Auditory Evoked Potentials during Speech Perception

Abstract

Neural responses evoked by the same binaural speech signal were recorded from ten right-handed subjects during two auditory identification tasks. One task required analysis of acoustic parameters important for making a linguistic distinction, while the other task required analysis of an acoustic parameter which provides no linguistic information at the phoneme level. In the time interval between stimulus onset and the subjects' identification responses, evoked potentials from the two tasks were significantly different over the left hemisphere but identical over the right hemisphere. These results indicate that different neural events occur in the left hemisphere during analysis of linguistic versus nonlinguistic parameters of the same acoustic signal.

Failure of selective attention to phonetic segments in consonant-vowel syllables

“…This unidirectional or asymmetric interference between linguistic and nonlinguistic dimensions is consistent with other data that distinguish between auditory and phonetic levels of processing in speech perception (for a recent review, see Studdert-Kennedy, in press). As is the case in a number of other experimental paradigms (e.g.. Day & Bartlett, 1972;Day, Cutting, & Copeland, 1971;Wood, 19.15;Wood, Goff, & Day, 1971), the linguistic status of a dimension may be an important factor in speeded classification experiments.…”

Auditory and linguistic processing of cues for place of articulation by infants

“…A number of researchers have shown that speech signals are better perceived by the left hemisphere (right ear) whereas nonspeech signals are better processed by the right hemisphere (left ear) (Kimura, 1961(Kimura, , 1964Studdert-Kennedy &, Shankweiler, 1970). Electrophysiological studies of neural activity have also, supported this conclusion in adults (Wood, Goff, & Day, 1971).…”

Evoked Cortical Potentials and Information Processing

“…Sperry, 1968). Wood, Goff and Day (1971) report that AEPs from the left hemisphere differed when linguistic information was presented, as compared to when nonlinguistic patterns of the same acoustic signal were presented. The right hemisphere AEPs were the same for linguistic and nonlinguistic auditory stimuli.…”