The effect of sentential context on phonetic categorization is modulated by talker accent and exposure

Higher-level factors, including the contextual plausibility of competing word candidates, interact with lower-level phonetic cues to influence how listeners interpret the speech signal. This work shows that listeners' phonetic categorization (e.g., coat versus goat) is more heavily influenced by sentential context when listening to a non-native versus native talker. Further, the effect of context on phonetic categorization decreases as the listener becomes familiar with the talker's phonetic characteristics, for both native and non-native talkers. Overall, results suggest that listeners adjust their perceptual strategies to optimize accurate perception of a talker's message.