scholarly journals Individual Differences in Distributional Learning for Speech: What's Ideal for Ideal Observers?

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Theodore ◽  
Nicholas R. Monto ◽  
Stephen Graham
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Ideal Observer ◽  
Nonverbal Intelligence ◽  
Speech Input ◽  
Distributional Learning

Purpose Speech perception is facilitated by listeners' ability to dynamically modify the mapping to speech sounds given systematic variation in speech input. For example, the degree to which listeners show categorical perception of speech input changes as a function of distributional variability in the input, with perception becoming less categorical as the input, becomes more variable. Here, we test the hypothesis that higher level receptive language ability is linked to the ability to adapt to low-level distributional cues in speech input. Method Listeners ( n = 58) completed a distributional learning task consisting of 2 blocks of phonetic categorization for words beginning with /g/ and /k/. In 1 block, the distributions of voice onset time values specifying /g/ and /k/ had narrow variances (i.e., minimal variability). In the other block, the distributions of voice onset times specifying /g/ and /k/ had wider variances (i.e., increased variability). In addition, all listeners completed an assessment battery for receptive language, nonverbal intelligence, and reading fluency. Results As predicted by an ideal observer computational framework, the participants in aggregate showed identification responses that were more categorical for consistent compared to inconsistent input, indicative of distributional learning. However, the magnitude of learning across participants showed wide individual variability, which was predicted by receptive language ability but not by nonverbal intelligence or by reading fluency. Conclusion The results suggest that individual differences in distributional learning for speech are linked, at least in part, to receptive language ability, reflecting a decreased ability among those with weaker receptive language to capitalize on consistent input distributions.

Categorical Perception of Pitch Contours and Voice Onset Time in Mandarin-Speaking Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Fei Chen ◽  
Gang Peng
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Adolescents With Asd

Purpose Previous studies have shown enhanced pitch and impaired time perception in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, it remains unclear whether such deviated patterns of auditory processing depending on acoustic dimensions would transfer to the higher level linguistic pitch and time processing. In this study, we compared the categorical perception (CP) of lexical tones and voice onset time (VOT) in Mandarin Chinese, which utilize pitch and time changes, respectively, to convey phonemic contrasts. Method The data were collected from 22 Mandarin-speaking adolescents with ASD and 20 age-matched neurotypical controls. In addition to the identification and discrimination tasks to test CP performance, all the participants were evaluated with their language ability and phonological working memory. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to evaluate the identification and discrimination scores across different groups and conditions. Results The basic CP pattern of cross-boundary benefit when perceiving both native lexical tones and VOT was largely preserved in high-functioning adolescents with ASD. The degree of CP of lexical tones in ASD was similar to that in typical controls, whereas the degree of CP of VOT in ASD was greatly reduced. Furthermore, the degree of CP of lexical tones correlated with language ability and digit span in ASD participants. Conclusions These findings suggest that the unbalanced acoustic processing capacities for pitch and time can be generalized to the higher level linguistic processing in ASD. Furthermore, the higher degree of CP of lexical tones correlated with better language ability in Mandarin-speaking individuals with ASD.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in the Use of Acoustic-Phonetic Versus Lexical Cues for Speech Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikole Giovannone ◽  
Rachel M. Theodore
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Natural Speech ◽  
Stimulus Input ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Speech Input ◽  
High Conflict ◽  
Lexical Cues

Previous research suggests that individuals with weaker receptive language show increased reliance on lexical information for speech perception relative to individuals with stronger receptive language, which may reflect a difference in how acoustic-phonetic and lexical cues are weighted for speech processing. Here we examined whether this relationship is the consequence of conflict between acoustic-phonetic and lexical cues in speech input, which has been found to mediate lexical reliance in sentential contexts. Two groups of participants completed standardized measures of language ability and a phonetic identification task to assess lexical recruitment (i.e., a Ganong task). In the high conflict group, the stimulus input distribution removed natural correlations between acoustic-phonetic and lexical cues, thus placing the two cues in high competition with each other; in the low conflict group, these correlations were present and thus competition was reduced as in natural speech. The results showed that 1) the Ganong effect was larger in the low compared to the high conflict condition in single-word contexts, suggesting that cue conflict dynamically influences online speech perception, 2) the Ganong effect was larger for those with weaker compared to stronger receptive language, and 3) the relationship between the Ganong effect and receptive language was not mediated by the degree to which acoustic-phonetic and lexical cues conflicted in the input. These results suggest that listeners with weaker language ability down-weight acoustic-phonetic cues and rely more heavily on lexical knowledge, even when stimulus input distributions reflect characteristics of natural speech input.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Lexical Contributions to Speech Perception

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Nikole Giovannone ◽  
Rachel M. Theodore
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Learning Mechanism ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Adult Participants

Purpose The extant literature suggests that individual differences in speech perception can be linked to broad receptive language phenotype. For example, a recent study found that individuals with a smaller receptive vocabulary showed diminished lexically guided perceptual learning compared to individuals with a larger receptive vocabulary. Here, we examined (a) whether such individual differences stem from variation in reliance on lexical information or variation in perceptual learning itself and (b) whether a relationship exists between lexical recruitment and lexically guided perceptual learning more broadly, as predicted by current models of lexically guided perceptual learning. Method In Experiment 1, adult participants ( n = 70) completed measures of receptive and expressive language ability, lexical recruitment, and lexically guided perceptual learning. In Experiment 2, adult participants ( n = 120) completed the same lexical recruitment and lexically guided perceptual learning tasks to provide a high-powered replication of the primary findings from Experiment 1. Results In Experiment 1, individuals with weaker receptive language ability showed increased lexical recruitment relative to individuals with higher receptive language ability; however, receptive language ability did not predict the magnitude of lexically guided perceptual learning. Moreover, the results of both experiments converged to show no evidence indicating a relationship between lexical recruitment and lexically guided perceptual learning. Conclusion The current findings suggest that (a) individuals with weaker language ability demonstrate increased reliance on lexical information for speech perception compared to those with stronger receptive language ability; (b) individuals with weaker language ability maintain an intact perceptual learning mechanism; and, (c) to the degree that the measures used here accurately capture individual differences in lexical recruitment and lexically guided perceptual learning, there is no graded relationship between these two constructs.

Associations Between Manual Dexterity and Language Ability in School-Age Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 982-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Obeid ◽  
Patricia J. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Manual Dexterity ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Nonverbal Intelligence ◽  
Fine Motor Control ◽  
Visual Spatial

Purpose We aimed to determine whether individual differences in manual dexterity are associated with specific language skills (nonword repetition, receptive vocabulary, and receptive grammar) after controlling for nonverbal abilities (visual–spatial working memory and intelligence). Method We assessed manual dexterity using the pegboard task and examined relationships with verbal and nonverbal abilities in a diverse community sample of children ( N = 63, mean age = 8;2 [year;months], range: 6;0–10;8) varying in language ability (Comprehensive Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fourth Edition core language score M = 105, range: 62–126; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003). Results Correlational analyses indicated significant relationships between manual dexterity and performance on tests of nonword repetition, receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar, and nonverbal intelligence, after controlling for multiple comparisons. In regression analyses, manual dexterity remained a significant predictor of nonword repetition after controlling for nonverbal abilities and age. In contrast, manual dexterity was no longer significant in predicting receptive vocabulary or grammar when nonverbal intelligence was included as a factor in the model. Conclusions These findings build on prior work implicating poor fine motor control in child language disorders by identifying a robust relationship between manual dexterity and nonword repetition. Relationships between manual dexterity and receptive language abilities appear to be indirect and mediated by nonword repetition. For clinicians, the results underscore the importance of screening children with poor fine motor control for concomitant language impairments.

Effects of Age of Learning on Voice Onset Time: Categorical Perception of Swedish Stops by Near-native L2 Speakers

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Stölten ◽  
Niclas Abrahamsson ◽  
Kenneth Hyltenstam
Keyword(s):  
Categorical Perception ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time

Modellen en Metingen Van Taalvaardigheid

1998 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 169-178
Author(s):  
Kees de Glopper ◽  
Anne-Mieke Janssen-van Dieten
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
General Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Reading Models

This article contains a concise discussion of models and measurement of language ability. A general definition of the concept language ability is given, Subsequendy, psycholinguistic models of oral and written language production and comprehension are discussed. The nature and extent of individual differences in language ability are illustrated by means of a discussion of LI reading. Models of language ability are reviewed and areas in need of further research are identified. In conclusion, some tentative answers to pertinent questions on components, development and transfer of language ability are presented.

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