Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e48623 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | PLoS One |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2012 |
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Individual differences in the discrimination of novel speech sounds: effects of sex, temporal processing, musical and cognitive abilities. / Kempe, Vera; Thoresen, John C.; Kirk, Neil W.; Schaeffler, Felix; Brooks, Patricia J.
In: PLoS One, Vol. 7, No. 11, e48623, 11.2012.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual differences in the discrimination of novel speech sounds: effects of sex, temporal processing, musical and cognitive abilities
AU - Kempe, Vera
AU - Thoresen, John C.
AU - Kirk, Neil W.
AU - Schaeffler, Felix
AU - Brooks, Patricia J.
PY - 2012/11
Y1 - 2012/11
N2 - This study examined whether rapid temporal auditory processing, verbal working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, executive functioning, musical ability and prior foreign language experience predicted how well native English speakers (N = 120) discriminated Norwegian tonal and vowel contrasts as well as a non-speech analogue of the tonal contrast and a native vowel contrast presented over noise. Results confirmed a male advantage for temporal and tonal processing, and also revealed that temporal processing was associated with both non-verbal intelligence and speech processing. In contrast, effects of musical ability on non-native speech-sound processing and of inhibitory control on vowel discrimination were not mediated by temporal processing. These results suggest that individual differences in non-native speech-sound processing are to some extent determined by temporal auditory processing ability, in which males perform better, but are also determined by a host of other abilities that are deployed flexibly depending on the characteristics of the target sounds.
AB - This study examined whether rapid temporal auditory processing, verbal working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, executive functioning, musical ability and prior foreign language experience predicted how well native English speakers (N = 120) discriminated Norwegian tonal and vowel contrasts as well as a non-speech analogue of the tonal contrast and a native vowel contrast presented over noise. Results confirmed a male advantage for temporal and tonal processing, and also revealed that temporal processing was associated with both non-verbal intelligence and speech processing. In contrast, effects of musical ability on non-native speech-sound processing and of inhibitory control on vowel discrimination were not mediated by temporal processing. These results suggest that individual differences in non-native speech-sound processing are to some extent determined by temporal auditory processing ability, in which males perform better, but are also determined by a host of other abilities that are deployed flexibly depending on the characteristics of the target sounds.
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0048623
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0048623
M3 - Article
VL - 7
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 11
M1 - e48623
ER -