Neural responses in novice learners’ perceptual learning and generalization of lexical tones: The effect of training variability

AbstractSleep-mediated overnight consolidation was found to facilitate perceptual learning by promoting learners’ generalization across talkers in their perception of novel segmental categories. Lexical tone differs from most segmental contrasts in that it is highly variable across talkers, and displays dynamic change over time. It remains unclear whether a similar (or a larger) effect of overnight consolidation would be found for perceptual learning of novel tonal contrasts. Thus, this study aims to examine whether overnight consolidation facilitates generalization across talkers in the discrimination and identification of novel Cantonese level tones by Mandarin listeners. Two groups of Mandarin listeners were perceptually trained either in the morning or in the evening. Listeners were trained in a tone identification (ID) task using stimuli produced by a trained talker. Their development was then tested in the ID and AX discrimination tasks using stimuli produced by trained and untrained talkers in three posttests following training: immediately after training, 12-hour delay, and 24-hour delay. While the evening group slept between the first and second posttests, the morning group did not. The results of accuracy rates in the ID task showed that while Mandarin listeners trained in the evening showed an improved trend, predicted by their individual sleep time, in identifying the level tones produced by both the trained and untrained talkers, Mandarin listeners trained in the morning showed a declining trend. In contrast, the results of d-prime scores in the AX discrimination task did not show different developmental patterns between the two groups. Consistent with previous studies on segmental learning, the finding suggests that overnight consolidation might have assisted the evening trainees’ formation of a more abstract (talker-independent) representation of novel tone categories in memory traces. The results are discussed regarding the features of lexical tones to shed light on the mechanism of phonetic learning.

Download Full-text

Effects of native language experience on perceptual learning of Cantonese lexical tones

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4783669 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 115 (5) ◽

pp. 2544-2544

Author(s):

Alexander L. Francis ◽

Valter Ciocca ◽

Lian Ma

Keyword(s):

Perceptual Learning ◽

Native Language ◽

Language Experience ◽

Lexical Tones

Download Full-text

Perceptual learning of lexical tones by native speakers of English

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4877742 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 135 (4) ◽

pp. 2353-2354 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Guannan Shen ◽

Erika Levy ◽

Karen Froud

Keyword(s):

Perceptual Learning ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Lexical Tones ◽

Native Speakers Of English

Download Full-text

On the Relationship Between General Auditory Sensitivity and Speech Perception: An Examination of Pitch and Lexical Tone Perception in 4- to 6-Year-Old Children

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-19-00104 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 487-498

Author(s):

Puisan Wong ◽

Man Wai Cheng

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Developmental Trajectory ◽

Auditory Sensitivity ◽

Pitch Discrimination ◽

Lexical Tone ◽

Perceptual Training ◽

Lexical Tones ◽

Tone Perception ◽

Tone Discrimination

Purpose Theoretical models and substantial research have proposed that general auditory sensitivity is a developmental foundation for speech perception and language acquisition. Nonetheless, controversies exist about the effectiveness of general auditory training in improving speech and language skills. This research investigated the relationships among general auditory sensitivity, phonemic speech perception, and word-level speech perception via the examination of pitch and lexical tone perception in children. Method Forty-eight typically developing 4- to 6-year-old Cantonese-speaking children were tested on the discrimination of the pitch patterns of lexical tones in synthetic stimuli, discrimination of naturally produced lexical tones, and identification of lexical tone in familiar words. Results The findings revealed that accurate lexical tone discrimination and identification did not necessarily entail the accurate discrimination of nonlinguistic stimuli that followed the pitch levels and pitch shapes of lexical tones. Although pitch discrimination and tone discrimination abilities were strongly correlated, accuracy in pitch discrimination was lower than that in tone discrimination, and nonspeech pitch discrimination ability did not precede linguistic tone discrimination in the developmental trajectory. Conclusions Contradicting the theoretical models, the findings of this study suggest that general auditory sensitivity and speech perception may not be causally or hierarchically related. The finding that accuracy in pitch discrimination is lower than that in tone discrimination suggests that comparable nonlinguistic auditory perceptual ability may not be necessary for accurate speech perception and language learning. The results cast doubt on the use of nonlinguistic auditory perceptual training to improve children's speech, language, and literacy abilities.

Download Full-text

Perceptual Learning of Vocoded Speech With and Without Contralateral Hearing: Implications for Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00385 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Martin Chavant ◽

Alexis Hervais-Adelman ◽

Olivier Macherey

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Perceptual Learning ◽

Speech Signal ◽

Training Phase ◽

Monosyllabic Words ◽

Low Pass ◽

Contralateral Ear ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Insight Into ◽

Vocoded Speech

Purpose An increasing number of individuals with residual or even normal contralateral hearing are being considered for cochlear implantation. It remains unknown whether the presence of contralateral hearing is beneficial or detrimental to their perceptual learning of cochlear implant (CI)–processed speech. The aim of this experiment was to provide a first insight into this question using acoustic simulations of CI processing. Method Sixty normal-hearing listeners took part in an auditory perceptual learning experiment. Each subject was randomly assigned to one of three groups of 20 referred to as NORMAL, LOWPASS, and NOTHING. The experiment consisted of two test phases separated by a training phase. In the test phases, all subjects were tested on recognition of monosyllabic words passed through a six-channel “PSHC” vocoder presented to a single ear. In the training phase, which consisted of listening to a 25-min audio book, all subjects were also presented with the same vocoded speech in one ear but the signal they received in their other ear differed across groups. The NORMAL group was presented with the unprocessed speech signal, the LOWPASS group with a low-pass filtered version of the speech signal, and the NOTHING group with no sound at all. Results The improvement in speech scores following training was significantly smaller for the NORMAL than for the LOWPASS and NOTHING groups. Conclusions This study suggests that the presentation of normal speech in the contralateral ear reduces or slows down perceptual learning of vocoded speech but that an unintelligible low-pass filtered contralateral signal does not have this effect. Potential implications for the rehabilitation of CI patients with partial or full contralateral hearing are discussed.

Download Full-text