1) The study aims to explore how semantic context influences phonetic processing using a phonetic morphing task with ambiguous words.
2) Participants heard sentences that were biased towards a target word and then reported whether they heard a particular consonant sound.
3) The researchers hypothesized that semantic context would create a bias towards interpreting ambiguous sounds in a way that is consistent with the surrounding context compared to non-constraining conditions.
The grasshopper mocked the ant for working hard to gather food for the winter while he played. When winter came, the ant had plenty of food stored away while the grasshopper had nothing and begged the ant for food but was denied.
The milk-maid dreamed as she walked home with a pail of milk of making cream and butter to sell for eggs to start a poultry farm. She further dreamed of selling fowls for a fine dress to wear to the fair and have boys admire her. Lost in her dreams, she jerked her head and spilled all the milk when the pail fell from her head, crying that she had lost everything.
This document summarizes the speaker's PhD research on the prosody of initial geminate consonants in Kelantan Malay. It outlines several stages of the research process, including an initial literature review on prosody and geminate consonants in other languages. It then describes a preliminary production experiment analyzing acoustic correlates of singleton-geminate contrasts in Kelantan Malay, finding significant differences in closure duration. Future plans include fieldwork in Kelantan to collect more spontaneous speech data and conduct perception experiments.
The document summarizes the research proposal and preliminary findings of a PhD study investigating the prosody of initial geminate consonants in Kelantan Malay. The study conducted production experiments with native speakers, analyzing acoustic correlates like closure duration. Results showed significant differences in duration between singleton and geminate consonants. Gender and vowel height also influenced duration. Further experiments on spontaneous speech and perception are planned to provide more robust analysis of initial geminates in Kelantan Malay prosody.
This document discusses theories of language structure and processing. It begins by describing Noam Chomsky's critique of behaviorism and introduction of concepts like universal grammar and the poverty of stimulus. It then covers topics like the types of words in language, sentence structure rules, properties of language like creativity and arbitrariness, and theories of language processing including lexical access and categorical perception. Research methods discussed include studies of language acquisition, disorders, reaction times, brain imaging, and cross-cultural comparisons.
This study investigated how the brain integrates linguistic and perceptual information during language comprehension using electro- and magnetoencephalography. The researchers found:
1) Linguistically complex words (inflected verbs) engaged a left-lateralized network including temporal and frontal regions, whereas perceptually complex words activated a bilateral network.
2) Functional connectivity analysis revealed partially overlapping neural networks supporting linguistic and perceptual processing, with both enhancing connections between left temporal regions and bilateral frontal regions.
3) Connectivity between left temporal and frontal regions specifically increased for linguistically complex words, suggesting their role in morphosyntactic computations during language comprehension.
The grasshopper mocked the ant for working hard to gather food for the winter while he played. When winter came, the ant had plenty of food stored away while the grasshopper had nothing and begged the ant for food but was denied.
The milk-maid dreamed as she walked home with a pail of milk of making cream and butter to sell for eggs to start a poultry farm. She further dreamed of selling fowls for a fine dress to wear to the fair and have boys admire her. Lost in her dreams, she jerked her head and spilled all the milk when the pail fell from her head, crying that she had lost everything.
This document summarizes the speaker's PhD research on the prosody of initial geminate consonants in Kelantan Malay. It outlines several stages of the research process, including an initial literature review on prosody and geminate consonants in other languages. It then describes a preliminary production experiment analyzing acoustic correlates of singleton-geminate contrasts in Kelantan Malay, finding significant differences in closure duration. Future plans include fieldwork in Kelantan to collect more spontaneous speech data and conduct perception experiments.
The document summarizes the research proposal and preliminary findings of a PhD study investigating the prosody of initial geminate consonants in Kelantan Malay. The study conducted production experiments with native speakers, analyzing acoustic correlates like closure duration. Results showed significant differences in duration between singleton and geminate consonants. Gender and vowel height also influenced duration. Further experiments on spontaneous speech and perception are planned to provide more robust analysis of initial geminates in Kelantan Malay prosody.
This document discusses theories of language structure and processing. It begins by describing Noam Chomsky's critique of behaviorism and introduction of concepts like universal grammar and the poverty of stimulus. It then covers topics like the types of words in language, sentence structure rules, properties of language like creativity and arbitrariness, and theories of language processing including lexical access and categorical perception. Research methods discussed include studies of language acquisition, disorders, reaction times, brain imaging, and cross-cultural comparisons.
This study investigated how the brain integrates linguistic and perceptual information during language comprehension using electro- and magnetoencephalography. The researchers found:
1) Linguistically complex words (inflected verbs) engaged a left-lateralized network including temporal and frontal regions, whereas perceptually complex words activated a bilateral network.
2) Functional connectivity analysis revealed partially overlapping neural networks supporting linguistic and perceptual processing, with both enhancing connections between left temporal regions and bilateral frontal regions.
3) Connectivity between left temporal and frontal regions specifically increased for linguistically complex words, suggesting their role in morphosyntactic computations during language comprehension.
This case study involves a 9-year-old male who was referred for a central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) evaluation due to poor school performance, especially in verbally based subjects. Auditory tests revealed weaknesses in dichotic listening, frequency patterns, and auditory attention. Additional testing found atrophy in the right hemisphere of the brain. A multidisciplinary team was recommended to provide interventions including auditory training, prosody training using music, preferential classroom seating, and in-service teacher training.
Replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998)Hui Xin Ng
We report a replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998). The results of our replication are largely consistent with the conclusions of the original study. We found evidence of a P600 component of the event-related potential (ERP) in response to syntactic violations in language and harmonic inconsistencies in music. There were some minor differences in the spatial distribution of the P600 on the scalp between the replication and the original. The experiment was pre-registered at https://osf.io/g3b5j/register/565fb3678c5e4a66b5582f6
This study examined how word complexity and type of intervening task affect recall ability. Participants studied word lists and then completed an intervening task before recall. Word complexity had two levels: low (1-2 syllables) and high (3-4 syllables). The intervening tasks were a crossword puzzle or instrumental music. It was hypothesized that low complexity words and music would lead to better recall. The results supported the hypotheses, finding better recall for low complexity words and a marginal effect of better recall after music. There was no interaction between the variables. In conclusion, word complexity affects recall ability regardless of the intervening task.
The study examined the effect of context cue exposure on long-term memory recall performance. Sixty undergraduate students studied a word pair list while listening to classical music (context cue). In the test phase, half the students heard the music again while recalling the words, whereas the other half did not hear the music. Results showed that recall performance was significantly better for students who heard the context cue (classical music) in both phases compared to those who only heard it during study. The findings suggest that reinstating an encoding context cue can improve long-term memory recall.
This study examined the effect of auditory distraction on verbal memory performance in 13 military veterans with and without mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Veterans completed the Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Task under both quiet and noisy distraction conditions. Results showed that auditory distraction disrupted memory retrieval more for veterans with mTBI compared to those without mTBI. Specifically, distraction negatively impacted performance across all trial types for veterans with mTBI but only delayed recall for typical veterans. The findings suggest that auditory distraction poses a greater challenge for verbal memory in veterans with mTBI.
Beyond Readability Formulas: The Editor as Advocate of Whole Text and All Rea...Romina Marazzato Sparano
Beyond Readability Formulas there is so much more that makes a text! This session will share strategies to foster reading comprehension that go well beyond shorter words and sentences. Learn how to stitch sentence together with connectivity tricks!
This case study involves a 9-year-old male who was referred for a central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) evaluation due to poor school performance, especially in verbally based subjects. Auditory tests revealed weaknesses in dichotic listening, frequency patterns, and auditory attention. Additional testing found atrophy in the right hemisphere of the brain. A multidisciplinary team was recommended to provide interventions including auditory training, prosody training using music, preferential classroom seating, and in-service teacher training.
Replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998)Hui Xin Ng
We report a replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998). The results of our replication are largely consistent with the conclusions of the original study. We found evidence of a P600 component of the event-related potential (ERP) in response to syntactic violations in language and harmonic inconsistencies in music. There were some minor differences in the spatial distribution of the P600 on the scalp between the replication and the original. The experiment was pre-registered at https://osf.io/g3b5j/register/565fb3678c5e4a66b5582f6
This study examined how word complexity and type of intervening task affect recall ability. Participants studied word lists and then completed an intervening task before recall. Word complexity had two levels: low (1-2 syllables) and high (3-4 syllables). The intervening tasks were a crossword puzzle or instrumental music. It was hypothesized that low complexity words and music would lead to better recall. The results supported the hypotheses, finding better recall for low complexity words and a marginal effect of better recall after music. There was no interaction between the variables. In conclusion, word complexity affects recall ability regardless of the intervening task.
The study examined the effect of context cue exposure on long-term memory recall performance. Sixty undergraduate students studied a word pair list while listening to classical music (context cue). In the test phase, half the students heard the music again while recalling the words, whereas the other half did not hear the music. Results showed that recall performance was significantly better for students who heard the context cue (classical music) in both phases compared to those who only heard it during study. The findings suggest that reinstating an encoding context cue can improve long-term memory recall.
This study examined the effect of auditory distraction on verbal memory performance in 13 military veterans with and without mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Veterans completed the Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Task under both quiet and noisy distraction conditions. Results showed that auditory distraction disrupted memory retrieval more for veterans with mTBI compared to those without mTBI. Specifically, distraction negatively impacted performance across all trial types for veterans with mTBI but only delayed recall for typical veterans. The findings suggest that auditory distraction poses a greater challenge for verbal memory in veterans with mTBI.
Beyond Readability Formulas: The Editor as Advocate of Whole Text and All Rea...Romina Marazzato Sparano
Beyond Readability Formulas there is so much more that makes a text! This session will share strategies to foster reading comprehension that go well beyond shorter words and sentences. Learn how to stitch sentence together with connectivity tricks!
Beyond Readability Formulas: The Editor as Advocate of Whole Text and All Rea...
Poster1
1. The Mouse Was Chased by the Hat:
The Influence of Semantic Context on Phonetic Processing
Cristen Sullivan
Department of Psychology, Salem State University
The purpose of this experiment is to serve as a
behavioral pilot study exploring the connection between
semantic context and phonetic processing. Using a phonetic
morphing algorithm we created pairs of phonetically
ambiguous words, which have two possible interpretations.
Participants listened to sentences that were biased towards a
particular target word. (ex.. Her piano was never in TUNE
vs. He climbs the DUNE). After hearing the sentence
participants reported weather or not they heard a particular
consonant (T vs D) in the sentence they just heard. This
research posits that semantic context creates a bias towards
context appropriate solutions when subjects interpret
ambiguous stimuli in constraining compared to non
constrained conditions.
Abstract
Semantic Influences on Speech
Perception
Conclusions
Prospective Scanning Experiment
References
Subjects
Stimuli Task
Results
Borsky, S,Tuller, B, & Sharpio, L.P.(1998) “How to milk a coat:”The effects of semantic and
acoustic information on phoneme categorization. Journal of Acoustic Society of America,
103(5),2670-2676.
Gow,D.W.(2012)The cortical organization of lexical knowledge: A dual lexicon model of
spoken language processing.Brain and Language, 121, 273-288.
Gow,D.W, & Caplan, D.N. (2012) New levels of language processing complexity and
organization revealed by granger causation. Frontiers In Psychology. 506, 1-11.
Warren,R,& Warren R. Auditory Illusions and Confusions. Scientific American,223, 30-36.
This work was supported by NICDC grant R013108 (PI David Gow) through a subcontract to
Salem State University. My sincere thanks to Prof. Gow and A. Conrad Nied for their
assistance with this work.
• This study was approved by Institutional Review Boards at Salem State University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT.
• 25 participants were used 4 male and 21 female. All participants were native speakers with no uncorrected auditory or visual
defects. • Task effects: more distractors eliminate participant
memorization and predictability of the experiment.
• A clear effect was needed to justify running the
prospective scanning experiment.
• Stimuli can be made stronger by eliminating the K target.
• The behavioral pilot test was conducted to determine
that our test produces the most robust result.
• Granger causation MEG and EEG scanning.
• Allows for causal interactions between brain regions
to be analyzed.• Does sentence context influence speech perception?
• Warren and Warren (1970) observed that people tend to
utilize sentence context to interpret ambiguous speech.
• Borsky (1997) , using goat or coat as target stimulus finds
participants are more likely to identify target words placed
in contextually biased sentences. However only a small
effect was noted.
• Top down and bottom up effects.
• This experiment seeks to create a more robust effect towards
context biased stimuli and serves as a behavioral pilot test
for a prospective brain scanning experiment.
Figure 2 from Borsky et al.
(1998) JASA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Voiceless Voiced
%Responses
Sentential/Semantic Bias
Consistent
Inconsistent
Our results based on 25 subjects
(Overall accuracy 93% on fillers)
Voiced “Dip” Unvoiced “Tip”
Time
Visual fixation stimulus (500ms)
Auditory stimulus
300ms delay
Visual probe
Stimulus with VOT cutback
Bad Items
12 t You can come here by TRAIN
21 t She joined a brownie TROOP sound?
57 d She says her horoscope is DIRE sound
68 d The jungle growth was quite DENSE
101 p Eat after the drinks are POURED
116 p The man losing his job PLED awkward
178 b He never paid his electric BILL
201 k The officer searched for a CLUE
202 k The door is about to CLOSE
203 k Winter in Massachusetts is very COLD
204 k You should invite her to COME
205 k Needlepoint is my favorite new CRAFT
206 k The raft floated down the CREEK sound
207 k The pirate ship needs a CREW sound?
208 k The bird was probably a CROW sound?
209 k The little prince was just CROWNED
210 k Her hair has a natural CURL
211 k He slice dthe apple to its CORE
212 k There are 30 students in the CLASS
213 k Our state fish is the COD
214 k Fall evenings are very COOL
215 k I would do it if I COULD
216 k They lift the beams by CRANE
219 k The mad man was totally CRAZED
220 k He bent down into a CROUCH
263 g Neptune was the Roman sea GOD sound
Top down effects Bottom up effects
Sound
Sound
Decision
Time (s)
0 1.156
-0.1398
0.1867
0
Time (s)
0 0.234
-0.09195
0.09637
0
Time (s)
0 1.294
-0.1313
0.1788
0
Time (s)
0 0.2758
-0.1208
0.1788
0
VOT=61msVOT=17ms
Time (s)
0 0.2466
-0.1208
0.1788
0
VOT=28ms
Voiced “Dip” (BDG) Unvoiced “Tip” (PTK)
• A large number of stimuli were
used.
• 150 word pairs with 350 distractor
stimuli.
• No nonsense words or continuously
repeated stimuli.
• Prevents memorization as well as
participant confusion.
• Participants stay more task focused.
MeaningMeaning
Sound