Abstract
Similar to visual perception, auditory perception also has a clearly described “pop-out” effect, where an element with some extra feature is easier to detect among elements without an extra feature. This phenomenon is better known as auditory perceptual asymmetry. We investigated such asymmetry between shorter or longer duration, and level or falling of pitch of linguistic stimuli that carry a meaning in one language (Estonian), but not in another (Russian). For the mismatch negativity (MMN) experiment, we created four different types of stimuli by modifying the duration of the first vowel [ɑ] (170, 290 ms) and pitch contour (level vs. falling pitch) of the stimuli words (‘SATA,’ ‘SAKI’). The stimuli were synthesized from Estonian words (‘SATA,’ ‘SAKI’) and follow the Estonian language three-way quantity system, which incorporates tonal features (falling pitch contour) together with temporal patterns. This made the meaning of the word dependent on the combination of both features and allows us to compare the relative contribution of duration and pitch contour in discrimination of language stimuli in the brain via MMN generation. The participants of the experiment were 12 Russian native speakers with little or no experience in Estonian and living in Estonia short-term, and 12 Estonian native speakers (age 18–27 years). We found that participants’ perception of the linguistic stimuli differed not only according to the physical features but also according to their native language, confirming that the meaning of the word interferes with the early automatic processing of phonological features. The GAMM and ANOVA analysis of the reversed design results showed that the deviant with longer duration among shorter standards elicited a MMN response with greater amplitude than the short deviant among long standards, while changes in pitch contour (falling vs. level pitch) produced neither strong MMN nor asymmetry. Thus, we demonstrate the effect of language background on asymmetric perception of linguistic stimuli that aligns with those of previous studies (Jaramillo et al., 2000), and contributes to the growing body of knowledge supporting auditory perceptual asymmetry.
Highlights
When perceiving the input from the outside world, an element with something extra is usually easier to detect among elements without the feature than a lesser element (O) among elements with those extra features (Q) (Treisman, 1985; Wolfe, 1994)
This phenomenon has been described in different sensory modalities, including auditory modality, where such discrepancies are known as auditory perceptual asymmetry
The basis for the theoretical background of auditory perceptual asymmetry has been proposed but it is not fully clear if and how language experience can affect the asymmetry for linguistic stimuli
Summary
When perceiving the input from the outside world, an element with something extra (e.g., visually presented letter Q) is usually easier to detect among elements without the feature (e.g., letter O) than a lesser element (O) among elements with those extra features (Q) (Treisman, 1985; Wolfe, 1994) This phenomenon has been described in different sensory modalities, including auditory modality, where such discrepancies are known as auditory perceptual asymmetry. The basis for the theoretical background of auditory perceptual asymmetry has been proposed but it is not fully clear if and how language experience can affect the asymmetry for linguistic stimuli Brain imaging techniques, such as electroencephalography (EEG), and more precisely mismatch negativity (MMN), allow us to study these effects with great temporal resolution. In their study with sine wave stimuli, Timm et al (2011) found support for the feature-detector hypothesis and noted similar result patterns a number of previous studies (Nordby et al, 1994; Sabri and Campbell, 2000; Bishop et al, 2005)
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