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Beyond Categorical Perception: Gradient Lexical Tone Processing Revealed by Visual Analog Scale.

Bing Cheng1, Xi Xiang1, Xiangrong Dai1

  • 1English Department & Shaanxi Key Laboratory of AI-Empowered Language and Culture Research, School of Foreign Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|June 5, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) effectively measures lexical tone perception, revealing gradient perception in suprasegmental features. This study compares VAS with two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) for tone categorization, offering new insights into speech perception research.

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Area of Science:

  • Phonetics and Phonology
  • Auditory Perception
  • Psycholinguistics

Background:

  • The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) has been used to study gradient perception in segmental speech sounds.
  • Lexical tones, a crucial suprasegmental feature, remain understudied regarding their perceptual categorization.
  • Previous research has primarily used the two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) method for tone perception studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate lexical tone categorization using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
  • To directly compare the efficacy of VAS with the traditional two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) method in tone categorization.
  • To explore gradient perception in the suprasegmental domain of lexical tones.

Main Methods:

  • Eighty-four native Mandarin Chinese speakers participated in the study.
  • Participants categorized an 11-step fundamental frequency (F0) continuum from Mandarin Tone 1 to Tone 2 using both VAS and 2AFC tasks.
  • Categorization sharpness (slope) and response variability were analyzed using four-parameter logistic functions; within-category sensitivity was quantified from VAS responses.

Main Results:

  • The VAS task demonstrated significantly shallower slopes and lower response variability compared to the 2AFC task (p < .001).
  • Listeners showed reliable discrimination of fine-grained differences within categories in both tasks.
  • Slope and response variability showed weak correlation in VAS but strong negative correlation in 2AFC; response variability correlated across tasks, but slopes did not.

Conclusions:

  • Gradient aspects of perception are observable at the suprasegmental level, specifically in lexical tone categorization.
  • The VAS serves as a sensitive tool for probing lexical tone categorization, complementing existing methods.
  • Task-dependent gradiency and stable response variability help reconcile conflicting findings in categorical perception literature, suggesting methodological influences.