Investigating the retention and time course of phonotactic constraint learning from production experience.
Adults can rapidly learn artificial phonotactic constraints such as /f/ occurs only at the beginning of syllables by producing syllables that contain those constraints. This implicit learning is then reflected in their speech errors. However, second-order constraints in which the placement of a phoneme depends on another characteristic of the syllable (e.g., if the vowel is /æ/, /f/ occurs at the beginning of syllables and /s/ occurs at the end of syllables, but if the vowel is /I/, the reverse is true) require a longer learning period. Two experiments investigated the transience of second-order learning and whether consolidation plays a role in learning phonological dependencies, with speech errors used as a measure of learning. Experiment 1 tested the durability of learning and found that learning was still present in speech errors a week later. Experiment 2 looked at whether more time in the form of a consolidation period or more experience in the form of more trials was necessary for learning to be revealed in speech errors. Both consolidation and more trials led to learning; however, consolidation provided a more substantial benefit.
University of Scranton, Department of Psychology, 800 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18510, USA. jill.warker@scranton.edu
Jill A
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Warker
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception; D013334:Students; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*