What are you still waiting for? Fricative recognition shows encapsulated processing and is partially predicted by...

Speech perception entails the integration of multiple acoustic cues that unfold asynchronously. Although conventional work posits that listeners immediately update higher level interpretations as cues become available, emerging evidence suggests that processing of certain speech sounds (voiceless sibilant fricatives) may be buffered, with categorical judgments withheld until subsequent cues (such as the following vocoid) arrive. This study examined mechanisms underlying this buffered integration, testing whether its release is triggered by specific properties of the signal or by a fixed temporal threshold. In addition, we examined potential sources of this effect. Using the Visual World Paradigm (VWP), we manipulated frication duration for /s/ and /ʃ/ to canonical, doubled, and tripled lengths. Participants (n = 56) completed this and a Visual Analog Scaling (VAS) task to assess categorization profiles and whether these predict individual differences in buffering. The VWP results replicated prior findings: for canonical-length fricatives, listeners delayed processing until frication offset. For double-length fricatives, buffering extended until the entire fricative elapsed. When frication was tripled, partial commitment emerged during the frication period, yet final decisions remained contingent on later cues. These results suggest that buffering is governed by the availability of acoustic information, although listeners may integrate partial information at extreme durations. VAS results revealed that listeners with greater sensitivity to secondary cues showed faster recognition. Together, these findings underscore the flexible nature of speech perception, highlighting how listeners strategically modulate processing to optimize cue integration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).