Examining the Relationship Between Speech Perception, Production Distinctness, and Production Variability

Area of Science:

• Phonetics and speech science
• Auditory perception
• Speech production

Background:

• Speech perception and production are theorized to share multimodal representations.
• This suggests that better perceptual ability should correlate with more precise speech production.
• However, empirical evidence, especially regarding production variability, is mixed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between perceptual and production abilities in the auditory domain.
• To examine if categorical labeling consistency for the American English /ε/-/æ/ contrast relates to production measures.

Main Methods:

• Measured categorical labeling consistency using a perceptual identification task.
• Assessed vowel contrast distance (acoustic space separation).
• Quantified production variability using ellipse area and centering ratio.

Main Results:

• No significant associations were found between labeling consistency and vowel contrast distance.
• No significant associations were found between labeling consistency and measures of production variability (ellipse area, centering ratio).

Conclusions:

• The perception-production relationship may not be as robust as theoretical models suggest.
• Null results might stem from methodological choices, such as using model talkers, warranting further research.