Non-native speech perception and the role of phonological memory: A re-examination

Abstract

Previous laboratory-based research has found phonological memory to significantly affect the perception of non-native speech sounds (Inceoglu, 2019). The present study aims to bolster findings reported in Inceoglu (2019) and provide support for the efficacy of online research by replicating the study’s laboratory-based research in an online setting. Data were collected from 32 native English-speaking learners of French (12 male, 20 female; mean age: 33 years old) online using the Prolific data collection platform (www.prolific.com). The study consisted of two major components: an L2 French nasal vowel identification task (Inceoglu, 2019) and a nonword repetition task designed to assess phonological memory (Anderson, 2012; Grey et al., 2015; Inceoglu, 2019; Kissling, 2014). Results of a simple linear regression revealed that participants with higher scores on the nonword repetition task (indicative of better phonological short-term memory) were significantly likely to perform more target-like on the nasal vowel identification task than those with lower scores (t = 12.57; p < 0.001). These findings not only replicate the original results outlined in Inceoglu (2019), but they also support the efficacy of online research. The latter finding is crucial as research begins to adjust to accommodate a more socially distanced world.