Music and Speech Perception

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to music and speech perception, their definitions, and concepts presented throughout the lecture.

Pitch

The psychological correlate of frequency; higher frequencies are perceived as higher pitch.

Fundamental Frequency (F0)

The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform, which determines the pitch of the sound.

Consonance

A combination of frequencies that sounds good and pleasant.

Dissonance

A combination of frequencies that sounds bad or unsettling.

Harmonics

Multiples of the fundamental frequency that contribute to the overall sound quality of an instrument.

Formants

Peaks in pressure at specific frequencies caused by changes in the shape of the vocal tract during speech production.

Phoneme

The shortest unit of speech that changes the meaning of a word.

Coarticulation

The overlap between articulation of neighboring phonemes causing variability in their acoustic signals.

Phonemic Restoration Effect

The phenomenon where listeners fill in missing phonemes in a speech signal based on context.

Transitional Probabilities

The likelihood that one sound will follow another in a language, important for language acquisition.

Aphasia

Language deficits resulting from brain-related disorders and injuries.

Broca's Area

A region in the left hemisphere of the brain associated with language production.

Wernicke's Area

A region in the brain associated with language comprehension.

Statistical Learning

The process of learning associations between sounds in a language, often exhibited in infants.

Musical Helix

A visualization tool to represent musical pitch and its relationships.

Acoustic Signal

The sound wave produced during speech that carries the information content.

Vocal Tract

The cavity consisting of the throat, mouth, and nasal passages through which air passes during speech.

Pitch Perception

The ability to perceive differences in pitches or tones.

Indexical Characteristics

Features of a speaker's voice that convey information about their age, gender, or emotional state.