Behavioral and neurophysiological investigations of individual variation in cue weighting strategies

对语音的感知通常需要听者同时注意多个线索。然而，线索的相对重要性的权重可能因个体而异。然而，人们对这种变化的来源知之甚少。本项目将调查这种变异性的潜在机制。该项目将扩大言语感知和产生理论所依据的经验数据库，并为第一/第二语言习得和教学法提供见解，为个人语言学习者提供个性化培训。该项目还将通过计划的外展计划，通过语言科学的研究，向年轻女性和代表性不足的少数民族介绍STEM领域。本项目的研究结果可能为发展性或后天性知觉和语言障碍的临床研究提供信息，也可能为语音相关技术的研究提供信息。听者可能在早期的听觉编码中存在差异，这会影响支持语音对比的某些线索的可靠性，从而影响权重。听者也可能在线索整合策略上有所不同，例如一些人利用连续线索整合策略，由此线索信息在它们变得可用时被整合，而另一些人可能采用缓冲策略，使得音素识别被推迟，直到所有必要的信息变得可用。本项目将使用脑干和皮层对同一个体内的语音声音的反应来研究线索加权的个体差异，从而提供一个全面的神经生理学概况，作为实时线索加权过程的个体模式的基础，用肉眼测量-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

The perception of speech sounds often requires listeners to pay attention to multiple cues at once. The weighting of the relative importance of cues can nonetheless vary across individuals. Little is known regarding the sources of such variation, however. This project will investigate potential mechanisms underpinning such variability. The project will broaden the empirical database on which theories of speech perception and production are grounded as well as providing insights into first/second language acquisition and pedagogy in terms of the development of personalized training for individual language learners. The project will also introduce young women and under-represented minorities to STEM fields via the study of the language sciences through planned outreach programs. The findings from this project may inform clinical research on developmental or acquired perceptual and language impairments, and may also serve to inform research on speech related technologies.This project focuses on two potential explanations for individual variability in cue weighting. Listeners might differ in early auditory encoding, which affects the reliability, hence weighting, of certain cues that support phonological contrasts. Listeners might also differ in cue integration strategy such that some utilize a continuous cue integration strategy whereby cue information is integrated as they become available, while others might employ a buffer strategy so that phonemic identification is postponed until all necessary information becomes available. This project will investigate individual variability in cue weighting using brainstem and cortical responses to speech sounds within the same individual, thus providing a comprehensive neurophysiological profile that underlies individual patterns of real-time cue weighting process, as measured with eye-movements.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.