) before and at the early stages of reading acquisition remains unclear. This study examines whether parental storytelling differentially influences these networks compared to an experimenter's narration.

METHODS

Twenty-four Hebrew-speaking children (5.0-7.11 years; six females) and their parents participated. Pre-literacy and cognitive skills were assessed, and parents completed cognitive control and language questionnaires. Functional MRI data were collected as children listened to their parent narrate a picture-book story and an experimenter read an age-matched story. Functional connectivity within and between attention, EF, language, and sensory networks was analyzed and correlated with behavioral measures.

RESULTS

Parental storytelling elicited stronger connectivity across all networks. Increased EF, attention, and sensory network connectivity correlated positively with book exposure and negatively with reading hours. Stronger sensory processing connectivity during parental narration was linked to better pre-literacy skills. Enhanced audiovisual integration correlated with home literacy, pre-literacy, and later reading abilities.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental storytelling engages reading-related networks, supporting pre-literacy and future reading skills beyond exposure to an unfamiliar reader.

IMPACT

The literature in the field of parent-child interaction and language development repeatedly points to the benefit of book reading to the child with respect to language development. However, whether there is a particular benefit specifically for parental reading is unknown and whether the child's brain is stimulated differently when the parent is reading a book (vs an experimenter) is also unknown. Our results show that parental reading engages brain regions related to cognitive abilities, attention, language abilities and future reading skills in children even prior to reading age. Parental reading is important for the development of these brain regions.