A temporally dynamic context effect that disrupts voice onset time discrimination of rapidly successive stimuli.
Across three experiments, voice onset time discrimination along a/ba/-/pa/ continuum was found to be influenced by the order of presentation of rapidly successive stimuli. Specifically, discrimination was disrupted when a relatively unambiguous /pa/ syllable was presented before, rather than after, a more ambiguous /pa/ or/ba/ syllable. In Experiments 1 and 2, for between-category discrimination, this order effect was significant at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) below 250 msec, but not at 250 or 1,000 msec. In Experiments 2 and 3, the order effect was also significant for within-category discrimination at ISIs below 250 msec. In addition, in Experiment 3 this order effect was not diminished by provision of performance feedback across eight testing sessions. These findings reveal a particular vulnerability of phonological processing in response to rapidly successive stimuli and may have implications for mathematical and neural models of speech processing of normal and impaired populations.
Liederman
Jacqueline
J
Brain, Behavior and Cognition Program, Boston University, 64 Cummington St Boston, MA 02215, USA. liederma@bu.edu
Frye
Richard
R
Fisher
Janet McGraw
JM
Greenwood
Kimberly
K
Alexander
Rebecca
R
D000328:Adult; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014831:Voice