Talker-specificity and lexical competition effects during word learning
The experiments reported in this thesis examine the time-course of talker-specificity and lexical competition effects during word learning. It is typically assumed that talker-specificity effects depend on access to highly-detailed lexical representations whilst lexical competition effects depend more on abstract, overlapping representations that allow phonologically-similar words to compete during spoken word recognition. By tracking the time-course of these two effects concurrently it was possible to examine the contributions of episodic and abstract representations to recognition and processing of newly-learned words. Results indicated that talker-specific information affected recognition of both novel and existing words immediately after study, and continued to influence recognition of newly-learned words one week later. However, in the delayed test sessions talker information appeared to be less influential during recognition of recently studied existing words and novel words studied in more than one voice. In comparison, lexical competition effects for novel words were absent immediately after study but emerged one day later and remained relatively stable across the course of a week. Together the evidence
Brown, Helen
Talker-specificity and lexical competition effects during word learning. The experiments reported in this thesis examine the time-course of talker-specificity and lexical competition effects during word learning. It is typically assumed that talker-specificity effects depend on access to highly-detailed lexical representations whilst lexical competition effects depend more on abstract, overlapping representations that allow phonologically-similar words to compete during spoken word recognition. By tracking the time-course of these two effects concurrently it was possible to examine the contributions of episodic and abstract representations to recognition and processing of newly-learned words. Results indicated that talker-specific information affected recognition of both novel and existing words immediately after study, and continued to influence recognition of newly-learned words one week later. However, in the delayed test sessions talker information appeared to be less influential during recognition of recently studied existing words and novel words studied in more than one voice. In comparison, lexical competition effects for novel words were absent immediately after study but emerged one day later and remained relatively stable across the course of a week. Together the evidence
specificity lexical competition effect word learning report examine time_course specificity lexical competition effect word learning typically assume specificity effect depend access highly detailed lexical representation whilst lexical competition effect depend abstract overlap representation allow phonologically similar word compete speak word_recognition track time_course effect concurrently possible examine contribution episodic abstract representation recognition process newly learned word indicate specific information affect recognition novel exist word immediately study continue_influence recognition newly learned word however delayed test session information appear less influential recognition recently study exist word novel word study voice comparison lexical competition effect novel word absent immediately study emerge remain_relatively stable across course week together_evidence