Explaining the native-language listening advantage by charting neural response and perceptual adaptation across languages – but within individuals

听母语比听第二语言容易。这种优势在识别声音和在噪音中倾听时尤其明显。最近的研究表明，识别说话者需要对他们的语音进行快速的感知调整，而在噪音中成功地倾听则需要对单词识别过程进行调整。这个项目测试的预测，听众更有效地部署每种类型的调整，在本机比在第二语言，通过比较本机与第二语言的语音和词汇处理的个人。此外，一种新的功能磁共振成像方法，其中目标大脑区域的功能定义在每个主题将确定本机听力优势的神经基础。

Listening to the native language is easier than listening to a second language. This advantage is especially clear in recognising voices and in listening in noise. Identifying talkers was recently shown to involve rapid perceptual adjustment to their speech sounds, and successful listening in noise to involve adjustment of word recognition processes. This project tests the prediction that listeners more efficiently deploy each type of adjustment in the native than in a second language, by comparing native with second language phonetic and lexical processing within individuals. Further, a novel fMRI method in which target brain regions are defined functionally in each subject will identify the neural basis of the native listening advantage.