Doctoral Dissertation Research: Phonological and Phonetic Biases in Speech Perception

我们对语言中声音模式的了解在决定我们对传入语音的感知方面起着关键作用。对于一个精确的语言感知模型来说，一个重要的问题是听觉系统和我们对声音模式的认识是如何相互作用的。我们是否首先使用听觉系统来感知语音，就像感知其他类型的声音一样，然后再将我们在语言中发现的声音模式知识应用于它？还是我们立即应用我们对声音模式的知识？根据第一种观点，听觉系统本身的工作不会受到我们对语言模式的了解的影响，但根据第二种观点，它可以。在约翰·金斯顿博士的指导下，迈克尔·基先生将进行识别和辨别研究，以及一个启动实验，测量大脑电反应的某些电位，以调查这些问题。本论文的研究将评估与声音模式知识相关的行为是否与大脑中相对较晚的电活动相对应，或者是否也反映在相对较早的大脑活动中。从这些不同的技术中汇集的证据直接涉及到关于语言感知结构的问题——特别是语言知识是与一般听力分开应用还是同时应用。其中几项研究涉及其他语言的声音模式和听者语言经验的作用，因此将在法国、德国和英国的大学进行。该项目将有助于建立新的国际合作伙伴关系，以比较不同语言背景的语音感知研究。此外，本科生将接受语言感知研究方法的训练。

Our knowledge of the sound patterns in a language plays a key role in determining our perception of incoming speech. An important question for an accurate model of speech perception is how the auditory system and our knowledge of sound patterns interact. Do we first use our auditory system to perceive speech just like any other type of sound, and then later bring our knowledge of sound patterns found in the language to bear on it? Or do we apply our knowledge of the sound patterns immediately? According to the first view, the working of the auditory system itself cannot be influenced by our knowledge of linguistic patterns, but on the second view, it can. Under the direction of Dr. John Kingston, Mr. Michael Key will conduct identification and discrimination studies, as well as a priming experiment that measures certain potentials of the brain's electrical response, in order to investigate these questions. This dissertation research will assess whether the behavior associated with knowledge of a sound pattern corresponds to the activity of relatively late electrical activity in the brain, or whether it is also reflected in relatively early brain activity. Converging evidence from these various techniques bear directly on questions regarding the architecture of speech perception -- specifically whether linguistic knowledge is applied separately from general hearing or simultaneously with it. Several of the studies concern sound patterns in other languages and the role of a listener's linguistic experience, and will therefore be carried out at universities in France, Germany and the U.K. This project will help to establish new international partnerships for speech perception research comparing different language backgrounds. In addition, undergraduate students will be trained in the methods of speech perception research.