Word Perception Research Articles

Perception and transmission of colour words in translation within natural and artificial bilingualism (Based on V. Nabokov's novels)

Perception and transmission of colour words in translation within natural and artificial bilingualism (Based on V. Nabokov's novels)

Mandarin Electro-Laryngeal Speech Enhancement Using Cycle-Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks

Electro-laryngeal (EL) speech has poor intelligibility and naturalness, which hampers the popular use of the electro-larynx. Voice conversion (VC) can enhance EL speech. However, if the EL speech to be enhanced is with complicated tone variation rules in Mandarin, the enhancement will be less effective. This is because the source speech (Mandarin EL speech) and the target speech (normal speech) are not strictly parallel. We propose using cycle-consistent generative adversarial networks (CycleGAN, a parallel-free VC framework) to enhance continuous Mandarin EL speech, which can solve the above problem. In the proposed framework, the generator is designed based on the neural networks of a 2D-Conformer-1D-Transformer-2D-Conformer. Then, we used Mel-Spectrogram instead of traditional acoustic features (fundamental frequency, Mel-Cepstrum parameters and aperiodicity parameters). At last, we converted the enhanced Mel-Spectrogram into waveform signals using WaveNet. We undertook both subjective and objective tests to evaluate the proposed approach. Compared with traditional approaches to enhance continuous Mandarin EL speech with variable tone (the average tone accuracy being 71.59% and average word error rate being 10.85%), our framework increases the average tone accuracy by 12.12% and reduces the average errors of word perception by 9.15%. Compared with the approaches towards continuous Mandarin EL speech with fixed tone (the average tone accuracy being 29.89% and the average word error rate being 10.74%), our framework increases the average tone accuracy by 42.38% and reduces the average errors of word perception by 8.59%. Our proposed framework can effectively address the problem that the source and target speech are not strictly parallel. The intelligibility and naturalness of Mandarin EL speech have been further improved.

Brain correlates of speech perception in schizophrenia patients with and without auditory hallucinations.

The experience of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH, "hearing voices") in schizophrenia has been found to be associated with reduced auditory cortex activation during perception of real auditory stimuli like tones and speech. We re-examined this finding using 46 patients with schizophrenia (23 with frequent AVH and 23 hallucination-free), who underwent fMRI scanning while they heard words, sentences and reversed speech. Twenty-five matched healthy controls were also examined. Perception of words, sentences and reversed speech all elicited activation of the bilateral superior temporal cortex, the inferior and lateral prefrontal cortex, the inferior parietal cortex and the supplementary motor area in the patients and the healthy controls. During the sentence and reversed speech conditions, the schizophrenia patients as a group showed reduced activation in the left primary auditory cortex (Heschl's gyrus) relative to the healthy controls. No differences were found between the patients with and without hallucinations in any condition. This study therefore fails to support previous findings that experience of AVH attenuates speech-perception-related brain activations in the auditory cortex. At the same time, it suggests that schizophrenia patients, regardless of presence of AVH, show reduced activation in the primary auditory cortex during speech perception, a finding which could reflect an early information processing deficit in the disorder.

A Study on the Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in Lin Yutang’s Translated Version of Six Chapters of a Floating Life

During the Qing Dynasty, Shen Fu’s autobiographical prose collection Six Chapters of a Floating Life contains many culture-loaded words, which have solid cultural characteristics and play a pivotal role in the cultural exchange between China and the West. Due to the difference in cultural background and way of thinking between China and the West, Western readers’ perception of Chinese unique culture-loaded words is biased and difficult in the language conversion process. Hence, studying the English translation of culture-loaded words has theoretical and practical significance. The artistic creation of language is inseparably related to strangeness, and translation strangeness means that linguistic symbols do not always refer to the same object. The translation of the culturally loaded words in Lin Yutang’s translated book Six Chapters of a Floating Life allows the target language reader to experience a different world in a familiar and unfamiliar transition. Studying its translation is also valuable for helping translators to open their minds and use different means of translation to create new expressions of strangeness.

Performance evaluation of speech masking design among listeners with varying language backgrounds

Speech masking is a technique used for protecting speech confidentiality, which is realised by adding maskers to cover target speech. Numerous studies have demonstrated the native and non-native differences in perceiving masked speech, but few have compared the effect of masker types from the perspective of effectiveness of speech privacy and their annoyance levels. This paper reports on the result of an English word perception task by native and non-native listeners where six types of maskers, both speech-like and non-speech-like, are implemented, as well as the annoyance levels of each masker. Natives, non-natives residing in an English-speaking country, and non-natives residing in a non-English-speaking country were tasked to write down sentences when masking sound was present, and also to rate the annoyance levels of the maskers. Results showed that language background significantly affected the performance of unmasked speech, the difference between the two non-native listeners became minimal in the presence of maskers, and maskers annoyed the listener groups differently, calling for a discussion in the selection of a universally effective masker to increase speech privacy.

The mechanisms supporting holistic perception of words and faces are not independent.

The question of whether word and face recognition rely on overlapping or dissociable neural and cognitive mechanisms received considerable attention in the literature. In the present work, we presented words (aligned or misaligned) superimposed on faces (aligned or misaligned) and tested the interference from the unattended stimulus category on holistic processing of the attended category. In Experiment 1, we found that holistic face processing is reduced when a face was overlaid with an unattended, aligned word (processed holistically). In Experiment 2, we found a similar reduction of holistic processing for words when a word was superimposed on an unattended, aligned face (processed holistically). This reciprocal interference effect indicates a trade-off in holistic processing of the two stimuli, consistent with the idea that word and face recognition may rely on non-independent, overlapping mechanisms.

Relationships Between the Auditory Nerve Sensitivity to Amplitude Modulation, Perceptual Amplitude Modulation Rate Discrimination Sensitivity, and Speech Perception Performance in Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

This study assessed the relationships between the salience of amplitude modulation (AM) cues encoded at the auditory nerve (AN), perceptual sensitivity to changes in AM rate (i.e., AM rate discrimination threshold, AMRDT), and speech perception scores in postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant (CI) users. Study participants were 18 postlingually deafened adults with Cochlear Nucleus devices, including five bilaterally implanted patients. For each of 23 implanted ears, neural encoding of AM cues at 20 Hz at the AN was evaluated at seven electrode locations across the electrode array using electrophysiological measures of the electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP). The salience of AM neural encoding was quantified by the Modulated Response Amplitude Ratio (MRAR). Psychophysical measures of AMRDT for 20 Hz modulation were evaluated in 16 ears using a three-alternative, forced-choice procedure, targeting 79.4% correct on the psychometric function. AMRDT was measured at up to five electrode locations for each test ear, including the electrode pair that showed the largest difference in the MRAR. Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word scores presented in quiet and in speech-shaped noise at a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of +10 dB were measured in all 23 implanted ears. Simulation tests were used to assess the variations in correlation results when using the MRAR and AMRDT measured at only one electrode location in each participant to correlate with CNC word scores. Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) were used to evaluate the relationship between MRARs/AMRDTs measured at individual electrode locations and CNC word scores. Spearman Rank correlation tests were used to evaluate the strength of association between CNC word scores measured in quiet and in noise with (1) the variances in MRARs and AMRDTs, and (2) the averaged MRAR or AMRDT across multiple electrodes tested for each participant. There was no association between the MRAR and AMRDT. Using the MRAR and AMRDT measured at only one, randomly selected electrode location to assess their associations with CNC word scores could lead to opposite conclusions. Both the results of LMMs and Spearman Rank correlation tests showed that CNC word scores measured in quiet or at 10 dB SNR were not significantly correlated with the MRAR or AMRDT. In addition, the results of Spearman Rank correlation tests showed that the variances in MRARs and AMRDTs were not significantly correlated with CNC word scores measured in quiet or in noise. The difference in AN sensitivity to AM cues is not the primary factor accounting for the variation in AMRDTs measured at different stimulation sites within individual CI users. The AN sensitivity to AM per se may not be a crucial factor for CNC word perception in quiet or at 10 dB SNR in postlingually deafened adult CI users. Using electrophysiological or psychophysical results measured at only one electrode location to correlate with speech perception scores in CI users can lead to inaccurate, if not wrong, conclusions.

Expressive vocabulary of school-age children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

The main goal of this study was to describe the expressive vocabulary of school-age children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss (CHL group) and to compare their performance with children with normal hearing (CNH group) of the same age. Another aim was to examine the interaction between nonword repetition and expressive vocabulary size. Furthermore, the interaction between results on vocabulary tests and background factors, such as the age of diagnosis, age of hearing aid fitting, and amount of hearing aid use, was explored. School-aged children with mild to moderately severe, permanent bilateral hearing loss and children with normal hearing were included in this cross-sectional study. The children participated in assessments of naming pictures, defining words, and repetition of nonwords and sentences. Results of the CHL group and the CNH group were compared. The analysis also included the degree of hearing loss, the age of diagnosis, amount of hearing aid use, and level of parental education. The CHL group performed significantly below the CNH group on all measures: picture naming, defining words, nonword repetition, and repetition of sentences. The proportion of words pronounced with correct phonological structure when picture naming was more limited in the CHL group than in the CNH group. There was a significant positive correlation between the amount of hearing aid use and nonword repetition ability in the CHL group. Age of diagnosis and age of hearing aid fitting was not significantly correlated with the outcomes of the vocabulary assessments in this study. Despite the technological advancement of hearing aids, the expressive vocabulary in school-aged children with mild to moderately severe, permanent bilateral, hearing impairment does not reach the same level as for children with normal hearing, although there is a variation in performance within the group. The variation in the CHL group was not uniquely impacted by either age, degree of hearing loss, or the age of diagnosis. The amount of hearing aid use seems to impact the perception of new words. More studies of expressive vocabulary are needed, because they capture a dimension of word learning that seems particularly sensitive to hearing loss and hearing aid use.

PENGARUH WORD OF MOUTH DAN SERVICESCAPE TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN

This study aims to determine the effect of Word Of Mouth and Servicescape on purchasing decisions at dr. Maharani Kupang Skin Care. The independent variables in this study are Word Of Mouth and Servicescape, while the dependent variable is Purchasing Decisions. The number of samples in this study were 80 respondents, namely all active customers of dr. Maharani Skin Care in Kupang. Samples were obtained by using accidental sampling technique. The data analysis technique is Descriptive Quantitative, Multiple Linear Regression Analysis and hypothesis testing using the SPSS version 26. The results of the descriptive analysis show that overall the respondents gave a very good perception of Word Of Mouth and servicescape to dr. Maharani Skin Care in Kupang. Both the results of the t test and the F test show that simultaneously and partially Word Of Mouth and Servicescape have a significant influence on Purchasing Decisions. Based on the Adjusted R2 value, it shows the contribution of Word Of Mouth and Servicescape to Purchasing Decisions is 54.7% while 45.3% is influenced by other variables outside the focus of this study. Other variables are Product Quality, Price, Promotion and Service Quality which can be taken into consideration for further researchers in addition to Word Of Mouth and Servicescape.
 Keywords: Word Of Mouth, Servicescape, Purchasing Decision

Workplace aggression, wellbeing, and job satisfaction: The specificity in border police organizations.

In male-dominated work contexts, the challenges faced by women and their impact on wellbeing and work attitudes have been documented, most extensively in other than police organizations. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional quantitative descriptive correlational predictive study to validate a model of relationships among workplace aggression, job satisfaction, and wellbeing at work with a sample of 1,066 female and male officers from the Romanian Border Police. The results obtained in the study showed that no differential gender effects were found, although women reported higher levels of workplace aggression than men (1.61 vs. 1.52; F = 4.20, p = 0.04). Also, workplace aggression significantly and negatively predicted job satisfaction (R2 = 0.27) and wellbeing at work (R2 = 0.31). In conclusion, although this research is an exploratory approach to the study of workplace aggression in the Romanian police organization, it can generate interventions that would lead to the reduction of undesirable behaviors such as verbal aggression, malicious jokes, discrimination, perception of inequalities, gossip, and defamatory words. In the future lines of research, different sources and conditions of victims and witnesses can be considered the. We also studied the limitations of the study and the future lines of research.

“Please say what this word is,” in the US and now again in the UK: Dialectal differences in a replication of Ladefoged and Broadbent (1957)

One of the most famous speech perception studies is Ladefoged and Broadbent (1957), which demonstrated that acoustic properties of earlier sounds (in a context sentence) alter perception of subsequent sounds (in a target word). In their study, a context sentence with a lower first formant (F1) frequency promoted perception of a higher F1 in the target word, and vice versa. The decades since this seminal finding have seen myriad indirect replications, but none matched the incredibly large effect size of Ladefoged and Broadbent’s original study. Here, replication of Ladefoged and Broadbent (1957) was pursued using digitized versions of their original stimuli. Listeners were normal-hearing students in the UK (matching Ladefoged and Broadbent’s original sample) or the US (where most of the follow-up research has been conducted). Like the original study, perception of the target word shifted as a function of acoustic properties in the context sentences as in the example above. Perceptual shifts were larger for UK listeners than US listeners, but neither sample replicated the large effect sizes of the original study. While these results agree with Ladefoged and Broadbent’s conclusions, they invite consideration of how listener dialect and language background may relate to the magnitude of these effects.

The effects of perception of video image and online word of mouth on tourists' travel intentions: Based on the behaviors of short video platform users.

This research discusses the impact of the perception of video images and online word of mouth on tourists’ travel intentions. A survey of 390 users who watched travel videos on short-video platforms was conducted using structural equation modeling. The results are as follows. First, the perception of video images can significantly affect tourists’ intention to visit the destinations. Second, as a mediating variable, online word of mouth can enhance the positive effects of the perception of video images on tourists’ travel intentions. Third, gender had a positive moderating effect, which was particularly obvious in the relationship between the perception of video images and online word of mouth. This research provides a theoretical basis for the utility of tourism-related short videos, which can help stimulate tourists’ intention to visit promoted destinations.

The In-Out Effect in the Perception and Production of Real Words.

The in‐out effect refers to the tendency that novel words whose consonants follow an inward‐wandering pattern (e.g., P‐T‐K) are rated more positively than stimuli whose consonants follow an outward‐wandering pattern (e.g., K‐T‐P). While this effect appears to be reliable, it is not yet clear to what extent it generalizes to existing words in a language. In two large‐scale studies, we sought to extend the in‐out effect from pseudowords to real words and from perception to production. In Study 1, we investigated whether previously collected affective ratings for English and Dutch words were more positive for inward‐wandering words and more negative for outward‐wandering words. No systematic relationship between wandering direction and affective valence was found. In Study 2, we investigated whether inward‐wandering words are more likely to occur in positive online consumer restaurant reviews written in English and Dutch, compared to negative reviews, and whether this association was stronger for food ratings than for decor ratings. Again, no systematic relationship between wandering direction and review rating emerged. We suggest that the affective states triggered by different consonantal wandering directions might be used as a cue for forming judgments in the absence of other information, but that wandering direction is too low in salience to drive the shape of words in the lexicon.

Dominants, Submissives, and Bottom-up Text Analysis: Exploring BDSM Roles Through Romantic and Erotic Narratives

ABSTRACT Powerplay, or the consensual power exchange between “Dominant” and “submissive” (D/s) role partners, is common practice within BDSM culture. To many BDSM practitioners, their D/s role is an integral part of their sexual identity, informing not only their sexual scripts but also their non-sexual social interactions. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) text analysis software was used to process 261 participants’ responses to prompts asking them to write erotic and relationship-themed narratives. Using a data-driven approach to model selection, we regressed participants’ engagement in BDSM and D/s powerplay role identification on standardized language frequencies. Stories from more active BDSM practitioners’ narratives used more perceptual words, suggesting potentially mindful, intimate, and detailed storytelling, whereas non-practitioners used more tentativeness and death in their writings. Moreover, language reflected D/s role attributes, with Dominants exhibiting ownership, responsibility, and other-focus, and submissives referencing power dynamics and self-focus in their responses. Findings are consistent with existing literature on BDSM power relationships and relate to psychosexual well-being.

The Impact of Hearing Aids on Speech Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Children.

Background Severe hearing loss can affect speech perception in children, and hearing aids as a medical device may help improve speech perception in children. Objective To explore the effects of fitting hearing aids (HAs) on speech perception in children with severe hearing loss (60–70 dB HL). Methods Ninety-five children with bilateral severe hearing loss who were fitted bilaterally with HAs before the age of 3 years were followed up. The subjects were grouped according to their age at the time of fitting, i.e., <1, 1–2 , and 2–3 years groups. The Mandarin Early Speech Perception test was used to evaluate speech perception of Mandarin monosyllabic words at 12, 24, and 36 months after fitting. Results There were significant improvements in vowel, consonant, and tone perception scores from 12 to 36 months after fitting HAs in the three age groups, and the mean score at 36 months after fitting was significantly improved at >85%. The mean speech pattern and spondee perception scores averaged at >90% at 12 months after fitting and were comparable to the scores of 2-year-old children with normal hearing. Conclusions HA helps with speech perception in children with severe hearing loss.

Big Data-Driven Product Innovation Design Modeling and System Construction Method

In order to improve the image quality of innovative design of manufacturing products, reduce the dependence on experts, increase the amount of research data, and accurately sort and select the best alternatives, this paper proposes the KENPI method, which integrates perceptual engineering and neural style transfer, normalizes the content map through nm model, realizes style transfer, and generates new product images. Use ORDD perceptual engineering to collect a large number of perceptual word data, establish product semantic space, use TF-EPA to obtain perceptual words, and use word clustering combined with degree adverbs to evaluate the sensibility of products. Under the KE-GRA-TOPSIS method, considering user preferences, accurately sort and select the product design alternatives with multiple criteria, and establish the auxiliary system of product innovative design. The experimental results show that the style transfer effect of nm model is better, the style intensity of the product is enhanced, and the average texture evaluation of sample 3 is increased by 0.30 points. The average absolute value of DOD phrase in BP neural network is 0.0765, which is lower than the MLR method, and the performance of the former is better than the latter. The relative closeness of A6 scheme under KE-GRA-TOPSIS method is 0.57, which is 0.02 higher than the KT method, indicating that the KE-GRA-TOPSIS method is better than the KT method. The research improves the way of obtaining user demand data, enhances the strength of and product style, and improves the competitiveness of products.

Production and Perception of Single and Double Consonant Letters in English Words by Korean Learners of English

This study investigates how Korean students produce and perceive single and double consonant letters in English words. To this end, twenty-eight Korean learners of English participated in the production and perception tests of English consonants /p, b, s, d, k, g/ with single and double letters. The participants were first asked to produce English words with the target consonants spelled with a single or a double letter. Then, the same participants were asked to choose the same words they heard among the two productions of each native American English speaker’ production: the original production and artificially lengthened production of the target consonant sound. The percentages of the correct production and perception for the target consonant sounds with single consonant letters and double consonant letters were calculated to compare the accuracy of single and double letters. The study results demonstrate three factors influencing the production and perception of English single and double consonant letters. First, the Korean participants’ performance of the double letters was significantly worse than the performance of the single letters for both perception and production. This clearly shows that orthographic forms affect the learners’ production and perception of English words. Second, modality effect was attested such that the participants’ perception of the English single and double letters was significantly worse than the production of the same targets. Third, the participants showed worse performance for the voiceless targets than for the voiced targets both in perception and production, thus showing voicing effect. Further, the participants’ production of the voiceless targets was significantly worse than the production of the voiced targets. Finally, pedagogical suggestions were provided.

Was it a malingering of a mental disorder? Clinical case of self-disclosure of the patient and its interpretation

A clinical case of Stanislav G., 18 years old, an IT-specialist, who underwent therapy in a psychiatric hospital in connection with a schizotypal disorder diagnosed in him, is described. After a month, the patient admitted that he was feigning a mental disorder, because he could not receive effective treatment for the vegetative symptoms of hypothyroidism diagnosed in him, and began an intensive search for the psychopathological causes of his own illness. He believed that he had some signs of schizotypal disorder, but they were not enough to make an official diagnosis and receive the desired psychopharmacotherapy. For persuasiveness, he studied on the Internet the anamnesis of patients and decided to simulate elements of reasoning, emasculation of associations and a distorted perception of the interlocutors words, flattening of affect. On re-examination after claiming the sham, it was concluded that he did not have the listed symptoms and that there was no scientific evidence to support any psychiatric diagnosis. Doubts in the analysis were only caused by the patients motivation to simulate psychopathology in the absence of traditional grounds for malingering (criminal prosecution, military service), and excessive intellectualization of health problems and a specific style of thinking that did not go beyond the norm. The article discusses the question of whether the patient had symptoms of schizotypal disorder and, if so, whether they could completely stop in a short period of time. The article provides substantiations for the conclusion about the detection of feigning behavior in the patient, and provides data on the differential diagnosis between the malingering of a healthy person and pseudo-simulation in schizotypal disorder, as well as observations on the specifics of the mental activity of persons with schizoid personality disorder and Aspergers syndrome diagnoses assumed in the examined.

Research on the Sensory Feeling of Product Design for Electric Toothbrush Based on Kansei Engineering and Back Propagation Neural Network

&lt;p&gt;Over the years, China&amp;rsquo;s electric toothbrush market has been expanding. Consumers pay more attention to the sensory feeling of product shape, under the premise of product function satisfaction. Therefore, this research collected 215,827 product reviews made by consumers online and 200 samples of varying electric toothbrush samples using a web crawler. Then, 3 groups of representative perceptual words were obtained from the extraction of numerous reviews via Word2vec, factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Meanwhile, with the help of morphological analysis, design elements of sample shape were de-structured on the 32 representative samples that were extracted from the collected sample using multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. On this basis, consumers&amp;rsquo; perceptual images were measured using semantic differential scale with 415 valid samples acquired in total. Finally, two relationship models between product design elements and consumers&amp;rsquo; perceptual images were established by quantitative theory type I (QTTI) and back propagation neural network. By comparison, the QTTI model has more accurate prediction. This study provides defined design indexes and references for designers&amp;rsquo; black box design patterns through establishing an effective model via combining web crawler technology and systematic analysis.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Psycholinguistic and Cultural Implications of German Stimulus Words Humor and Lachen in Association Test

The article is focused on the psycholinguistic and cultural study of individual associative responses to German stimulus words 'Humor' and 'Lachen'. The goal is to determine individual cognitive activity features in the target' culture of popular laughter' (Bakhtin, 1965). The research involved a free word association test aimed at examining the German learners' perception of the stimulus words. Sixty undergraduate students aged 20-22 of the educational programme "Language and Literature (German). Translation" at Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Ukraine, participated in the word association test. Quantitative analysis of response words, typical and individual responses allowed building semantic gestalt and productive semantic zones that represent the linguistic culture identification features. Nouns, adjectives, and verbs represented productive associations. The analysis of associative fields allowed modelling the interaction of psycholinguistic and lingo-cultural factors for the emergence of responses to the stimulus words 'Lachen' and 'Humor'. The obtained response words determined communicative, pragmatic, and cognitive productive profiles. Nuclear zones in each associative field tended towards a unified expression of positive emotions. Respondents produced a wide range of semantic potential of stimulus words and frequency of reverse reactions. The expressive spectrum of productivity of individual associations by the respondents is interpretive and results from their cognition of the culture of popular laughter.