The Universality of perceptual and linguistic constraints in the extraction of rule-like patterns : a cross-species comparison
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Studies have shown that linguistic and perceptual constraints are important for speech processing. First, rule-like structures are more easily learned over vowels than over consonants. Second, sequences varying in pitch and duration are grouped following the Iambic – Trochaic Law (ITL). In this research, I investigated the origins of these linguistic and perceptual constraints. My aim was to test if vowels’ acoustic saliency was the reason why they are the preferred target for abstract computations, and to explore the extent to which the principles of the ITL come from evolutionary heritage or language experience. Results show that rats learn rules over consonants and vowels with the same ease, so saliency is insufficient to explain the asymmetries observed in humans. This also shows that animals share with humans the trochaic principle of the ITL, but they lack the iambic-grouping bias, which might rely on language experience.
Authors: Martínez de la Mora, Daniela Daniela
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2507212551