Coglab #9 - Categorical Perception-Identification (not discrimination) (due April 27)

1. Print off your individual data averages. Then, create a graph of your data where "Average number of 'BA' responses" is on the Y axis (0 - 10) and the stimulus numbers are on the X axis (e.g. Ba1, Ba2, etc.) (this will resemble the graph in the notes, but with only 1 line). Make sure you understand the experiment so you know what you are plotting. You can either make the graph using a computer or can draw it by hand on graph paper.

2. Describe the results of your data based on the graph, and then describe the classic categorical perception results. Explain if your results conform to this pattern or not.

3. What is meant by the categorical perception of speech, and how does this help benefit our perception of the speech signal? What would continuous perception be, in contrast, and what would it mean for perception of phonemes which often have variations in the speech signal?

4. It has been shown that infants also have categorical speech perception for phonemes. Explain why it would be more beneficial for infants to have categorical speech perception when learning language than continuous perception of speech.