VOA慢速英語(yǔ)：睡眠期間是否可以進(jìn)行語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)?

Can Language Learning Happen During Sleep?

睡眠期間是否可以進(jìn)行語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)?

A new study suggests some language learning can take place during sleep.

一項(xiàng)新的研究表明睡眠期間也能學(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)言。

Researchers from Switzerland's University of Bern say they discovered people were able to learn new language words during deep levels of sleep. Results of the study recently appeared in the publication Current Biology.

瑞士伯爾尼大學(xué)的研究人員表示，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)人們?cè)谏疃人咂陂g能夠?qū)W習(xí)新語(yǔ)言。該研究結(jié)果最近發(fā)表在《當(dāng)代生物學(xué)》雜志上。

Sleeping hours are generally considered unproductive time. But several studies have suggested some learning activity can happen. Studies involving mice provided evidence that sleep learning is possible in the brain of mammals.

睡眠時(shí)間通常被認(rèn)為是非生產(chǎn)時(shí)間，但是一些研究表明這期間也能進(jìn)行學(xué)習(xí)活動(dòng)。小白鼠的研究提供了證據(jù)，證明睡眠學(xué)習(xí)在哺乳動(dòng)物的大腦中是可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的。

Other human studies, the Swiss researchers said, found that simple learning through sounds may be possible during sleep. But they added that "complex verbal learning" has not yet been demonstrated.

瑞士研究人員表示，其它的人類(lèi)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，也許能夠在睡眠期間通過(guò)聲音進(jìn)行簡(jiǎn)單的學(xué)習(xí)。但是他們補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，復(fù)雜的語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)尚未得到證實(shí)。

Much of the earlier research found that memories made when people were awake were reinforced and strengthened during sleep. This supported the idea that information learned while awake is replayed and deeply embedded in the sleeping brain.

許多早期研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，人們?cè)谇逍褧r(shí)生成的記憶在睡眠期間得到了鞏固加強(qiáng)。這也證實(shí)清醒時(shí)獲得的信息，在睡眠期間被回放并深深植入到大腦中。

The researchers theorized that, if replay during sleep improves the storage of information that is learned while awake, the processing and storage of new information should also be possible during sleep.

研究人員推測(cè)，如果睡眠期間的回放改善了清醒時(shí)所獲信息的存儲(chǔ)，那么在睡眠期間應(yīng)該也可以處理和儲(chǔ)存新的信息。

The research group was led by Katharina Henke, a professor at the University of Bern and founder of the school's Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory. The researchers carried out experiments on a group of young German-speaking men and women.

該研究小組由伯爾尼大學(xué)教授以及該校認(rèn)知、學(xué)習(xí)和記憶中心創(chuàng)始人凱瑟琳娜·亨克(Katharina Henke)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。研究人員對(duì)一組說(shuō)德語(yǔ)的青年進(jìn)行了實(shí)驗(yàn)。

The experiments centered on periods of deep sleep called "up-states." They identified these slow-wave peaks as the best moments for sleep-learning.

該實(shí)驗(yàn)集中在深度睡眠期間，也就是所謂的上升狀態(tài)期間。他們認(rèn)為這些慢波峰值點(diǎn)是睡眠學(xué)習(xí)的最佳時(shí)刻。

During normal sleep, human brain cells are commonly active for a short period of time before they enter a state of brief inactivity, the researchers said. The two states are continuously changing.

研究人員表示，在正常睡眠期間，人類(lèi)腦細(xì)胞在進(jìn)入短暫不活躍狀態(tài)之前，通常會(huì)處于短時(shí)間的活躍狀態(tài)。這兩種狀態(tài)不斷變化。

The researchers observed individuals in a controlled environment during brief periods of sleep. They recorded brain activity as pairs of words were played for the study subjects. One word in the pair was a real German word. The other was a made-up foreign word.

研究人員觀察了在可控環(huán)境中處于短暫睡眠期間的實(shí)驗(yàn)個(gè)體。他們給研究對(duì)象播放了成組的單詞，同時(shí)記錄了大腦活動(dòng)。單詞組中其中一個(gè)是真正的德語(yǔ)單詞，另一個(gè)是編造的單詞。

For later identification purposes, the German words chosen were things clearly larger or smaller than a shoebox.

為了隨后的識(shí)別目的，被選中的這些德語(yǔ)單詞都是明顯比鞋盒大或者小的物體。

Each word pair was played four times, with the order of the words changed each time. The researchers said the word pairs were played at a rhythm that is similar to actual brain activity during deep sleep.

每組單詞播放四次，單詞播放順序每次都有所變化。研究人員表示，這些單詞組的播放節(jié)奏跟深度睡眠期間的實(shí)際大腦活動(dòng)相似。

The goal was to create a lasting memory link between the false word and the German word that individuals could identify when awake.

目的是在這些假單詞和德語(yǔ)單詞之間建立一種持久的記憶聯(lián)系，讓實(shí)驗(yàn)個(gè)體在清醒時(shí)能夠識(shí)別出來(lái)。

When the subjects woke, they were presented with the false language words – both by sight and sound. They were then asked to guess whether the false word played during sleep represented an object smaller or larger than a shoebox.

當(dāng)實(shí)驗(yàn)對(duì)象清醒時(shí)，他們-同時(shí)通過(guò)視覺(jué)和聽(tīng)覺(jué)接觸到了這些虛假的單詞。然后要求他們猜測(cè)在睡眠期間播放的這些假單詞代表比鞋盒更大還是更小的物體。

During this part of the experiment, some of the subjects had their brain activity recorded by magnetic imaging technology. This was meant to measure brain activity when the subjects were giving their answers to the questions.

在這部分實(shí)驗(yàn)中，一些受試者的大腦活動(dòng)被通過(guò)核磁共振成像技術(shù)記錄了下來(lái)。這是為了測(cè)量受試者在回答這些問(wèn)題時(shí)的大腦活動(dòng)。

Results of the study found that a majority of subjects gave more correct answers about the sleep-learned words than would be expected if they had only guessed at random.

研究結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)，大多數(shù)受試者在回答有關(guān)睡眠學(xué)習(xí)單詞時(shí)的正確率都超過(guò)了如果是隨機(jī)猜測(cè)的情況。

The researchers said they measured increased signals affecting a part of the brain known as the hippocampus. This brain structure is very important for building relational memory during non-sleep periods. The researchers said memory was best for word pairs presented during slow-wave peaks during sleep.

研究人員表示，他們測(cè)量到影響大腦海馬體部分的信號(hào)不斷加大。海馬體這種大腦結(jié)構(gòu)對(duì)于在非睡眠期間建立關(guān)系記憶非常重要。研究人員表示，單詞組記憶最佳點(diǎn)出現(xiàn)在睡眠期間的慢波峰值點(diǎn)。

The study suggests that memory formation in sleep appears to be caused by the same brain structures that support vocabulary learning while awake.

該研究表明，睡眠中的記憶形成似乎是由清醒期間支持詞匯學(xué)習(xí)的相同大腦結(jié)構(gòu)所引起的。

The researchers say more studies are needed to support their findings. However, the experiments do provide new evidence that memories can be formed and vocabulary learning can take place in both conscious and unconscious states.

研究人員稱(chēng)還需要進(jìn)行更多研究來(lái)支持他們的研究結(jié)果。然而，這些實(shí)驗(yàn)確實(shí)提供了新的證據(jù)，表明在有意識(shí)和無(wú)意識(shí)狀態(tài)下，都可以形成記憶并進(jìn)行詞匯學(xué)習(xí)。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布萊恩·琳恩報(bào)道。