Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1974 Feb;55(2):328-33.
doi: 10.1121/1.1914506.

Categorical and noncategorical modes of speech perception along the voicing continuum

D B Pisoni, J H Lazarus

Categorical and noncategorical modes of speech perception along the voicing continuum

D B Pisoni et al. J Acoust Soc Am. 1974 Feb.

Abstract

Native speakers of English identified and then discriminated between stimuli which varied in voice onset time (VOT). One group of listeners identified a randomized sequence of stimuli; another group identified an ordered sequence of stimuli, in which stimuli from the VOT continuum were presented in a consecutive order. Half of the Ss in each group then received one of two discrimination formats: the ABX discrimination test in which X was identified with A or with B, or 4IAX test of paired similarity in which two pairs of stimuli—one pair always the same and one pair always different—were presented on each trial. Noncategorical perception of the voicing distinction, reflected by an improvement in discrimination within phonetic categories, was obtained for the group of listeners who experienced both the sequential identification procedure and the 4IAX discrimination test. The results are interpreted as providing evidence for separate auditory and phonetic levels of discrimination in speech perception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Average Identification Functions for the Randomized Identification Condition. On the right are the identification data for 7 Ss with the ABX discrimination test; on the left is the function for 7 Ss with the 4IAX test. Each point is based on 30 responses per S pooled over Ss.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Average one- and two-step discrimination functions obtained with the ABX and 4IAX tests for the Random Identification Conditions. The predicted functions, derived from identification, are shown by the dashed lines in each panel.
FIG. 3
FIG. 3
Average one- and two-step discrimination functions obtained with the ABX and 4IAX tests for the Sequential Identification Conditions. The discrimination functions secured under the Random Identification condition have been replotted as the dashed lines in each panel.
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
Average one- and two-step discrimination functions for the replication experiment involving only the Sequential Identification and 4IAX Discrimination test conditions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abramson AS, Lisker L. Voice Onset Time in Stop Consonants: Acoustic Analysis and Synthesis. Proc. 5th Intl. Cong. Acoust.1965.
    1. Blakesmore C, Campbell FW. On the Existence of Neurons in the Human Visual System Selectively Sensitive to the Orientation and Size of Retinal Images. J Physiol. 1969;203:237. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blakesmore C, Sutton P. Size Adaptation: A New Aftereffect. Science. 1969;166:245. - PubMed
    1. Cooper FS, Mattingly IG. Computer-Controlled PCM System for Investigation of Dichotic Speech Perception. Status Report on Speech Research, Haskins Labs. 1969;SR-17/18:17.
    1. Cross DV, Lane HL. Progress Report No 6 Behavior Analysis Lab. Univ. Mich; 1964. An Analysis of the Relations Between Identification and Discrimination Functions for Speech and Non-Speech Continua.