Perception of a Japanese vowel length contrast by Japanese and American English listeners: Behavioral and electrophysiological measures

Abstract

This study examined the role of automatic selective perceptual processes in native and non-native listeners' perception of a Japanese vowel length contrast (tado vs. taado), using multiple, naturalspeech tokens of each category as stimuli in a "categorial oddball" design. Mismatch Negativity (MMN) was used to index discrimination of the temporally-cued vowel contrast by naïve adult American listeners and by a native Japanese-speaking control group in two experiments in which attention to the auditory input was manipulated: in Exp 1 (Visual-Attend), listeners silently counted deviants in a simultaneously-presented visual categorial oddball shape discrimination task; in Exp 2 (Auditory-Attend), listeners attended to the auditory input and implicitly counted target deviants. MMN results showed effects of language experience and attentional focus: MMN amplitudes were smaller for American compared to Japanese listeners in the Visual-Attend Condition and for the American listeners in the Visual compared to Auditory-Attend condition. Subtle differences in topography were also seen, specifically in that the Japanese group showed more robust responses than the American listener's at left hemisphere scalp sites that probably index activity from the superior temporal gyrus. Follow-up behavioral discrimination tests showed that Americans discriminated the contrast well above chance, but more poorly than did Japanese listeners. This pattern of electrophysiological and behavioral results supports the conclusion that early experience with phonetic contrasts of a language results in changes in neural representations in auditory cortex that allow for more robust automatic, phonetic processing of native-language speech input.

The Five Myths of MMN: Redefining How to Use MMN in Basic and Clinical Research

“…A refocus in thinking is essential if MMN is to be used as an effectual tool in the further study of complex auditory functions in both basic and clinical domains. There have recently been a wealth of studies focused on more complex auditory processes, such as auditory scene analysis (Atienza et al, 2003; Bendixen et al, 2010; DeSanctis et al, 2008; Dyson et al, 2005; Hung et al, 2001; Müller et al, 2005; Nager et al, 2003; Rahne & Bockmann-Bartell, 2009; Rahne et al, 2007; Rahne & Sussman, 2009; Ritter et al, 2000; Sonnadara et al, 2006; Sussman, 2005; Sussman, Bregman et al, 2005; Sussman, Horváth et al, 2007; Sussman & Steinschneider, 2006; Sussman & Steinschneider, 2009; Sussman, Ritter, & Vaughan, 1998a; Sussman, Ritter, & Vaughan, 1999; Winkler et al, 2005; Yabe et al, 2001) and language processing (Aaltonen et al, 1987, 1993; Bonte et al, 2005; Brunelliere et al, 2011; Colin et al, 2002; Cornell et al, 2011; Deguchi et al, 2010; Dehaene-Lambertz et al, 2000; Díaz et al, 2008; Froyen et al, 2008; Gao et al, 2012; Hastings et al, 2008; Hisagi et al, 2010; Jacobsen & Schröger, 2004; Jakoby et al, 2011; Koelsch et al, 2005; Kraus et al, 1995; Kujala et al, 2006; Lee et al, 2012; Lipski et al, 2012; Maiste et al, 1995; Miglietta et al, 2013; Nenonen et al, 2005; Partanen et al, 2011; Peltola et al, 2012; Pulvermüller et al, 2004, 2006; Reiche et al, 2013; Savela et al, 2003; Shafer et al, 2004; Sharma & Dorman, 1998; Sharma et al, 1993; Shtyrov & Pulvermüller, 2002; Sorokin et al, 2010; Steinberg et al, 2010; Stekelenburg & Vroomen, 2012; Sussman, Kujala et al, 2004; Syzmanski et al, 1999; van Linden et al, 2007; Wang et al, 2012; Winkler et al, 1999; Winkler et al, 2003; Xi et al, 2010; Yline...…”

The role of duration in the perception of vowel merger

“…In other words, when asking whether vowel pairs are 'different' and they differ only in a dimension that is not considered 'different' enough to distinguish any other vowels, a mismatch between production and judgment is not surprising. This does not mean that perceptual discrimination is not possible (see for instance Hisagi et al, 2010, on English speakers' ability to discriminate the Japanese vowel length contrast at above-chance levels) though it may be less accurate and not align with perceptual judgments.…”

Neural measures of a Japanese consonant length discrimination by Japanese and American English listeners: Effects of attention

“…If non-native or L2 perception is less automatic, then MMN to the non-native contrast should be smaller when attention is directed away compared to towards the contrast. For example, Hisagi and colleagues (2010) observed a smaller MMN in naïve AE compared to native JP listeners to a JP vowel duration contrast when attention was directed to a visual task (and thereby, away from the speech sounds). With attention directed to the auditory modality, AE listeners exhibited a robust MMN to this JP contrast that was comparable to that of JP listeners (Hisagi et al, 2010).…”

“…For example, Hisagi and colleagues (2010) observed a smaller MMN in naïve AE compared to native JP listeners to a JP vowel duration contrast when attention was directed to a visual task (and thereby, away from the speech sounds). With attention directed to the auditory modality, AE listeners exhibited a robust MMN to this JP contrast that was comparable to that of JP listeners (Hisagi et al, 2010). This finding was consistent with the claim that, with attention, relevant cues for distinguishing the contrast can be extracted, even if these cues are not typically used for native language processing.…”

“…Thus, smaller or absent MMN to a speech contrast in non-native compared to native listeners has been used to support the claim that L1 learning early in life leads to enhancement of neural representations for L1 phonological information. This enhancement allows for largely automatic, pre-attentive processing of L1 phonological contrasts (e.g., Hisagi, Shafer, Strange, & Sussman, 2010). Furthermore, a smaller and later MMN indicates a more difficult discrimination relative to some control contrast (e.g., native phonemic contrast) or control group (e.g., native listeners).…”