Flexibility of acoustic cue weighting in children’s speech perception

2001 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 2313-2313
Author(s):  
Catherine Mayo ◽  
Alice Turk ◽  
Jocelynne Watson
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cue Weighting ◽  
Children's Speech

The Influence of Phonemic Awareness Development on Acoustic Cue Weighting Strategies in Children's Speech Perception

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 1184-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Mayo ◽  
James M. Scobbie ◽  
Nigel Hewlett ◽  
Daphne Waters
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Phoneme Segmentation ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Cue Weighting ◽  
Phoneme Blending ◽  
Children's Speech

In speech perception, children give particular patterns of weight to different acoustic cues (their cue weighting). These patterns appear to change with increased linguistic experience. Previous speech perception research has found a positive correlation between more analytical cue weighting strategies and the ability to consciously think about and manipulate segment-sized units (phonemic awareness). That research did not, however, aim to address whether the relation is in any way causal or, if so, then in which direction possible causality might move. Causality in this relation could move in 1 of 2 ways: Either phonemic awareness development could impact on cue weighting strategies or changes in cue weighting could allow for the later development of phonemic awareness. The aim of this study was to follow the development of these 2 processes longitudinally to determine which of the above 2 possibilities was more likely. Five-year-old children were tested 3 times in 7 months on their cue weighting strategies for a /so/-/∫o/ contrast, in which the 2 cues manipulated were the frequency of fricative spectrum and the frequency of vowel-onset formant transitions. The children were also tested at the same time on their phoneme segmentation and phoneme blending skills. Results showed that phonemic awareness skills tended to improve before cue weighting changed and that early phonemic awareness ability predicted later cue weighting strategies. These results suggest that the development of metaphonemic awareness may play some role in changes in cue weighting.

Discriminability and Perceptual Weighting of Some Acoustic Cues to Speech Perception by 3-Year-Olds

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nittrouer
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Developmental Shift ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Perceptual Weighting

Studies of children’s speech perception have shown that young children process speech signals differently than adults. Specifically, the relative contributions made by various acoustic parameters to some linguistic decisions seem to differ for children and adults. Such findings have led to the hypothesis that there is a developmental shift in the perceptual weighting of acoustic parameters that results from experience with a native language (i.e., the Developmental Weighting Shift). This developmental shift eventually leads the child to adopt the optimal perceptual weighting strategy for the native language being learned (i.e., one that allows the listener to make accurate decisions about the phonemic structure of his or her native language). Although this proposal has intuitive appeal, there is at least one serious challenge that can be leveled against it: Perhaps age-related differences inspeech perception can more appropriately be explained by age-related differences in basic auditory-processing abilities. That is, perhaps children are not as sensitive as adults to subtle differences in acoustic structure and so make linguistic decisions based on the acoustic information that is most perceptually salient. The present study tested this hypothesis for the acoustic cues relevant to fricative identity in fricative-vowel syllables. Results indicated that 3-year-olds were not as sensitive to changes in these acoustic cues as adults are, but that these age-related differences in auditory sensitivity could not entirely account for age-related differences in perceptual weighting strategies.

Auditory Processing in Children's Speech Perception

1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan E. Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Selective Adaptation ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Acoustic Processing ◽  
Processing Differences ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
The Continuum ◽  
Adaptation Effects

Five- to six-year-old children and adults participated in discrimination and selective adaptation speech perception tasks using a synthetic consonant-vowel continuum ranging from [bal to Ida]. In one condition of selective adaptation, attention was focused on the adapting stimulus, the continuum-endpoint ba], with a whispering task. In another condition, attention was focused away from the continuum-endpoint [da] adaptor to contralaterally presented syllables " she " and " see ." Results, compared with two more typical adaptation conditions, indicated that focused attention did not augment selective adaptation effects, particularly for children who showed smaller effects with focused attention on the adaptor. In contrast to adults, children did not significantly change labeling responses after exposure to endpoint-[ba] adaptors, results matching those of Sussman and Carney (1989). However, children did significantly change labeling following exposure to endpoint-[da] adaptors. Discrimination findings with five-formant consonant-vowel and single-formant stimuli supported the importance of acoustic processing for the selective adaptation tasks performed. Together, results support hypotheses of sensory processing differences in younger, normally developing children compared with adults and show that such abilities appear to be related to speech perception skills.

The Development of the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1350-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiri T. Mealings ◽  
Katherine Demuth ◽  
Jörg Buchholz ◽  
Harvey Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Helpful Tool ◽  
Perception Task ◽  
Performance Accuracy ◽  
Classroom Speech ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Noisy Condition

PurposeOpen-plan classroom styles are increasingly being adopted in Australia despite evidence that their high intrusive noise levels adversely affect learning. The aim of this study was to develop a new Australian speech perception task (the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test) and use it in an open-plan classroom to assess how intrusive noise affects speech perception.MethodThe first part of this article describes how the online 4-picture choice speech perception task materials were created. The second part focuses on the study involving twenty-two 5- to 6-year-old children in an open-plan classroom who completed the task while other classes engaged in quiet and noisy activities.ResultsChildren's performance accuracy, number of responses, and speed were lower in the noisy condition compared with the quiet condition. In addition, children's speech perception scores decreased the farther away they were seated from the loudspeaker. Overall, the children understood and were engaged in the task, demonstrating that it is an appropriate tool for assessing speech perception live in the classroom with 5- to 6-year-old children.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test is a helpful tool for assessing speech perception in classrooms and that it would be beneficial to use in future research investigating how classroom design and noise affect speech perception.

scholarly journals Social Inequalities in Health: Outcomes of Children’s Cochlear Implantation in Lithuania

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 67-78
Author(s):  
Daumantas Stumbrys ◽  
Jekaterina Byčkova ◽  
Eugenijus Lesinskas ◽  
Jurga Mataitytė-Diržienė ◽  
Jolita Norkūnienė
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implantation ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Social And Cultural Capital ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Vilnius University ◽  
Children Speech ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Main Factor

The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic, family, and educational differences in children’s speech perception development after cochlear (hearing) implantation. The research was conducted in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos during the years 2013–2018. Open-set speech perception in quiet surroundings were evaluated during hearing assessments (n=81). Information about different factor groups was collected according to the Nottingham Children’s Implant Profile questionnaire. Three main factor groups were analysed: (a) demographic, (b) family, and (c) educational. A Bourdieu-based approach was adopted to analyse social inequalities of health of children with cochlear implants. Different factors were operationalized as different forms of capital. Our findings highlight the importance of family’s social and cultural capital to children speech perception after cochlear implantation.

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