Is numerical comparison digital? Analogical and symbolic effects in two-digit number comparison.

Do Ss compare multidigit numbers digit by digit (symbolic model) or do they compute the whole magnitude of the numbers before comparing them (holistic model)? In 4 experiments of timed 2-digit number comparisons with a fixed standard, the findings of J. V. Hinrichs et al (see record 1982-07073-001) were extended with French Ss. Reaction times (RTs) decreased with target-standard distance, with discontinuities at the boundaries of the standard's decade appearing only with standards 55 and 66 but not with 65. The data are compatible with the holistic model. A symbolic interference model that posits the simultaneous comparison of decades and units can also account for the results. To separate the 2 models, the decades and units digits of target numbers were presented asynchronously in Experiment 4. Contrary to the prediction of the interference model, presenting the units before the decades did not change the influence of units on RTs. Pros and cons of the holistic model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lexical access without attention? Explorations using dichotic priming.

The authors used lexical decision in a dichotic listening situation and measured identity priming across channels to explore whether unattended stimuli can be processed lexically. In 6 experiments, temporal synchronization of prime and target words was manipulated, and acoustic saliency of the unattended prime was varied by embedding it in a carrier sentence or in babble speech. When the prime was acoustically salient, a cross-channel priming effect emerged, and participants were aware of the prime. When the prime was less salient, no identity priming was found, and participants failed to notice the prime. Saliency was manipulated in ways that did not degrade the prime. Results are inconsistent with models of late filtering, which predict equal priming irrespective of prime saliency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epenthetic vowels in Japanese: A perceptual illusion?

In 4 cross-linguistic experiments comparing French and Japanese listeners, we found that the phonotactic properties of Japanese (a reduced set of syllable types) induce Japanese listeners to perceive "illusory" vowels inside consonant clusters in vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel (VCCV) stimuli. In Experiments 1 and 2, a continuum of stimuli ranging from no vowel (e.g., ebzo) to a full vowel between the consonants (e.g., ebzo) was used. Japanese, but not French participants, reported the presence of a vowel [u] between consonants, even in stimuli with no vowel. A speeded ABX discrimination paradigm was used in Experiments 3 and 4 and revealed that Japanese participants had trouble discriminating between VCCV and VCuCV stimuli. French participants, in contrast, had problems discriminating items that differed in vowel length ( ebuzo vs ebuuzo), a distinctive contrast in Japanese but not French. It is concluded that models of speech perception have to be revised to account for phonotactically based assimilations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptual adjustment to highly compressed speech: Effects of talker and rate changes.

This study investigated the perceptual adjustments that occur when listeners recognize highly compressed speech. In Experiment 1, adjustment was examined as a function of the amount of exposure to compressed speech by use of 2 different speakers and compression rates. The results demonstrated that adjustment takes place over a number of sentences, depending on the compression rate. Lower compression rates required less experience before full adjustment occurred. In Experiment 2, the impact of an abrupt change in talker characteristics was investigated; in Experiment 3, the impact of an abrupt change in compression rate was studied. The results of these 2 experiments indicated that sudden changes in talker characteristics or compression rate had little impact on the adjustment process. The findings are discussed with respect to the level of speech processing at which such adjustment might occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)