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The encoding of rate and talker information during phonetic perception
K P Green1, G R Tomiak, P K Kuhl
1Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721, USA. kgreen@u.arizona.edu
Perception & Psychophysics
|July 1, 1997
Summary
Speech perception integrates talker and speaking rate information, but encodes talker characteristics separately. This research explores how listeners process variable speech signals, focusing on phonetic perception and normalization.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Linguistics
- Speech Science
Background:
- Speech signals exhibit high variability due to factors like talker identity and speaking rate.
- Listeners demonstrate an ability to adjust to this variability, suggesting normalization processes.
- Understanding how the perceptual system encodes talker and rate information is crucial for explaining phonetic perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the encoding of talker and speaking rate information during phonetic perception.
- To determine whether talker and rate information are processed integrally or separately.
- To examine the influence of talker and rate variation on perceptual boundaries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a speeded classification paradigm (Garner, 1974) across multiple experiments.
- Manipulated talker characteristics and speaking rate during phonetic perception tasks.
- Investigated the impact of talker and rate variation on the voicing boundary under varying block conditions.
Main Results:
- Phonemic identity decisions were significantly affected by irrelevant talker and rate variations.
- Rate information influenced phoneme classification, while talker information did not show the same effect.
- Rate variation consistently impacted the voicing boundary, whereas talker variation's influence was condition-dependent.
Conclusions:
- Phoneme and rate information are encoded in an integral manner during speech perception.
- Talker characteristics appear to be encoded separately from phonemic information.
- These findings provide insights into the mechanisms of speech normalization and phonetic processing.
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