Speech Perception

Speech Perception

The process by which the brain interprets and makes sense of spoken language.

Articulation Tests

Widely used methods to assess speech intelligibility by measuring the percentage of items correctly perceived.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N)

A measure that compares the level of the desired signal to the level of background noise, where a 20 dB S/N has no effect on intelligibility.

Vowel Identity

The recognition of a vowel sound primarily based on the first three formants (F1, F2, F3), particularly F1 and F2.

Coarticulation

The influence of surrounding sounds on the articulation of a speech sound, leading to context-dependent perception of consonants.

McGurk Effect

A phenomenon where conflicting visual and auditory components of speech lead to a third, perceived syllable that is a compromise of both.

Undershoot

A phenomenon where the articulation of a vowel does not reach its full phonemic range, affecting the formant frequencies.

Phonological Rules

Constraints in a language that limit the possible combinations of phonemes based on the language's structure.

Bottom-Up Processing

Information processing that begins with sensory input, moving from the basic features to more complex characteristics.

Top-Down Processing

Information processing driven by cognition, where perception is influenced by knowledge, experiences, and expectations.

What is speech perception?

The process of understanding spoken language.

What are the two processes that combine in speech perception?

Bottom-up (sound) and top-down (knowledge).

How are vowels identified in speech perception?

Via formants.

What is required for identifying consonants in speech?

Multiple cues.

Why is speech considered robust?

Due to redundancy.

What is the McGurk effect?

A phenomenon where visual information influences what we hear.