Specificity and Generalization in Perceptual Adaptation toAccented Speech Open Access

Abstract

The present study investigated the process of perceptual learning of specific properties of foreign accented speech. Sidaras et al. (2009) found that listeners perceptually adapted to Spanish-accented speech when trained in a transcription task. The first experiment replicated and extended the findings to Korean-accented speech. Native English-speaking listeners were trained with Korean-accented English and tested with either the same speakers heard during training or novel Korean-accented speakers. Listeners trained with Korean-accented speech performed better than untrained controls when tested with novel words from either the same or different Korean-accented talkers, indicating that listeners perceptually adapt to Korean-accented speech. The second experiment investigated whether perceptual learning of accented speech was accent-specific or if learning one accent or multiple accents could generalize to other novel accents. Native English-speaking listeners were trained in the same transcription paradigm as the first experiment with Spanish-accented speech, with Korean-accented speech, or with a group of speakers from 6 different first language backgrounds. During training, all listeners transcribed accented words and received feedback. At test, listeners transcribed novel words produced by unfamiliar Korean- or Spanish-accented speakers and were not given feedback. Overall, there was evidence of specificity of learning, with listeners who were trained and tested on the same variety of accented-speech showing better transcription at test than untrained controls. However, patterns of transcription accuracy differed for listeners tested with Korean-accented speech and those tested with Spanish-accented speech, suggesting that accent-specific learning may be dependent on characteristics such as linguistic similarity, previous experience, or overall intelligibility. These results have implications for the kinds of mechanisms listeners employ during perceptual learning of accented speech and the changes that occur in the acoustic-phonetic categories and representations that subserve spoken language perception. That listeners show specificity of learning in the second experiment suggests that listeners' categories for speech sounds change in specific ways to reflect their experience with the accented talkers.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents I. Introduction 1 a. Perceptual Learning 4 b. Perceptual Learning for Surface Characteristics of Spoken Language 8 c. Accented Speech 12 II. Experiment 1 29 a. Method 31 i. Participants 31 ii. Materials 32 iii. Procedure 33 b. Results and Discussion 35 III. Experiment 2 38 a. Method 40 i. Participants 40 ii. Materials 41 iii. Procedure 44 b. Results and Discussion 45 IV. General Discussion 52 V. References 66 VI. Appendix 78

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Degree	PhD
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Cognitive
Keyword	speech perception surface characteristics accented speech specificity perceptual learning
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Nygaard, Lynne, Emory University
Committee Members	Lourenco, Stella, Emory University Gouzoules, Harold, Emory University Tuten, Donald, Emory University Namy, Laura, Emory University

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