Developmental patterns in vowel perception

该研究项目探索语音感知的发展以及它如何随着年龄和语言经验的变化而变化，以支持语言处理。 本研究主要探讨婴儿早期元音知觉的发展，并评估自然参照元音模型（NRV）的优点。 根据这一模型，元音极端发音声学特性（周边的元音空间）作为自然的参照物，他们支持和引导元音感知的发展，吸引婴儿的注意力，并建立一个稳定的默认感知框架的学习者。之前对婴儿对不同元音的听力偏好的研究支持了这一观点，表明婴儿（4至12个月大）对外围元音有强烈的知觉偏见。 研究1和2将探讨婴儿元音偏好在更广泛的年龄范围。 我们将测试年龄较小和较大的婴儿，以了解这种元音感知偏差是如何以及何时出现的，以及它如何随着婴儿学习不同语言的年龄而变化。 研究3和4将评估的索赔，周边元音支持元音感知的发展。 研究3测试的预测，婴儿元音感知偏差也影响他们如何看待自己的声音模式，通过检查婴儿的元音听力偏好由婴儿说话（使用一种新的工具，元音合成）。研究4将评估婴儿识别不同说话者（成人、儿童、婴儿）发出的相同元音的能力，以测试婴儿对周边元音的响应比对非周边元音的响应更容易识别元音类别的预测。 研究3和4也将作出独特的贡献，我们的理解婴儿的言语知觉，提供第一个洞察婴儿如何回应的语音，听起来像一个婴儿说话。没有以前的研究婴儿言语知觉使用婴儿一样的语音材料，这种方法是需要了解婴儿言语发展的听力和口语技能之间的相互作用。

This research program explores the development of phonetic perception and how it changes with age and language experience to support language processing.  The proposed research focuses on the development of vowel perception in early infancy and will evaluate the merits of the Natural Referent Vowel Model (NRV).   According to this model, vowels with extreme articulatory-acoustic properties (peripheral in the vowel space) act as natural referents; they support and guide the development of vowel perception by attracting infant attention and establishing a stable default perceptual framework for the learner. Previous studies of infant listening preferences for different vowels support this view by showing that infants (4 to 12 months of age) have a strong a perceptual bias favoring peripheral vowels.  Studies 1 and 2 will examine infant vowel preferences over a wider age range.  We will test younger and older infants to understand how and when this vowel perceptual bias emerges and how it changes with age in infants acquiring different languages.  Studies 3 and 4 will assess the claim that peripheral vowels support the development of vowel perception.  Study 3 tests the prediction that infant vowel perception biases also impact how they perceive their own vocal patterns by examining infant listening preferences for vowels produced by an infant talker (using a new tool for vowel synthesis). Study 4 will assess infant ability to recognize the same vowel when produced by different talkers (adult, child, infant) to test the prediction that vowel category recognition is easier for infants when they are responding to a peripheral vowel compared to non-peripheral vowel.  Studies 3 and 4 and will also make a unique contribution to our understanding of infant speech perception by providing the first insights into how infants respond to speech that sound like an infant talker. No previous studies of infant speech perception have used infant-like speech materials; this approach is needed to understand the interaction between listening and speaking skills in infant speech development.