Revisiting infant distributional learning using event-related potentials: Does unimodal always inhibit and bimodal always facilitate?

Liquan Liu; Varghese Peter; Jia Hoong Ong; Paola Escudero

doi:10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-67

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Revisiting infant distributional learning using event-related potentials: Does unimodal always inhibit and bimodal always facilitate?

Conference paper

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Revisiting infant distributional learning using event-related potentials: Does unimodal always inhibit and bimodal always facilitate?

Liquan Liu, Varghese Peter, Jia Hoong Ong and Paola Escudero

Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Speech Prosody 2020, pp.329-333

International Conference on Speech Prosody, 10th (Tokyo, Japan, 25-May-2020 - 28-May-2020)

International Speech Communication Association (ISCA)

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-67

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Abstract

Cognitive Sciences

Developmental Psychology and Ageing

Sensory Processes, Perception and Performance

distributional learning

speech perception

lexical tone

perceptual salience

electroencephalography (EEG)

event-related potentials (ERP)

mismatch negativity (MMN)

(positive) mismatch response (MMR)

Infants can learn and generalize phonetic categories through speech sound frequency distributions. Nevertheless, previous research with varying participant ages and testing paradigms reported incongruent findings regarding the effect of distributional learning of phonetic contrasts. The current study examines infants' distributional learning of non-native tones using electroencephalography. 5-6-month-old Australian infants were exposed to an 8-step continuum of a Mandarin Chinese high-level vs. high-falling tonal contrast. The bimodal condition had frequency peaks near the two ends of the continuum (steps 2, 7) whereas the peak was at the midpoint of the unimodal condition (steps 4, 5). Before and after listening to their corresponding distribution, both groups were tested on the same sounds (steps 3, 6) in a passive oddball paradigm. The unimodal group (N = 8) showed strong sensitivity to the sound distinction at post-but not pre-distributional learning. The bimodal group (N = 8), no significant neural sensitivity or difference was observed in pre-or post-distributional learning. The finding that unimodal exposure enhances infant perception is novel and is explained by their acoustic sensitivity to peak location, highlighting the role of the magnitude of the acoustic distinction in the stimuli when prior training and exposure is insufficient to establish phonetic categories.

Details

Title: Revisiting infant distributional learning using event-related potentials: Does unimodal always inhibit and bimodal always facilitate?
Authors: Liquan Liu (Author) - Western Sydney University
Varghese Peter (Author) - Western Sydney University
Jia Hoong Ong (Author) - University of Reading
Paola Escudero (Author) - Western Sydney University
Publication details: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Speech Prosody 2020, pp.329-333
Conference details: International Conference on Speech Prosody, 10th (Tokyo, Japan, 25-May-2020 - 28-May-2020)
Publisher: International Speech Communication Association (ISCA)
DOI: 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-67
Organisation Unit: School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99534308102621
Output Type: Conference paper

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