Perception of everyday sounds: a developmental study of a free sorting task
Aurore Berland1, Pascal Gaillard2, Michèle Guidetti2
1Unité de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Octogone, EA4156, Laboratoire Cognition, Communication et Développement, Université de Toulouse Jean-Jaurès, Toulouse, France; Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse UPS, CNRS-UMR 5549, Toulouse, France.
Plos One
|February 3, 2015
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Auditory perception
Background:
- Categorization of everyday sounds is vital for understanding the environment.
- Auditory cognitive categorization during development is an under-explored research area.
- Categorization skills develop independently of language acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of auditory cognitive categorization in children.
- To understand the logic and structure of natural sound categorization during development.
- To examine the influence of age on sound categorization strategies and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a free sorting task (FST) with 18 natural sounds across three categories: human vocalizations, environmental sounds, and musical instruments.
- Assessed sound perception and categorization in 82 children (6-9 years), 20 teenagers (12-13 years), and 24 young adults.
- Analyzed listening strategies, number of categories, and category content based on age.
Main Results:
- Children engaged with sounds more frequently and formed more distinct categories than older participants.
- Significant age-related differences were observed in task completion strategies and outcomes.
- Six-year-old children demonstrated a pivotal stage, transitioning from perceptual to logical reasoning in auditory categorization.
Conclusions:
- Auditory object categorization processing evolves through distinct developmental stages.
- The foundational ability to classify sounds is present in early childhood.
- Age significantly impacts listening strategies and the formation of auditory categories.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Perception of Sound Waves
6.1K
The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
6.1K
01:17Auditory Perception
1.5K
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the...
1.5K
01:21Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
1.4K
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...
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...
1.4K
01:31Hearing
59.1K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
59.1K
01:28Perception
1.8K
Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
1.8K
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
3.2K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
3.2K