Abstract
Learning a second language as an adult is particularly effortful when new phonetic representations must be formed. Therefore the processes that allow learning of speech sounds are of great theoretical and practical interest. Here we examined whether perception of single formant transitions, that is, sound components critical in speech perception, can be enhanced through an implicit task-irrelevant learning procedure that has been shown to produce visual perceptual learning. The single-formant sounds were paired at subthreshold levels with the attended targets in an auditory identification task. Results showed that task-irrelevant learning occurred for the unattended stimuli. Surprisingly, the magnitude of this learning effect was similar to that following explicit training on auditory formant transition detection using discriminable stimuli in an adaptive procedure, whereas explicit training on the subthreshold stimuli produced no learning. These results suggest that in adults learning of speech parts can occur at least partially through implicit mechanisms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 435-443 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Cognition |
| Volume | 115 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2010 |
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Keywords
- Audition
- Formants
- Implicit learning
- Perceptual learning
- Speech
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Linguistics and Language
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Cite this
Unattended exposure to components of speech sounds yields same benefits as explicit auditory training. / Seitz, Aaron R.; Protopapas, Athanassios; Tsushima, Yoshiaki; Vlahou, Eleni L.; Gori, Simone; Grossberg, Stephen; Watanabe, Takeo.
In: Cognition, Vol. 115, No. 3, 06.2010, p. 435-443.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Unattended exposure to components of speech sounds yields same benefits as explicit auditory training
AU - Seitz, Aaron R.
AU - Protopapas, Athanassios
AU - Tsushima, Yoshiaki
AU - Vlahou, Eleni L.
AU - Gori, Simone
AU - Grossberg, Stephen
AU - Watanabe, Takeo
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Learning a second language as an adult is particularly effortful when new phonetic representations must be formed. Therefore the processes that allow learning of speech sounds are of great theoretical and practical interest. Here we examined whether perception of single formant transitions, that is, sound components critical in speech perception, can be enhanced through an implicit task-irrelevant learning procedure that has been shown to produce visual perceptual learning. The single-formant sounds were paired at subthreshold levels with the attended targets in an auditory identification task. Results showed that task-irrelevant learning occurred for the unattended stimuli. Surprisingly, the magnitude of this learning effect was similar to that following explicit training on auditory formant transition detection using discriminable stimuli in an adaptive procedure, whereas explicit training on the subthreshold stimuli produced no learning. These results suggest that in adults learning of speech parts can occur at least partially through implicit mechanisms.
AB - Learning a second language as an adult is particularly effortful when new phonetic representations must be formed. Therefore the processes that allow learning of speech sounds are of great theoretical and practical interest. Here we examined whether perception of single formant transitions, that is, sound components critical in speech perception, can be enhanced through an implicit task-irrelevant learning procedure that has been shown to produce visual perceptual learning. The single-formant sounds were paired at subthreshold levels with the attended targets in an auditory identification task. Results showed that task-irrelevant learning occurred for the unattended stimuli. Surprisingly, the magnitude of this learning effect was similar to that following explicit training on auditory formant transition detection using discriminable stimuli in an adaptive procedure, whereas explicit training on the subthreshold stimuli produced no learning. These results suggest that in adults learning of speech parts can occur at least partially through implicit mechanisms.
KW - Audition
KW - Formants
KW - Implicit learning
KW - Perceptual learning
KW - Speech
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77951667352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77951667352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.03.004
DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.03.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 20346448
AN - SCOPUS:77951667352
VL - 115
SP - 435
EP - 443
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
SN - 0010-0277
IS - 3
ER -