Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...
Language Development01:22

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Learning Disabilities01:25

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Abnormal electrical brain responses to time deviance in beat deafness.

Neuropsychologia·2024
Same author

Editorial: The musical brain, volume II.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2024
Same author

Infarct density defined by ADC threshold is associated with long-term functional outcome after endovascular thrombectomy.

Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association·2024
Same author

Microvascular reperfusion during endovascular therapy: the balance of supply and demand.

Journal of neurointerventional surgery·2023
Same author

Cross-Cultural Work in Music Cognition: Challenges, Insights, and Recommendations.

Music perception·2023
Same author

Derivation and Validation of an Algorithm to Detect Stroke Using Arm Accelerometry Data.

Journal of the American Heart Association·2023
Same journal

Adverse and positive childhood experiences in relation to adolescent mental health: sequential indirect associations.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Personality profiles and usage experience are associated with trust and dependence on generative AI: a latent profile analysis.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Editorial: Promoting replicability: empowering method and applied researchers in driving reliable results.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

The mediating roles of the challenge appraisal in the relationship between the coach-athlete relationship and adolescent athletes' burnout.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Unpacking GenAI-enabled deep learning engagement: role perceptions, human-GenAI synergy strategies, and underlying mechanisms.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Violence exposure and cyberbullying among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of moral disengagement.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
06:04

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Tone language fluency impairs pitch discrimination.

Isabelle Peretz1, Sébastien Nguyen, Stéphanie Cummings

  • 1International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Department of Psychology, University of Montreal Montreal, QC, Canada.

Frontiers in Psychology
|July 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Native speakers of tone languages struggle to distinguish falling pitches in tone sequences compared to non-tone language speakers. This pitch perception impairment is specific to downward pitch changes and not linked to musical ability.

Keywords:
individual differences in musical abilitiespitch perceptiontone language

More Related Videos

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
09:09

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 30, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
06:04

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages

Published on: March 24, 2023

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
09:09

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

Area of Science:

  • Psycholinguistics
  • Auditory Perception
  • Linguistic Phonetics

Background:

  • Tone languages utilize pitch variations to differentiate word meanings.
  • Understanding how linguistic pitch processing influences non-linguistic auditory perception is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate pitch discrimination abilities in native tone language speakers versus non-tone language speakers.
  • To determine if tone language experience specifically affects the perception of falling pitches.

Main Methods:

  • Participants from tone and non-tone language backgrounds listened to sequences of five tones.
  • They identified pitch or temporal displacements in the fourth tone.
  • Performance was compared between groups for upward, downward, and temporal changes.

Main Results:

  • Tone language speakers showed impaired discrimination of downward pitch changes.
  • No significant differences were found for upward pitch changes or temporal displacements.
  • The impairment persisted even after controlling for musical abilities.

Conclusions:

  • Native tone language speakers exhibit a specific deficit in perceiving falling pitches.
  • This suggests that the statistical regularities of tone languages shape auditory perception.
  • The findings highlight the profound influence of language on fundamental cognitive processes.