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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
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A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
Published on: October 29, 2018
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Electrophysiological correlates of selective speech adaptation
Jeroen J Stekelenburg1, Jakob Limpens2, Martijn Baart1
1Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Brain and Language
|January 27, 2025
Summary
Repeated exposure to speech sounds alters perception. This study used electroencephalography (EEG) to show that brain activity shifts, influencing how ambiguous sounds are perceived.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Speech Perception
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Selective speech adaptation is a temporary reduction in sensitivity to frequently heard speech sounds.
- Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying speech adaptation is crucial for deciphering auditory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of selective speech adaptation using electroencephalography (EEG).
- To identify the brain regions involved in the perceptual shifts caused by speech adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent repeated exposure to Dutch vowels /e/ or /ø/.
- EEG was recorded while participants identified ambiguous speech sounds positioned between these phonemes.
Main Results:
- A significant perceptual shift occurred, with ambiguous sounds perceived as the opposite of the adapted phoneme in over 90% of trials.
- This adaptation effect correlated with late EEG deviations (starting ~575 ms post-stimulus onset).
- The observed EEG effects were localized primarily to the left superior temporal gyrus.
Conclusions:
- Late EEG potentials are strongly linked to the perceptual interpretation of ambiguous phonemes.
- The findings suggest that selective speech adaptation involves higher-order cortical processing stages responsible for resolving perceptual ambiguity.
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