The application of a psychophysical difference metric to perceptual similarity judgments in vowels

2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 3029 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Harnsberger ◽  
Rahul Shrivastav ◽  
Mark Skowronski
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Similarity Judgments

scholarly journals Revisiting the Suffixing Preference: Native-Language Affixation Patterns Influence Perception of Sequences

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1107-1116
Author(s):  
Alexander Martin ◽  
Jennifer Culbertson
Keyword(s):  
Human Perception ◽  
Perceptual Bias ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Bantu Language ◽  
Rural Kenya ◽  
Similarity Judgments ◽  
Complex Words

Similarities among the world’s languages may be driven by universal features of human cognition or perception. For example, in many languages, complex words are formed by adding suffixes to the ends of simpler words, but adding prefixes is much less common: Why might this be? Previous research suggests this is due to a domain-general perceptual bias: Sequences differing at their ends are perceived as more similar to each other than sequences differing at their beginnings. However, as is typical in psycholinguistic research, the evidence comes exclusively from one population—English speakers—who have extensive experience with suffixing. Here, we provided a much stronger test of this claim by investigating perceptual-similarity judgments in speakers of Kîîtharaka, a heavily prefixing Bantu language spoken in rural Kenya. We found that Kîîtharaka speakers ( N = 72) showed the opposite judgments to English speakers ( N = 51), which calls into question whether a universal bias in human perception can explain the suffixing preference in the world’s languages.

Invariance of edit-distance to tempo in rhythm similarity

2020 ◽  
pp. 030573562097103
Author(s):  
Matthew Moritz ◽  
Matthew Heard ◽  
Hyun-Woong Kim ◽  
Yune S Lee
Keyword(s):  
Edit Distance ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Music Psychology ◽  
Mantel Tests ◽  
Distance Model ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
History Of ◽  
Similarity Ratings ◽  
Similarity Judgments

Despite the long history of music psychology, rhythm similarity perception remains largely unexplored. Several studies suggest that edit-distance—the minimum number of notational changes required to transform one rhythm into another—predicts similarity judgments. However, the ecological validity of edit-distance remains elusive. We investigated whether the edit-distance model can predict perceptual similarity between rhythms that also differed in a fundamental characteristic of music—tempo. Eighteen participants rated the similarity between a series of rhythms presented in a pairwise fashion. The edit-distance of these rhythms varied from 1 to 4, and tempo was set at either 90 or 150 beats per minute (BPM). A test of congruence among distance matrices (CADM) indicated significant inter-participant reliability of ratings, and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) visualized that the ratings were clustered based upon both tempo and whether rhythms shared an identical onset pattern, a novel effect we termed rhythm primacy. Finally, Mantel tests revealed significant correlations of edit-distance with similarity ratings on both within- and between-tempo rhythms. Our findings corroborated that the edit-distance predicts rhythm similarity and demonstrated that the edit-distance accounts for similarity of rhythms that are markedly different in tempo. This suggests that rhythmic gestalt is invariant to differences in tempo.

Free-Classification of Perceptually Similar Speakers With Dysarthria

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 2051-2064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin L. Lansford ◽  
Julie M. Liss ◽  
Rebecca E. Norton
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Articulation Rate ◽  
Classification Approach ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
Similarity Judgments ◽  
Vocal Quality ◽  
Free Classification ◽  
Perceptual Metrics

Purpose In this investigation, the construct of perceptual similarity was explored in the dysarthrias. Specifically, we employed an auditory free-classification task to determine whether listeners could cluster speakers by perceptual similarity, whether the clusters mapped to acoustic metrics, and whether the clusters were constrained by dysarthria subtype diagnosis. Method Twenty-three listeners blinded to speakers' medical and dysarthria subtype diagnoses participated. The task was to group together (drag and drop) the icons corresponding to 33 speakers with dysarthria on the basis of how similar they sounded. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling (MDS) modeled the perceptual dimensions underlying similarity. Acoustic metrics and perceptual judgments were used in correlation analyses to facilitate interpretation of the derived dimensions. Results Six clusters of similar-sounding speakers and 3 perceptual dimensions underlying similarity were revealed. The clusters of similar-sounding speakers were not constrained by dysarthria subtype diagnosis. The 3 perceptual dimensions revealed by MDS were correlated with metrics for articulation rate, intelligibility, and vocal quality, respectively. Conclusions This study shows (a) feasibility of a free-classification approach for studying perceptual similarity in dysarthria, (b) correspondence between acoustic and perceptual metrics to clusters of similar-sounding speakers, and (c) similarity judgments transcended dysarthria subtype diagnosis.

Perceptual similarity judgments of voices: Effects of talker and listener language, vocal source acoustics, and time-reversal

2018 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 1923-1923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Furbeck ◽  
Emily J. Thurston ◽  
Jessica Tin ◽  
Tyler K. Perrachione
Keyword(s):  
Time Reversal ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Similarity Judgments ◽  
Vocal Source

The Effect of Outcome Probability on Generalization in Predictive Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadar Ram ◽  
Dieter Struyf ◽  
Bram Vervliet ◽  
Gal Menahem ◽  
Nira Liberman
Keyword(s):  
High Probability ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Predictive Learning ◽  
Lightning Bolt ◽  
Outcome Probability

Abstract. People apply what they learn from experience not only to the experienced stimuli, but also to novel stimuli. But what determines how widely people generalize what they have learned? Using a predictive learning paradigm, we examined the hypothesis that a low (vs. high) probability of an outcome following a predicting stimulus would widen generalization. In three experiments, participants learned which stimulus predicted an outcome (S+) and which stimulus did not (S−) and then indicated how much they expected the outcome after each of eight novel stimuli ranging in perceptual similarity to S+ and S−. The stimuli were rings of different sizes and the outcome was a picture of a lightning bolt. As hypothesized, a lower probability of the outcome widened generalization. That is, novel stimuli that were similar to S+ (but not to S−) produced expectations for the outcome that were as high as those associated with S+.

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