Dichotic Perception of Mandarin Tones by Chinese and American Listeners

The dichotic perception of Mandarin tones by native and nonnative listeners was examined in order to investigate the lateralization of lexical tone. Twenty American listeners with no tone language background and 20 Chinese listeners were asked to identify dichotically presented tone pairs by identifying which tone they heard in each ear. For the Chinese listeners, 57% of the total errors occurred via the left ear, indicating a significant right ear advantage. However, the American listeners revealed no significant ear preference, with 48% of the errors attributable to the left ear. These results indicated that Mandarin tones are predominantly processed in the left hemisphere by native Mandarin speakers, whereas they are bilaterally processed by American English speakers with no prior tone experience. The results also suggest that the left hemisphere superiority for native Mandarin tone processing is similar to native processing of other tone languages.     

Lineup Member Similarity Effects on Children's Eyewitness Identification

To date, research investigating the similarity among lineup members has focused on adult eyewitnesses. In the present research, children made identifications from lineups containing members of lower or higher similarity to a target person. In Experiment 1, following a live interaction, children's (6–14 years) correct identification rate was reduced in higher‐similarity relative to lower‐similarity lineups. In Experiment 2, children (6–12 years) and adults watched a video containing a target person. Again, higher‐similarity lineup members reduced children's correct identifications; however, similarity had no effect on adults' correct identification rate. Although children benefited from lower‐similarity lineups when the target was present, lower‐similarity lineups generally increased misidentifications of an innocent suspect when the target was absent. Thus, increasing similarity in lineups for children had a cost on target‐present lineups and a benefit on target‐absent lineups. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

声旁与笔画省略方式对形声字识别的影响

本研究通过两个实验,考察笔画省略方式和声旁对形声字识别的影响。实验一采用命名任务考察了声旁和三种笔画省略方式（省前、略后、不省）对左右结构形声字识别的影响。结果表明存在笔画顺序效应和声旁位置效应,并发现略后的笔画中有声旁,笔画顺序效应会消失。这说明声旁的作用抵消了笔画顺序效应,体现了声旁在形声字识别中的重要作用;实验二在实验一的基础上,采用上下结构的形声字,实验结果表现出了相同的趋势,且更加显著。     

The Role of Phonetic Similarity and Orthographic Information in Asymmetrical Lexical Encoding in Second Language

This study examined two possible sources of asymmetrical lexical access: phonetic proximity to the nearest L1 category and orthographic information. Three groups of native Korean speakers learned Arabic non-words with sound pairs with/without an L1-dominant category (/l-r/ vs. /χ-?/), and then their phonetic categorization and lexical encoding abilities were evaluated. One group was presented with the same letters for the target pair (e.g.,?<l>?for both /l/ and /r/), the second group, different letters (e.g.,?<l>?for /l/,?<r>?for /r/), and the third group, auditory input only. The results of discrimination did not show any effect of these two sources, whereas in lexical encoding, (1) a pair with an L1-dominant category was more accurately encoded; and (2) orthographic information hindered the lexical encoding. In the following spelling recall task, the scores from the learners with different letters for the target pair were similar to a ceiling. Thus, orthographic information might help them to have target-like representation, despite difficulties in online processing.     

工作记忆训练及对数学能力的迁移作用

工作记忆缺陷会影响个体数学能力发展。通过记忆策略、广度、刷新、转换等功能的工作记忆训练,可以改善个体认知功能。然而,工作记忆训练对个体的阅读、数学、流体智力等方面的远迁移效果并不一致。研究表明,工作记忆训练可以改善数感、视觉空间能力、推理能力等数学一般技能;也会通过改善语音工作记忆以及空间能力促进数学计算能力,或者通过改善中央执行系统,提升数学问题表征、模式识别、解题迁移、策略选择等复杂的过程,从而促进数学问题解决能力。因此,区分不同数学任务的认知过程,可以获得工作记忆训练对数学能力迁移效果的进一步证据。今后,神经影像学的证据或许也是未来工作记忆训练对数学能力提高的又一佐证。     

声旁家族大小和高频同声旁字对汉字命名的影响

该研究探讨了声旁家族大小和高频同声旁字对汉字命名的影响。结果表明：1）声旁家族大起抑制作用,在不一致字上更明显;2）相对于高频同音邻近字,高频异音邻近字对低频字起抑制作用;3）汉字命名中字形相近字的作用点有两个,分别在字形表征水平和语音表征水平。     

前分类声音存储器对声调和情绪韵律的加工

采用系列位置回忆任务, 探讨作为声调语言的汉语普通话中声调及情绪信息是否具有近因及后缀效应, 从而揭示同为超音段信息的声调和情绪韵律在前分类声音存储器(Precategorical Acoustic Storage, PAS)中是否具有单独的表征, 及该表征可能受到哪些因素的影响。实验一和二分别考察了声调是否具有近因和后缀效应, 实验三和四分别考察了情绪信息是否具有近因和后缀效应。实验结果发现两者均在PAS存储器中有单独的表征, 但这种表征会受到一些因素的影响, 且受影响的方式不一样。研究结果表明作为超音段信息的声调和情绪信息在表征上的不稳定性和脆弱性, 及在短时记忆加工过程中的特殊性。     

听障学生唇读语音识别视听通道效应的实验研究

本研究采用3×3两因素被试内实验设计,探讨了配戴助听器听觉障碍学生唇读汉字语音识别中视听通道效应和音素可见性的影响.结果表明,视听条件与音素可见性之交互作用不显著,语音识别过程存在视听通道效应;音素可见性在语音识别过程中作用明显.     

Stem Tones Pre-activate Suffixes in the Brain

Results from the present event-related potentials (ERP) study show that tones on Swedish word stems can rapidly pre-activate upcoming suffixes, even when the word stem does not carry any lexical meaning. Results also show that listeners are able to rapidly restore suffixes which are replaced with a cough. Accuracy in restoring suffixes correlated positively with the amplitude of an anterior negative ERP elicited by stem tones. This effect is proposed to reflect suffix pre-activation. Suffixes that were cued by an incorrect tone elicited a left-anterior negativity and a P600, suggesting that the correct processing of the suffix is crucially tied to the activation of the preceding validly associated tone.     

助听器对听障学生唇读汉字语音识别的作用

本研究探讨了听觉障碍学生唇读语音识别中助听器和音素可见性的影响。结果表明,助听器与音素可见性之交互作用在正确率上表现显著,在反应时上不显著,音素可见性在唇读语音识别过程中作用明显,助听器明显作用于单韵母、复韵母的语音识别过程。     

汉语元音对声调感知边界的影响

本项研究基于现代汉语普通话声调感知具有范畴性这一结论(Wang, 1976), 以普通话中6个单元音(/a//?//F//i//u//y/, 即拼音a、o、e、i、u、ü)阴平(T1)到阳平(T2)调的连续统(continuum)为实验语料, 用专业语音学软件Praat合成连续统语音样本, 对20名平均年龄为22.90岁的普通话母语者进行声调感知实验, 即让被试对所听刺激进行T1或T2的二选一鉴别测试(identification test), 从而探究单元音的内在音高(intrinsic pitch)与声调感知边界(boundary)的关系。本文借鉴Wang (1976)和Peng等(2010)对元音/i/声调连续统的合成方法, 使声调感知研究拓展到普通话中除/i/之外的其他5个单元音, 对以上两项研究起到一定的对照作用。研究发现, 元音会对T1到T2的声调范畴感知边界位置产生影响, 低元音/a/的内在音高较低, 其边界位置亦始终低于其他元音, 且具有显著性差异, 实验结果证明, 内在音高会对感知边界产生影响, 从而支持了Ohala和Eukel (1976)的“舌位拉伸”假说。     

正常大学生唇读语音识别编码方式的实验研究

本研究探讨了编码方式和音素可见性对正常大学生唇读语音识别的影响.结果表明:编码方式和音素可见性共同交互作用于语音识别的过程,在正确率和反应时上都表现显著.编码方式、音素可见性在识别的效果上分别表现出不同的特点.     

汉语短时序列回忆中的语音相似性和视觉相似性效应

语音相似性效应和视觉相似性效应是短时序列回忆中的两个典型性效应, 但前人很少探讨这两种效应的交互作用。本研究利用汉语字形和语音的属性, 观察汉字短时序列回忆中语音相似性效应、视觉相似性效应及两者的交互作用。研究结果发现当回忆项目在语音或视觉上单纯相似或不相似时, 视觉相似性效应及其与语音相似性的交互作用与混合词表条件下所发现的结果有很大的不同。这个研究结果为丰富和补充相关理论模型提供了进一步实证依据。     

汉语口语产生中音节和音段的促进和抑制效应

采用图画-词汇干扰实验范式, 通过比较即时命名、延迟命名以及延迟命名与发音抑制任务的结合, 考察了汉语口语产生中音节和音段在单词形式编码的不同阶段所产生的效应。与无关条件相比, 在包含音韵编码、语音编码和发音阶段的即时命名任务中, 音节相关和音段相关条件显著地缩短了图画命名时间, 表现出音节和音段促进效应; 在包含发音阶段的延迟命名任务中, 音节相关和音段相关条件显著地延长了图画命名的时间, 表现出音节和音段抑制效应; 在包含语音编码和发音阶段的延迟命名和发音抑制结合的任务中, 音段相关条件显著地延长了图画命名时间, 表现出音段抑制效应。结果表明, 音节和音段的促进效应发生在汉语口语词汇产生中的音韵编码阶段, 音节和音段的抑制效应可能发生在语音编码或者发音阶段。效果量(Cohen d)的分析表明音节的促进效应强, 而音段的促进效应弱, 音节是音韵编码过程的合适单元, 为合适单元假设提供了支持证据。与音节相比, 音段在语音编码和发音阶段的效应量较大, 表明音段在运动执行过程中可能起了相对重要的作用, 支持了口语产生中词汇表征准备阶段与运动阶段分离的观点。     

声旁位置对形声字命名规则性效应的影响

已有证据表明, 低频形声字的命名存在规则性效应, 高频字则没有表现。但是, 这些研究所使用的全部或大部分实验材料可能均为声旁在右的字, 其结果也许仅能反映声旁在右字的加工规律。本研究通过三个实验考查了声旁在左与在右两种左右型字和声旁在上与在下两种上下型字的规则性效应, 探讨声旁位置对形声字命名规则性效应的影响。实验一仅考察了声旁在右的字, 结果重复了先前没有操控声旁位置研究中出现的低频字的规则性效应, 还发现高频字命名规则性效应的逆转; 实验二考察了声旁在左与在右的字, 发现声旁在右的低频字存在规则性效应, 而声旁在左的低频字则出现了规则性效应的逆转, 但声旁在右的高频字并不存在逆转; 实验三考察了声旁在上与在下的字, 发现声旁在下的低频字和声旁在上的高、低频字都出现了规则性效应, 而声旁在下的高频字则存在规则性效应的逆转。这些结果提示, 如果声旁在整字中处于易被激活的位置(右侧或下侧), 在低频字中会倾向于出现规则性效应, 在高频字中则可能出现逆转或缺乏规则性效应, 这也许会受到字频的制约; 在低频左右型字中声旁位置的改变也会导致命名规则性效应方向的转变, 但在低频上下型字中的表现要相对较弱。可以推测, 声旁位置是一种形声字的亚词汇成分的空间属性, 可以决定声旁语音激活的便利性; 整字字频则是一种词汇属性, 会通过调节整字的语音激活, 影响声旁语音作用于整字命名的亚词汇加工机制, 最终决定规则性效应的方向。     

Discrimination of Lexical Tones in the First Year of Life

In the current study, we examined the developmental course of the perception of non‐native tonal contrast. We tested 4, 6 and 12‐month‐old Dutch infants on their discrimination of Chinese low‐rising tone and low‐dipping tone using the visual fixation paradigm. The infants were tested in two conditions that differed in terms of degree of variability. The 4‐month‐olds did not show discrimination effect in either condition. The 6‐ and 12‐month‐old infants, however, discriminated the tones in both conditions. The improvement of perception might be the result of cognitive development carried over from learning the native phonology. Infants can become better listeners in general in the first year of life, as well as get cognitively better equipped in dealing with the variable input in speech in general. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tones disappear faster in the right ear than in the left

In order to gain further information on the characteristics and physiological correlates of tone decay in humans, the tone decay test was administered to 58 normal-hearing subjects, successively in the left and right ears and in absence and presence of a contralateral noise. The results revealed that tone decay was greater in the right than in the left ear and was increased by contralateral noise. The contralateral effect of this noise on cochlear biomechanisms was then estimated by measuring contralaterally induced variations in the amplitude of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions in the same subjects. In the right ear, the increase in tone decay and the decrease in otoacoustic emission amplitude--both induced by contralateral noise--were positively correlated (r = .315, p = .016). Furthermore, the contralateral changes in otoacoustic emission amplitude were found to be on average larger in the right than in the left ear, this asymmetry being correlated with that observed for the tone decay. These findings are discussed in relation to previous results on simple and induced loudness adaptation in the vicinity of threshold, on contralateral attenuation of otoacoustic emissions and on the influence of the auditory efferents on cochlear biomechanisms.     

汉语普通话声调感知的老年化效应：来自ERP的证据

研究考察汉语普通话老年人前注意阶段声调感知状况,探究是否存在领域特殊的老年化。运用事件相关电位技术,采用被动oddball范式诱发MMN回应,控制领域一般性因素的影响。结果显示涉及范畴变化的声调和非语音音调诱发MMN强度衰减,不涉及范畴变化的声调诱发MMN强度未衰退。研究结果表明在前注意阶段,在特定汉语普通话声调范畴知识加工能力上存在领域特殊的衰退,而不涉及母语音位知识的声调的感知存在领域特殊的一定程度的保留,这一保留与时间维度上补偿机制的调用有关。受补偿机制调节,语言加工呈现出衰退或保留等不同的老年化进程。     

Sex Differences in the Effects of Similarity and Physical Attractiveness on Opposite-Sex Attraction

Meta-analysis was used to integrate findings from two paradigms (questionnaires, experiments) that examined the effects of both similarity and physical attractiveness on attraction to a stranger of the opposite sex. Meta-analytic findings from both paradigms indicated that men valued physical attractiveness more than did to women, and that women valued similarity more than did men. Between-factor comparisons found that women consistently valued attractiveness less than they valued similarity. For men, the relative importance of the two factors varied across studies within each paradigm.     

声旁语音信息对形声字加工的影响——来自眼动研究的证据

与拼音文字不同, 汉字是形义结合更紧密的文字, 因此语音信息在语义通达中的作用一直是汉语加工研究中存在争议的问题。形声字作为汉字的主体(80%), 其声旁在一定程度上提供了字的语音信息, 本文通过两项眼动研究考察了左右结构和上下结构形声字的声旁语音信息对形声字加工的影响。结果发现, 当声旁在右或声旁在下时, 省前与略后条件没有显著差异, 甚至出现差异的逆转, 也就是说当略后的笔画中包含声旁时, 亚词汇层面的声旁语音信息会影响到“笔画顺序效应”, 实验结果说明声旁的语音信息对形声字的加工起到重要作用。