Perceptual Integration of Visual Evidence of the Airstream from Aspirated Stops

This study investigates whether indirect visual evidence of aspiration can influence speech perception as previously found for tactile information. Participants were shown video of a speaker producing the sequence "pom" and "bomb" in a noisy setting. In some tokens, a candle was visibly perturbed by aspiration. All participants were more likely to correctly identify "pom" and incorrectly identify "bomb" in the presence of visible perturbation, indicating that perceptual integration was taking place. This effect was stronger for participants who reported being consciously aware of the candle as a predictor. This indicates that ambient information can be incorporated in speech perception even when presented via an indirect modality, and that active attention can amplify this effect.