Abstract
In spoken word perception, voice specificity effects are well-documented: When people hear repeated words in some task, performance is generally better when repeated items are presented in their originally heard voices, relative to changed voices. A key theoretical question about voice specificity effects concerns their time-course: Some studies suggest that episodic traces exert their influence late in lexical processing (the time-course hypothesis; McLennan & Luce, 2005), whereas others suggest that episodic traces influence immediate, online processing. We report 2 eye-tracking studies investigating the time-course of voice-specific priming within and across cognitive tasks. In Experiment 1, participants performed modified lexical decision or semantic classification to words spoken by 4 speakers. The tasks required participants to click a red "x" or a blue "+" located randomly within separate visual half-fields, necessitating trial-by-trial visual search with consistent half-field response mapping. After a break, participants completed a second block with new and repeated items, half spoken in changed voices. Voice effects were robust very early, appearing in saccade initiation times. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern while changing tasks across blocks, ruling out a response priming account. In the General Discussion, we address the time-course hypothesis, focusing on the challenge it presents for empirical disconfirmation, and highlighting the broad importance of indexical effects, beyond studies of priming.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 314-337 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Experimental Psychology: General |
| Volume | 145 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- Exemplar models
- Eye movements
- Priming effects
- Spoken word perception
- Voice specificity effects
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology(all)
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Eye movements reveal fast, voice-specific priming. / Papesh, Megan H.; Goldinger, Stephen; Hout, Michael C.
In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol. 145, No. 3, 01.03.2016, p. 314-337.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Eye movements reveal fast, voice-specific priming
AU - Papesh, Megan H.
AU - Goldinger, Stephen
AU - Hout, Michael C.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - In spoken word perception, voice specificity effects are well-documented: When people hear repeated words in some task, performance is generally better when repeated items are presented in their originally heard voices, relative to changed voices. A key theoretical question about voice specificity effects concerns their time-course: Some studies suggest that episodic traces exert their influence late in lexical processing (the time-course hypothesis; McLennan & Luce, 2005), whereas others suggest that episodic traces influence immediate, online processing. We report 2 eye-tracking studies investigating the time-course of voice-specific priming within and across cognitive tasks. In Experiment 1, participants performed modified lexical decision or semantic classification to words spoken by 4 speakers. The tasks required participants to click a red "x" or a blue "+" located randomly within separate visual half-fields, necessitating trial-by-trial visual search with consistent half-field response mapping. After a break, participants completed a second block with new and repeated items, half spoken in changed voices. Voice effects were robust very early, appearing in saccade initiation times. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern while changing tasks across blocks, ruling out a response priming account. In the General Discussion, we address the time-course hypothesis, focusing on the challenge it presents for empirical disconfirmation, and highlighting the broad importance of indexical effects, beyond studies of priming.
AB - In spoken word perception, voice specificity effects are well-documented: When people hear repeated words in some task, performance is generally better when repeated items are presented in their originally heard voices, relative to changed voices. A key theoretical question about voice specificity effects concerns their time-course: Some studies suggest that episodic traces exert their influence late in lexical processing (the time-course hypothesis; McLennan & Luce, 2005), whereas others suggest that episodic traces influence immediate, online processing. We report 2 eye-tracking studies investigating the time-course of voice-specific priming within and across cognitive tasks. In Experiment 1, participants performed modified lexical decision or semantic classification to words spoken by 4 speakers. The tasks required participants to click a red "x" or a blue "+" located randomly within separate visual half-fields, necessitating trial-by-trial visual search with consistent half-field response mapping. After a break, participants completed a second block with new and repeated items, half spoken in changed voices. Voice effects were robust very early, appearing in saccade initiation times. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern while changing tasks across blocks, ruling out a response priming account. In the General Discussion, we address the time-course hypothesis, focusing on the challenge it presents for empirical disconfirmation, and highlighting the broad importance of indexical effects, beyond studies of priming.
KW - Exemplar models
KW - Eye movements
KW - Priming effects
KW - Spoken word perception
KW - Voice specificity effects
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84958913654&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/xge0000135
DO - 10.1037/xge0000135
M3 - Article
VL - 145
SP - 314
EP - 337
JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
SN - 0096-3445
IS - 3
ER -