Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
693
Mandarin tone perception in multiple-talker babbles and speech-shaped noise
1Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, USAxw659217@ohio.edu, xul@ohio.edu.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|May 4, 2020
Summary
Mandarin listeners demonstrated robust lexical tone recognition even in noisy conditions. Performance plateaued around 8-talker babble, with slight improvements at higher signal-to-noise ratios.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Perception
- Speech Processing
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Lexical tone recognition is crucial for understanding tonal languages like Mandarin.
- Background noise significantly impacts speech perception, posing challenges for listeners.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the robustness of lexical tone recognition in Mandarin speakers under various noise conditions.
- To determine the effect of the number of competing talkers and signal-to-noise ratios on tone perception.
Main Methods:
- Thirty native Mandarin-speaking listeners with normal hearing participated.
- Lexical tone recognition was tested in multiple-talker babble (2-12 talkers) and speech-shaped noise.
- Various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) from -18 to -6 dB were employed.
Main Results:
- Tone perception remained robust across different noise levels and babble conditions.
- The performance curve showed a non-monotonic trend as the number of talkers increased.
- A performance plateau was observed at approximately 8 competing talkers for all tested SNRs.
Conclusions:
- Lexical tone recognition in Mandarin is highly resistant to masking from babble noise.
- The number of competing talkers influences tone perception, with a saturation point around 8 talkers.
- Optimal tone recognition can be maintained even in challenging auditory environments.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
825
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...
825
01:01Perception of Sound Waves
5.3K
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...
5.3K
01:17Auditory Perception
913
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...
913
01:31Hearing
56.2K
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.
56.2K
01:02¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
1.4K
Spin systems where the difference in chemical shifts of the coupled nuclei is greater than ten times J are called first-order spin systems. These nuclei are weakly coupled, and their chemical shifts and coupling constant can generally be estimated from the well-separated signals in the spectrum.
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are...
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are...
1.4K
01:10Interference: Path Lengths
1.8K
Consider two sources of sound, that may or may not be in phase, emitting waves at a single frequency, and consider the frequencies to be the same.
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...
1.8K