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。这一优势在识别声音和在噪音中倾听方面尤其明显。最近的研究表明，辨认说话者涉及到对其语音的快速知觉调整，而在噪音中成功倾听涉及到单词识别过程的调整。该项目通过比较母语和第二语言在个体内的语音和词汇处理来检验这样一种预测，即听者在母语中比在第二语言中更有效地部署每一种类型的调整。此外，一种新的功能磁共振成像方法，即在每个受试者中从功能上定义目标大脑区域，将确定母语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.