The Role of Psychophysics in Understanding Speech Perception.
| Number | 612 |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
| Drawer | 11 |
| Entry Date | 11/17/1999 |
| Authors | Repp, B. H. |
| Contact | |
| Publication | Chapter in The Psychophysics of Speech Perception. Series D: Behavioral and Social Sciences, No. 39, 3-27. Edited by M. E. H. Schouten, NATO ASI Series. |
| url | http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0612.pdf |
| Abstract | [Introduction] The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the psychophysics of speech perception. The program includes a variety of topics that presumably fall under this heading and that demonstrate that the psychophysics of speech perception is alive and well. Yet it is not really obvious what the psychophysics of speech perception is, what its goals and limitations are, and whether it is indeed a circumscribed area of investigation. It seems useful, therefore, to pose these basic questions explicitly and to include them in our discussions along with the many specific issues addressed by our research. The purpose of my paper is to stimulate such discussion by presenting a particular, possibly controversial, view of speech perception, psychophysics, and the relation between the two. My presentation has five parts. First, I will attempt to define the psychophysics of speech perception and to discuss some of its assumptions and limitations. Then, turning to the second half of my title, I will consider briefly what it might mean to “understand” speech perception. Next, I will sketch a general view of phonetic perception and follow this with a discussion of what I believe to be the major research questions from that perspective. Finally, I will suggest a relatively novel application of psychophysics in the research enterprise I have envisioned. |
| Notes |
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