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.

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 Rapid Perceptual Learning: A Potential Source of Individual Differences in Speech Perception Under Adverse Conditions?

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 233121652093054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tali Rotman ◽  
Limor Lavie ◽  
Karen Banai
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Rapid Learning ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Challenging listening situations (e.g., when speech is rapid or noisy) result in substantial individual differences in speech perception. We propose that rapid auditory perceptual learning is one of the factors contributing to those individual differences. To explore this proposal, we assessed rapid perceptual learning of time-compressed speech in young adults with normal hearing and in older adults with age-related hearing loss. We also assessed the contribution of this learning as well as that of hearing and cognition (vocabulary, working memory, and selective attention) to the recognition of natural-fast speech (NFS; both groups) and speech in noise (younger adults). In young adults, rapid learning and vocabulary were significant predictors of NFS and speech in noise recognition. In older adults, hearing thresholds, vocabulary, and rapid learning were significant predictors of NFS recognition. In both groups, models that included learning fitted the speech data better than models that did not include learning. Therefore, under adverse conditions, rapid learning may be one of the skills listeners could employ to support speech recognition.

scholarly journals Effects of Early Acoustic Hearing on Speech Perception and Language for Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3620-3637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Davidson ◽  
Ann E. Geers ◽  
Rosalie M. Uchanski ◽  
Jill B. Firszt
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Residual Hearing ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Optimal Duration ◽  
Spoken Language Skills

Purpose The overall goal of the current study was to identify an optimal level and duration of acoustic experience that facilitates language development for pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients—specifically, to determine whether there is an optimal duration of hearing aid (HA) use and unaided threshold levels that should be considered before proceeding to bilateral CIs. Method A total of 117 pediatric CI recipients (ages 5–9 years) were given speech perception and standardized tests of receptive vocabulary and language. The speech perception battery included tests of segmental perception (e.g., word recognition in quiet and noise, and vowels and consonants in quiet) and of suprasegmental perception (e.g., talker and stress discrimination, and emotion identification). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine the effects of speech perception on language scores, and the effects of residual hearing level (unaided pure-tone average [PTA]) and duration of HA use on speech perception. Results A continuum of residual hearing levels and the length of HA use were represented by calculating the unaided PTA of the ear with the longest duration of HA use for each child. All children wore 2 devices: Some wore bimodal devices, while others received their 2nd CI either simultaneously or sequentially, representing a wide range of HA use (0.03–9.05 years). Regression analyses indicate that suprasegmental perception contributes unique variance to receptive language scores and that both segmental and suprasegmental skills each contribute independently to receptive vocabulary scores. Also, analyses revealed an optimal duration of HA use for each of 3 ranges of hearing loss severity (with mean PTAs of 73, 92, and 111 dB HL) that maximizes suprasegmental perception. Conclusions For children with the most profound losses, early bilateral CIs provide the greatest opportunity for developing good spoken language skills. For those with moderate-to-severe losses, however, a prescribed period of bimodal use may be more advantageous for developing good spoken language skills.

Learning to Differentiate Properties

2019 ◽  
pp. 154-178
Author(s):  
Kevin Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Learning Mechanism

This chapter details the role perceptual learning plays in speech perception and argues that the evidence does not show that meanings come to be represented in our perception upon learning a new language. Specifically, it outlines the role of the perceptual learning mechanism of differentiation in speech perception. Through differentiation, we come to parse features of a language, including phonemes that we had not previously differentiated. The chapter critically evaluates Casey O’Callaghan’s and Berit Brogaards’s arguments for and against the view that meanings come to be represented in our perception upon learning a new language. It argues that the evidence from perceptual learning does not support the conclusion that meanings come to be represented in our perception.

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.

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.

Arousal and Cognition: Picture Vocabulary Performance and Individual Differences in Physiological Arousal

1980 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-582
Author(s):  
Frank H. Farley ◽  
Valerie J. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Physiological Arousal ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Significant Trend ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

The contribution of individual differences in physiological arousal to intellective assessment in learning disabled children was studied. Arousal was measured by salivary response and intellective function (receptive vocabulary) by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. It was predicted that best performance would be found at intermediate levels of arousal. Peabody scores of learning disabled subjects of high, middle, and low arousal showed a non-significant trend in the predicted direction. Reasons for the lack of significance of this hypothesized trend were proposed and needed research outlined.

Severity of hyperacusis predicts individual differences in speech perception in Williams Syndrome

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Elsabbagh ◽  
H. Cohen ◽  
M. Cohen ◽  
S. Rosen ◽  
A. Karmiloff-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Williams Syndrome
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