Previous research has shown a link between sequentiallearning (SL) and language as well as links between executivefunction (EF) and both language and SL. However, littleresearch has focused on both the development of therelationship between these factors and their neurologicalunderpinnings. Here we report a study of the event-relatedpotential (ERP) correlates of SL and behavioral measures oflanguage and EF in a sample of 7-12-year-old children.Results revealed that both SL and EF had independentassociations with language development but that thecontribution that both made toward language developmentshifted dramatically between the ages of 7 to 11-12 years. Theresults furthermore suggest that this developmental shift maybe due in part to the maturation of EF abilities and changesdue to neural entrenchment and commitment as aconsequence of language acquisition.

Statistical learning (SL) is believed to be a mechanism that enables successful language acquisition. Language acquisition in turn is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as socioeconomic status (SES). However, it is unknown to what extent SL abilities interact with SES in affecting language outcomes. To examine this potential interaction, we measured event-related potentials (ERPs) in 38 children aged 7-12 while performing a visual SL task consisting of a sequence of stimuli that contained covert statistical probabilities that predicted a target stimulus. Hierarchical regression results indicated that SL ability moderated the relationship between SES (average of both caregiver’s education level) and language scores (grammar, and marginally with receptive vocabulary). For children with high SL ability, SES had a weaker effect on language compared to children with low SL ability, suggesting that having good SL abilities could help ameliorate the disadvantages associated with being raised in a family with lower SES.