Perceptual learning in speech: stability over time.
Perceptual representations of phonemes are flexible and adapt rapidly to accommodate idiosyncratic articulation in the speech of a particular talker. This letter addresses whether such adjustments remain stable over time and under exposure to other talkers. During exposure to a story, listeners learned to interpret an ambiguous sound as [f] or [s]. Perceptual adjustments measured after 12 h were as robust as those measured immediately after learning. Equivalent effects were found when listeners heard speech from other talkers in the 12 h interval, and when they had the opportunity to consolidate learning during sleep.
Eisner
Frank
F
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. f.eisner@ucl.ac.uk
McQueen
James M
JM
D001288:Attention; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010700:Phonetics; D012890:Sleep; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception