Developmental patterns in vowel perception

本研究探讨语音知觉的发展，以及语音知觉如何随年龄和语言经验的变化来支持语言加工。本研究将重点放在幼儿早期元音知觉的发展上，并将评估自然参照物元音模型(NRV)的优点。根据该模型，具有极端发音-声学性质的元音(元音空间中的外围)作为自然参照物；它们通过吸引婴儿的注意和为学习者建立稳定的默认知觉框架来支持和指导元音感知的发展。以前关于婴儿对不同元音的听力偏好的研究支持了这一观点，因为研究3和研究3将考察婴儿在更大年龄范围内对元音的偏好。研究1和研究2将考察婴儿在更大年龄范围内的元音偏好，以了解这种元音感知偏差是如何以及何时出现的，以及在获得不同语言的婴儿中它是如何随年龄变化的。研究3和研究4将评估外围元音支持元音感知发展的说法。研究3测试了婴儿元音感知偏差也影响他们感知元音的预测。通过检查婴儿对说话者发出的元音的偏爱来掌握自己的发声模式(使用一种新的元音合成工具)。研究4将评估婴儿在不同说话者(成人、儿童、婴儿)发出的元音时识别相同元音的能力，以测试婴儿在回应外围元音时比非外围元音更容易识别元音类别的预测。研究3和4还将通过提供婴儿对听起来像婴儿说话者的语音的反应的第一次洞察，为我们对婴儿言语感知的理解做出独特的贡献。以往关于婴幼儿言语知觉的研究都没有使用类似婴幼儿的言语材料；这种方法对于理解婴幼儿言语发展中听和说技能之间的相互作用是必要的。

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.