LEARNING COMPLEX AUDITORY CATEGORIES

令人振奋的新研究促进了言语知觉研究的一个重要子领域，该领域涉及描述类别在语言适当知觉的发展和维持中的作用。最近的研究表明，语音范畴的形成和功能至少有一部分是一般知觉范畴机制的结果，而不是言语或语言特有的。因此，现在似乎有机会将一般分类研究与第一和第二语言习得方面的工作结合起来。不幸的是，关于知觉分类的许多知识都是从对与语音范畴根本不同的范畴的考察中得出的。此外，使用言语刺激来检验分类的影响在经验上是困难的，因为要确定一段详细的经验史是非常困难的。PIS的试点工作表明，在探索驱动听觉分类的学习机制时，使用复杂的非语音声音是有用的。这些声音可以被合成来模仿语音类别的复杂性，刺激呈现的分布可以从理论上推导出语音类别的模型方面，同时保持对经验的完全实验控制。这项工作的主要目标有三个。第一个目标是提供复杂听觉类别的形成和结构的详细数据库。这方面的研究很少，所提出的工作将有助于发展听觉学习的分类和测试现有的一般知觉分类模型(主要基于视觉任务的数据)。使用外显和附带学习程序的实验将绘制出随着听者获得对新刺激的经验而发展的范畴反应结构。第二个目标是将这些分类任务产生的结构与言语类别的典型结构进行比较，如范畴知觉和知觉磁铁效应。第三个目标是开发有效的接触和培训方法，向第二语言学习者教授非母语对比。学习非母语的发音对比是一项极其困难的任务。揭示复杂类别学习的机制可能有助于训练个体辨别这些复杂的语音类别。这些辅助工具可以很容易地扩展到其他复杂的学习任务，如音乐训练、声学警告系统或听觉数据显示。

Exciting new research has promoted a vital sub-field of speech perception research concerned with describing the function of categories in the development and maintenance of language- appropriate perception. Recent work has suggested that at least part of the formation and function of phonetic categories is a result of general perceptual categorization mechanisms not specific to speech or language. Thus, there now appears to be opportunity for an integration of general categorization research with work on first and second language acquisition. Unfortunately, much of what is known about perceptual categorization has been derived from examination of categories that are fundamentally different from phonetic categories. Moreover, it is empirically difficult to examine influences of categorization using speech stimuli because it is extraordinarily difficult to determine a detailed history of experience. Pilot work by the PIs has suggested the utility of using complex non- speech sounds in probing the learning mechanisms that drive auditory categorization. These sounds can be synthesized to mimic complexities of phonetic categories and distributions of stimulus presentation can be theorectically derived to model aspects of phonetic categories while maintaining full experimental control over experience. The main goals of this work are threefold. The first goal is to provide a detailed database of the formation and structure of complex auditory categories. There is a dearth of research in this area and the proposed work will be useful in developing a taxonomy of auditory learning and testing extant models of general perceptual categorization (which have been based primarily on data from visual tasks). Experiments using explicit and incidental learning procedures will map the development of categorical response structures as listeners gain experience with novel stimuli. The second goal is to compare the resulting structures that arise from these categorization tasks to structures typical of speech categories such as categorical perception and the "perceptual magnet" effect. The third goal is to develop efficient methods of exposure and training to teach non-native contrasts to second-language learners. Learning the sound contrasts for a non-native language is an extremely difficult task. Exposing the mechanisms of complex category learning could illuminate potential aids to training individuals to discriminate these complex speech categories. These aids could extend easily to other complex learning tasks such as musical training, acoustic warning systems or auditory data displays.