Behavioral and neurophysiological investigations of individual variation in cue weighting strategies

对言语声音的感知通常要求听者同时注意多个线索。尽管如此，线索的相对重要性的权重可能会因个体而异。然而，人们对这种差异的来源知之甚少。这个项目将调查支持这种差异的潜在机制。该项目将扩大作为言语感知和产出理论基础的经验数据库，并在为个别语言学习者发展个性化培训方面提供有关第一/第二语言习得和教学方法的见解。该项目还将通过计划的外联方案，通过学习语言科学，将年轻妇女和代表性不足的少数群体介绍到STEM领域。这个项目的发现可能会为临床研究发展或获得性知觉和语言障碍提供信息，也可能为语音相关技术的研究提供信息。本项目重点研究了线索权重个体差异的两种可能解释。听众可能会在早期的听觉编码上有所不同，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。收听者在提示整合策略上也可能不同，使得一些人使用连续提示整合策略，从而当提示信息变得可用时，提示信息被整合，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。这个项目将利用同一个人的脑干和大脑皮层对语音声音的反应来调查线索权重的个体变异性，从而提供一个全面的神经生理学概况，它是实时线索加权过程的个体模式的基础，通过眼动测量。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.