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Review
. 2021 Mar;12(2):e1541.
doi: 10.1002/wcs.1541. Epub 2020 Aug 7.

The time-course of speech perception revealed by temporally-sensitive neural measures

Laura M Getz  1 , Joseph C Toscano  2
Affiliations
Review

The time-course of speech perception revealed by temporally-sensitive neural measures

Laura M Getz et al. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience have provided a detailed picture of the early time-course of speech perception. In this review, we highlight this work, placing it within the broader context of research on the neurobiology of speech processing, and discuss how these data point us toward new models of speech perception and spoken language comprehension. We focus, in particular, on temporally-sensitive measures that allow us to directly measure early perceptual processes. Overall, the data provide support for two key principles: (a) speech perception is based on gradient representations of speech sounds and (b) speech perception is interactive and receives input from higher-level linguistic context at the earliest stages of cortical processing. Implications for models of speech processing and the neurobiology of language more broadly are discussed. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Language Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics Neuroscience > Cognition.

Keywords: acoustic cue encoding; gradiency; speech perception; top-down effects.

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References

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