The nonlinear dynamics of categorical perception
Betty Tuller, J. A. Scott Kelso, Pamela Case, Mingzhou Ding · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1991
Much research on speech perception over the years has focused on uncovering examples of the nonlinear relationship between acoustics and perception (so-called “categorical perception”). However, little is known concerning the dynamics of this phenomenon. In a variation of the classical categorical perception paradigm, the present experiment explored gradual increases or decreases in a single acoustic parameter. The resulting patterns of perceptual change showed rich dynamics, including hysteresis, “anticipation,” a single boundary, and the progression from hysteresis to anticipation over multiple trials. A dynamical system that could account for these perceptual patterns was investigated by specifying a potential function that corresponds to the layout of phonetic (attractor) states, and how that layout alters as the acoustic parameter changes. The model reproduces the observed features of the experimental data, and makes further predictions about perception, currently being tested. [Work supported by NIDCD and NIMH.]