Auditory and phonetic processing of speech: Adaptation, anchoring, and contrast

Abstract

Three different experimental procedures were used to assess the relative contributions of auditory and phonetic coding processes in speech perception. Synthetic and natural [spa] syllables were used in conjunction with a synthetic [ba]-[pha] test series. The [spa] and [ba] syllables had virtually identical effects as adaptors in a selective adaptation procedure, indicating an auditory locus for adaptation effects. In the paired-comparison procedure, [spa] and [pha] syllables produced similar effects on an ambiguous test item, indicating that phonetic processes mediated these results. Finally, in an anchoring procedure, the inclusion of a [spa] syllable as an anchor in the [ba]-[pha] series produced results that were intermediate between the adaptation and paired-comparison results. Thus results with the anchoring procedure seem to reflect both auditory and phonetic coding processes. The implications of these results for models of speech perception and the nature of phonetic coding will be discussed. [Work supported by NIMH.]