A comparison of perceptual training efficacy and trajectories in young and old adults

Abstract

Current speech learning models propose that the ability for the reorganization of phonetic systems remains intact over the entire life span. This claim is well supported for adults up to the age of ca. 40 years, but empirical evidence on phonetic flexibility in mature learners is very scarce. We report on the first of a series of studies which examine seniors’ (age 60 plus) phonetic learning ability. Two age groups of native Danish participants (young: age 18–35, and old: age 60–75) took part in ten sessions which trained the perception of the English initial /s-z/ contrast, which is absent from Danish (with only /s/.) The training groups, as well as age-matched control groups, also took part in pre- and post-tests examining their perception and production of English initial and final /s/ and /z/. The results address questions concerning age differences in phonetic learning and in learning trajectories, as well as questions concerning allophone-specific versus phoneme-general learning, and the nature of the production-perception link in phonetic learning. [Research supported by a grant from the Independent Research AcoFund Denmark, grant DFF2 0132-00008B.]