Phonological representation and speech understanding with cochlear implants in deafened adults

In the present study cognitive performance in 15 deafened adult cochlear implant candidates was examined and related to level of speech understanding after 12 months of experience with the implant. The implant group performed on par with normal hearing controls in all cognitive tasks used in the study with one exception: Performance was significantly lower in cognitive tasks where use of a phonological representation of sound is a key task-demand. Observations of the implanted individuals’ level of speech understanding indicate that only those individuals who, pre-operatively, were in possession of phonological representations comparable to that of normal hearing could follow and understand a speaker that was out of sight. The results are discussed with respect to (a) deterioration in the phonological representation of sounds as a function of absence of external auditory stimulation, and (b) the role of cognitive factors in predicting success in speech understanding with the implant.     

语音与词义激活的相对时间进程:来自儿童发展的证据

本研究从儿童语言发展的角度．在已有研究基础上．进一步考察了汉语视觉字词加工中语音与词义激活的相对时间进程。运用启动命名技术,比较了三年级和六年级儿童在语音和语义启动中的表现。结果发现,三年级和六年级儿童都有语音和语义启动效应,且六年级儿童更为显著。但语义启动和同音启动的促进效应之间没有差异,而同音不同声调启动则可能产生抑制作用。文章探讨了这些发现对汉语视觉字词加工中词义信息提取不同观点的含义。     

发展性阅读障碍的ERP研究

发展性阅读障碍,ERP,语音缺陷假说,Oddball范式。行为实验已经发现,语音能力的缺损是拼音文字发展性阅读障碍的核心。然而近年来行为研究和神经生理学的研究也发现,发展性阅读障碍与基本知觉障碍有关。事件相关电位（event-related potentials ,简称ERP）作为一种独特的电生理学研究手段,从一个更为直观的角度验证了行为实验的结果,推动了发展性阅读障碍的进展。语言认知水平ERP研究表明,发展性阅读障碍者在存在语音加工和信息整合的缺陷。感知觉加工层次的ERP研究结果则不尽一致,有的研究发现,阅读障碍存在着基本的听觉加工缺陷;有的研究则发现发展性阅读障碍存在言语声音加工的缺陷,而对非言语声音的加工与正常读者没有显著差别;有的研究支持大细胞通路受损假说,发现阅读障碍在低对比度和低空间频率上存在视觉加工的缺陷,有的研究结果则没有发现发展性阅读障碍者与正常读者在不同对比度和空间频率上的差异。     

ERP与语言研究

语言加工是连续的、具有多个分析层次的复杂过程。而新近发展起来的ERP技术具有精确的时间分辨率和多维探测指标,可以对语言进行连续的测量,同时对不同层次的分析有不同的敏感指标。该文着重介绍了与语音层次加工有关的ERP成分N200,与语义加工相关的RP和N400,以及与句法加工有关的LAN和P600,以期为语言领域的ERP研究提供启发和帮助作用。     

在词汇通达中双字词的语音类似作用存在吗?

本研究进行了两个实验,启动词和目标词相关联的分别是首字同音和尾字同音。实验1采用决定任务,未发现语音作用,而实验2采用命名任务,只发现了首字同音作用。与中文单字词和拼音文字相比,中文双字词的语音类似在词汇通达中起有限的作用。     

真实物体搜索中的视角依赖效应:来自眼动的证据

已有研究发现物体识别存在视角依赖效应,那么在真实物体搜索中是否也存在视角依赖效应呢?本研究采用物体阵列搜索任务,通过眼动技术探讨真实物体搜索中的视角依赖效应及其来源。结果发现:(1)图片提示的搜索绩效优于名称提示;(2)以名称提示时,常规视角的搜索绩效高于新异视角,与新异视角相比,以常规视角呈现的目标物体在扫描和确认阶段的注视点数较少且持续时间较短,表现出视角依赖效应;(3)以图片为提示时,搜索绩效与视角无关。由此可见,在以名称提示的物体搜索中,常规视角比新异视角条件下的注意引导更高效,对目标物体的确认也更快,扫描和确认阶段均存在视角依赖效应,支持目标模板的双功能理论。     

Confirmatory Search and Asymmetric Dominance

Decision makers use confirmatory search strategies in judgment tasks. As a result of this, their attention towards task‐relevant cues is biased in favor of cues supporting available responses. Changing these responses can alter the cues used in the judgment task and, subsequently, alter beliefs. We use this mechanism to predict and explain the emergence of the asymmetric dominance effect in judgment. In four sets of experiments, we document systematic changes in belief, as dominated options are added to the response set. These effects emerge for a number of naturalistic judgment tasks and are mediated by the increased accessibility of decoy‐supporting cues. Finally, these effects can be eliminated when the decision maker's attention is drawn towards the cues supporting the non‐dominant response. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Commission errors of active intentions: the roles of aging,cognitive load,and practice

Performing an intended action when it needs to be withheld, for example, when temporarily prescribed medication is incompatible with the other medication, is referred to as commission errors of prospective memory (PM). While recent research indicates that older adults are especially prone to commission errors for finished intentions, there is a lack of research on the effects of aging on commission errors for still active intentions. The present research investigates conditions which might contribute to older adults’ propensity to perform planned intentions under inappropriate conditions. Specifically, disproportionally higher rates of commission errors for still active intentions were observed in older than in younger adults with both salient (Experiment 1) and non-salient (Experiment 2) target cues. Practicing the PM task in Experiment 2, however, helped execution of the intended action in terms of higher PM performance at faster ongoing-task response times but did not increase the rate of commission errors. The results have important implications for the understanding of older adults’ PM commission errors and the processes involved in these errors.     

Learning to read and write in Spanish: phonology in addition to which other processes? / Aprendiendo a leer y escribir en español: además de la fonología, ¿qué otros procesos?

Abstract

This study reviews some of the most relevant cognitive skills related to literacy acquisition in Spanish. Beyond the well-known influence of phonological segmental skills, it highlights the growing importance of other cognitive skills needed for acquisition, whether explicit or implicit in nature, to which too little attention has been devoted, including suprasegmental or prosodic skills, morphological skills and the implicit learning of linguistic regularities. It appears that all these skills constitute relevant factors that should be taken into account in order to understand typical as well as atypical literacy development.     

Phonological false recognition produced by bottom-up automatic activation in young and older people

ABSTRACT

Two experiments explored a new procedure to implicitly induce phonological false memories in young and older people. On the study tasks, half of the words were formed from half of the letters in the alphabet, whereas the remaining words were formed from all the letters in the alphabet. On the recognition tests, there were three types of non-studied new words: critical lures formed from the same half of the letters as the studied words; distractors formed from the other half of the letters not used, and distractors formed from all the letters in the alphabet. In both experiments, the results showed that, in both young and older people, critical lures produced more false recognitions than distractors composed of all the letters in the alphabet, which, in turn, produced more false alarms than distractors composed of the letters not used during the study. These results support the predictions of the activation/monitoring models, which assume that false memories are partly due to activation spreading from items (semantically or phonologically) related to the critical words.