Exposure to nonnative-accented speech reduces listening effort and improves social judgments of the speaker

Abstract

Prior research has revealed a native-accent advantage, whereby nonnative-accented speech is more difficult to process than native-accented speech. Nonnative-accented speakers also experience more negative social judgments. In the current study, we asked three questions. First, does exposure to nonnative-accented speech increase speech intelligibility or decrease listening effort, thereby narrowing the native-accent advantage? Second, does lower intelligibility or higher listening effort contribute to listeners’ negative social judgments of speakers? Third and finally, does increased intelligibility or decreased listening effort with exposure to speech bring about more positive social judgments of speakers? To address these questions, normal-hearing adults listened to a block of English sentences with a native accent and a block with nonnative accent. We found that once participants were accustomed to the task, intelligibility was greater for nonnative-accented speech and increased similarly with exposure for both accents. However, listening effort decreased only for nonnative-accented speech, soon reaching the level of native-accented speech. In addition, lower intelligibility and higher listening effort was associated with lower ratings of speaker warmth, speaker competence, and willingness to interact with the speaker. Finally, competence ratings increased over time to a similar extent for both accents, with this relationship fully mediated by intelligibility and listening effort. These results offer insight into how listeners process and judge unfamiliar speakers.

The Involvement of Listening Effort in Explaining Bilingual Listening Under Adverse Listening Conditions

“…Still, to generalize these findings, further studies are needed to systematically examine a broader range of adverse conditions and their effect on the degree of effort experienced. Additionally, recent studies on monolinguals indicate that exposure to adverse listening conditions can lead to a rapid decrease in listening effort due to an adaptation process (Brown et al, 2020;Rovetti et al, 2023). Therefore, it is crucial for future studies to investigate whether a similar adaptation process exists among bilingual listeners and to what extent it can compensate for the increased effort observed in their nondominant language.…”

“…For example, changes in cardiac responses (e.g., Mackersie & Calderon-Moultrie, 2016; Mackersie & Cones, 2011; Seeman & Sims, 2015), hormonal activity (e.g., Jahncke & Halin, 2012), or skin conductance responses (e.g., Mackersie & Calderon-Moultrie, 2016; Mackersie & Cones, 2011; Seeman & Sims, 2015), were attributed to changes in effort. In addition, changes in the synchronization of alpha and theta oscillations during electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings (Deng et al, 2019; Miles et al, 2017; Obleser et al, 2012; Wisniewski, 2017; Wisniewski et al, 2018), changes in the topography, latency, or amplitude of event-related potentials (ERPs) (e.g., Bertoli & Bodmer, 2016; Kyong et al, 2020; Obleser & Kotz, 2011; Ullsperger et al, 1988), or recruitment of additional brain areas in neuroimaging studies (e.g., Eckert et al, 2016; Peelle, 2018; White & Langdon, 2021; Wild et al, 2012) were found to be associated with the difficulty of the task and were interpreted to reflect changes in effort.…”