人类嗓音加工的神经机制——来自正常视力者和盲人的脑神经证据

人类嗓音作为听觉环境的重要组成部分, 包含了大量副语言信息以帮助识别个体身份, 尤其对于盲人而言, 视觉面孔经验的缺乏使得嗓音信息成为其感知对方个体特征的主要来源。通过结合正常视力者和盲人在嗓音选择性加工和嗓音身份加工方面的研究, 尝试揭示普遍的人类嗓音加工模式以及盲人特异的嗓音加工机制。此外, 与视觉面孔加工相关的梭状回脑区也参与并卷入了两类人群的嗓音加工任务, 以此为基础梳理的视听整合模型和基于去掩蔽效应的跨模态重组假说, 为这两类人群嗓音加工神经基础的差异性提供了相应的解释机制, 未来研究希望可以进一步探究盲人的嗓音加工策略, 以及考察左侧颞上沟/回脑区在嗓音加工中的作用。     

听觉词汇识别中语音信息的作用及理论模型

听觉词汇识别是理解口语的重要基础,而语音是影响词汇识别的重要因素。当前口语理解的研究热点是不同类型的语音信息如何影响口语词汇识别过程。本文综述了语音信息对口语词汇识别的作用。为进一步认识听觉语言加工的实质,本文在介绍语音信息作用的基础上,阐述并分析了当前影响较大的听觉词汇识别理论模型,同时对语音信息在听觉词汇识别中的研究进行了总结。     

句子背景下缺失音素的中文听觉词理解的音、义激活进程（Ⅰ）

听觉词的语义激活过程是认知心理学和心理语言学的热点问题。近期出现了两种假设：（1）全部通达理论;（2）语义背景依赖假设。采用缺失音素的中文双字词为材料,考察了中文听觉词的语音、语义激活进程。实验1考察了影响缺失音素的中文听觉词语音、语义激活的因素;实验2考察了在听觉词理解初期,词义提取是否存在句子背景效应。结果表明：（1）对缺失音素的中文听觉词识别受听觉词语音和句子语义背景影响;（2）句子语义背景在缺失音素的中文听觉词识别之初就开始发挥作用,并一直影响着中文听觉词的理解。     

听障大学生句子阅读中语音加工的眼动研究

语音信息在健听者阅读中起着重要作用,由于听觉经验的缺失,听障者在阅读中能否利用语音信息进行词汇识别?目前的研究结果尚存在争议。本研究采用错误中断范式,通过眼动追踪技术考察了24名听障大学生在汉语句子阅读中的语音加工。结果发现,听障大学生的表现与两组健听学生相似,在句子阅读中能够利用语音信息,但在时间进程上相比健听学生存在延迟。听障大学生的口语能力影响语音加工,口语熟练者能够有效地利用语音信息进行词汇识别,口语不熟练者则不能。     

盲人建构陌生环境空间表征的策略及其作用

空间表征对于盲人定向行走具有重要意义。以往研究者集中探讨早期视觉经验缺失对于盲人空间表征的影响, 较少探究空间表征建构的过程性因素, 即探路策略对于盲人空间表征的影响。本研究采用现场实验的方法探究了盲人建构陌生环境空间表征采用的策略及其作用。结果发现：视觉经验缺失对盲人陌生环境空间表征能力造成了不利影响, 然而, 被试运用有效的策略可以弥补视觉缺失带来的损失, 且利用空间关系策略的个体所建构的空间表征更为精确, 定向行走效率也更高。     

汉语口语词汇识别中声调、语境的作用:来自眼动研究的证据

为探讨汉语口语词汇识别过程的影响因素,本研究采用眼动方法,结合视觉-情境范式,通过2个实验考察了不同语境条件下声调对汉语双字词听觉词汇识别的作用。结果发现:(1)在不同语境中,三种竞争词各自的总注视时间显著长于无关控制词;(2)在低限制性语境中,高频词的凝视时间显著短于低频词;(3)在低限制性语境中出现词频效应。该结果表明:音段信息、声调都能够影响口语词汇识别过程,实验结果支持TRACE模型。     

Gating技术与汉语听觉词汇加工

尝试对Gating技术的实施和运用,对数据进行探索性分析。被试为47名北京师范大学本科学生。实验中被试听到依次加长的单字词语音片段,每听完一个语音片段要尽快判断该语音是什么字音,并迅速写出想到的第一个符合该读音的汉字,同时在七点量表上评定作出判断的确定性等级。结果显示,Gating技术作为探讨汉语听觉词汇加工的一条途径可以提供丰富的信息,它不仅能得到词汇的语音识别点(Isolation Point,IP),也揭示出它与声调存在一定关系。对错误反应的分析还表明：声调信息可以独立于音段信息而被识别;即时影响声调识别的因素不一定局限于区别性特征;听觉词汇识别受到听觉语言特有的方向性特点的影响,这种影响不仅体现在音段信息、也体现在超音段信息的识别中。     

句子背景下缺失音素的中文听觉词理解的音、义激活进程（Ⅱ）

采用缺失音素的中文双字词为材料,进一步考察了中文听觉词的语音、语义激活进程。共包含两个实验：实验1考察听觉词语音能否同时激活多个与之语音相近的语音、语义结点;实验2考察在听觉词词汇提取后期,是否还存在语音的激活作用。结果表明：⑴中文听觉词的语音能够同时激活与之语音相近的语音、语义结点,这种语音作用在ISI=400ms时处于较低水平;⑵听觉词呈现结束后,语音存在着二次激活现象;⑶对缺失声母的中文听觉词理解后期,除语义背景依赖效应外,还存在明显的语音作用,两者共同作用共同实现对目标词的语义恢复。根据对句子背景下缺失声母的中文听觉词理解的实验结果,作者提出了“中文听觉词理解的激活扩散动态模型”。     

汉字位置加工和词边界效应的认知机制

在中文阅读中, 为了进行词汇识别, 需要对汉字在词中的相对顺序进行加工, 即汉字位置加工。汉字位置加工是词汇识别和阅读理解的重要环节。如果汉字位置未得到加工, 可转置词将很难被区分。可转置词由相同汉字构成, 但每个汉字所处位置不同。以往研究发现, 词内汉字位置加工是比较灵活的; 而且词边界信息会影响汉字位置的加工, 即汉字位置加工存在词边界效应。该效应产生的原因及影响因素有哪些?本项目采用眼动追踪技术, 在自然阅读中系统探讨如下三个问题:(1)词的首/尾汉字如何调节汉字位置加工过程; (2)嵌套词和歧义词边界如何影响汉字位置加工; (3)语境合理性和预测性如何影响汉字位置加工的词边界效应。本项目将为首个中文汉字位置加工模型的建立提供数据支持和科学基础, 推进现有的中文词汇识别和词切分模型的进一步完善, 并为词汇的高效率教授与学习提供科学指导。     

聋人双字词音位识别的实验研究

聋人能利用视觉音素意识解码词汇语音。与健听人音位位置效应一致,聋人对汉字声母更敏感,但双字词中是否也有类似的声母优势还不清楚。采用音位识别任务探讨聋人双字词识别的声母优势及其原因,研究一利用编码方式考察指拼的作用,发现了声母识别优势,表明聋人能利用字母和指拼两种方式解码双字词语音且编码方式不影响声母优势;研究二进一步利用汉字位置探讨音位序列加工对声母识别优势的作用,结果发现了声母优势、首字优势及首字声母优势,表明聋人识别双字词音位在汉字水平、汉字音节内水平都遵循从左至右的序列加工,与健听人一致,同时还受指拼声母的特殊影响。整个研究表明,聋人识别汉字语音建立在视觉音素意识基础上,双字词的声母识别优势受指拼声母强化、双字词汉字位置效应、音节内音位位置效应的共同作用。     

The role of words and sounds in infants' visual processing: from overshadowing to attentional tuning

Although it is well documented that language plays an important role in cognitive development, there are different views concerning the mechanisms underlying these effects. Some argue that even early in development, effects of words stem from top-down knowledge, whereas others argue that these effects stem from auditory input affecting attention allocated to visual input. Previous research (e.g., Robinson & Sloutsky, 2004a ) demonstrated that non-speech sounds attenuate processing of corresponding visual input at 8, 12, and 16 months of age, whereas the current study demonstrates that words attenuate visual processing at 10 months but not at 16 months (Experiment 1). Furthermore, prefamiliarization with non-speech sounds (Experiment 2) resulted in able processing of visual input by 16-month-olds. These findings suggest that some effects of labels found early in development may stem from familiarity with human speech. The possibility of general-auditory factors underlying the effects of words on cognitive development is discussed.     

语言产生中词频效应老化的神经基础与时间进程

词频效应指语言产生中人们对高频词汇的加工比低频词汇更快更准确的一种现象, 它可能发生在语言产生中的不同阶段。对青年人和老年人词频效应的不同特点和加工机制进行比较, 可以考察语言产生的认知老化机制。通过语言产生理论可对词频效应的老化进行预测, 提出词频效应在个体发展和老化阶段的相对稳定性, 分析老化导致词频效应相关的神经基础和加工时间进程的改变。未来研究可进一步分离词频效应与习得年龄效应对语言产生老化的影响, 并扩展至神经退行性疾病患者中。     

视觉语言对听觉障碍人群阅读能力的影响及作用机制

听觉障碍人群由于听觉部分或完全受损, 视觉语言——唇读和手语就成为其阅读能力发展的主要途径。唇读有助于听觉障碍人群形成语音表征, 与词汇知识相互影响, 且可以促进字词阅读及阅读理解的水平; 口语或书面语的加工可以激活相应的手语表征, 手语影响着听觉障碍人群各个层次的阅读能力。未来研究应该关注语音意识、词汇知识等技能在视觉语言影响听觉障碍人群阅读能力过程中的作用机制, 并以视觉语言为中心, 发展出适合汉语听觉障碍人群阅读能力习得的理论模型。     

图文横排促进低熟悉词汇再认:基于8岁儿童和成人证据

图文信息广泛存在于书面材料中,但是图文材料相对呈现位置和熟悉性如何交互影响信息加工效率,及其认知机制尚不清楚。本研究基于认知负荷理论框架,采用学习-再认范式,结合学习者的认知能力（注意、工作记忆、识字量等）,考察图文材料呈现位置（横排/竖排）和熟悉性（高/低）对32名儿童（7.89 ±0.30岁）和32名成人（22.67 ±3.48岁）词汇再认的影响。结果显示：（1）总体上,低熟悉性词汇在图文横排呈现时再认正确率较高,但高熟悉性词汇不受位置影响;（2）儿童对高熟悉性词汇的再认正确率较高,但成人对低熟悉性词汇的再认正确率较高;（3）儿童识字量越大,词汇再认速度越快;成人注意力、工作记忆广度、识字量成绩越高,再认正确率越高。结果表明,无论对儿童还是成人,外在负荷（呈现位置）和内在负荷（熟悉性）之间均存在交互作用,即外在负荷显著影响高内在负荷信息的加工,但对低内在负荷信息的加工影响较弱,验证了认知负荷理论。本研究成果为不同难度水平的教材排版设计和词汇识别学习提供了科学依据。     

Modality effects in delayed free recall and recognition: Visual is better than auditory

During presentation of auditory and visual lists of words, different groups of subjects generated words that either rhymed with the presented words or that were associates. Immediately after list presentation, subjects recalled either the presented or the generated words. After presentation and test of all lists, a final free recall test and a recognition test were given. Visual presentation generally produced higher recall and recognition than did auditory presentation for both encoding conditions. The results are not consistent with explanations of modality effects in terms of echoic memory or greater temporal distinctiveness of auditory items. The results are more in line with the separate-streams hypothesis, which argues for different kinds of input processing for auditory and visual items.     

Visual processing speed: effects of auditory input on visual processing

The ability to process simultaneously presented auditory and visual information is a necessary component underlying many cognitive tasks. While this ability is often taken for granted, there is evidence that under many conditions auditory input attenuates processing of corresponding visual input. The current study investigated infants' processing of visual input under unimodal and cross-modal conditions. Results of the three reported experiments indicate that different auditory input had different effects on infants' processing of visual information. In particular, unfamiliar auditory input slowed down visual processing, whereas more familiar auditory input did not. These results elucidate mechanisms underlying auditory overshadowing in the course of cross-modal processing and have implications on a variety of cognitive tasks that depend on cross-modal processing.     

Visual word recognition without central attention: evidence for greater automaticity with advancing age

The present experiments examined the automaticity of word recognition. The authors examined whether people can recognize words while central attention is devoted to another task and how this ability changes across the life span. In Experiment 1, a lexical decision Task 2 was combined with either an auditory or a visual Task 1. Regardless of the Task 1 modality, Task 2 word recognition proceeded in parallel with Task 1 central operations for older adults but not for younger adults. This is a rare example of improved cognitive processing with advancing age. When Task 2 was nonlexical (Experiment 2), however, there was no evidence for greater parallel processing for older adults. Thus, the processing advantage appears to be restricted to lexical processes. The authors conclude that greater cumulative experience with lexical processing leads to greater automaticity, allowing older adults to more efficiently perform this stage in parallel with another task.     

Modality effect in false recognition: evidence from Chinese characters

Using the Deese/Roediger‐McDermott (DRM) false memory method, Smith and Hunt ( 1998 ) first reported the modality effect on false memory and showed that false recall from DRM lists was lower following visual study than following auditory study, which led to numerous studies on the mechanism of modality effect on false memory and provided many competing explanations. In the present experiment, the authors tested the modality effect in false recognition by using a blocked presentation condition and a random presentation condition. The present experiment found a modality effect different from the results of the previous research; namely, false recognition was shown to be greater following visual study than following auditory study, especially in the blocked presentation condition rather than in the random presentation condition. The authors argued that this reversed modality effect may be due to different encoding and processing characteristics between Chinese characters and English words. Compared with English words, visual graphemes of critical lures in Chinese lists are likely to be activated and encoded in participants' minds, thus it is more difficult for participants to discriminate later inner graphemes from those items presented in visual modality. Hence visual presentation could lead to more false recognition than auditory presentation in Chinese lists. The results in the present experiment demonstrated that semantic activation occurring during the encoding and retrieve phases played an important role in modality effect in false recognition, and our findings might be explained by the activation‐monitoring account.     

The reading ability of good and poor temporal processors among a group of college students

In this study, we examined whether good auditory and good visual temporal processors were better than their poor counterparts on certain reading measures. Various visual and auditory temporal tasks were administered to 105 undergraduates. They read some phonologically regular pseudowords and irregular words that were presented sequentially in the same ("word" condition) and in different ("line" condition) locations. Results indicated that auditory temporal acuity was more relevant to reading, whereas visual temporal acuity was more relevant to spelling. Good auditory temporal processors did not have the advantage in processing pseudowords, even though pseudoword reading correlated significantly with auditory temporal processing. These results suggested that some higher cognitive or phonological processes mediated the relationship between auditory temporal processing and pseudoword reading. Good visual temporal processors did not have the advantage in processing irregular words. They also did not process the line condition more accurately than the word condition. The discrepancy might be attributed to the use of normal adults and the unnatural reading situation that did not fully capture the function of the visual temporal processes. The distributions of auditory and visual temporal processing abilities were co-occurring to some degree, but they maintained considerable independence. There was also a lack of a relationship between the type and severity of reading deficits and the type and number of temporal deficits.