TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of Training Variability and Pitch Aptitude on the Overnight Consolidation of Lexical Tones
AU - Qin, Zhen
AU - Jin, Rui
AU - Zhang, Caicai
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Start-up Fund and the Anti-Epidemic Fund 2.0 at the Division of Humanities, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, awarded to Zhen Qin. The authors would like to thank Minzhi Gong for her help in data collection.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - Purpose: Although variability of training materials has the potential to benefit the learning of lexical tones, the benefit is contingent on an individual’s pitch aptitude. Previous studies did not segregate immediate learning and consolidation after an overnight interval, and little is known about how pitch aptitude differences affect consolidation. This study examined whether pitch aptitude predicts overnight consolidation of Cantonese level tones through high-variability (HV) and low-variability (LV) training. Method: Two groups of Mandarin-speaking participants were first assessed in terms of pitch threshold and tone discrimination, which tapped into different aspects of pitch aptitude. They then received Cantonese level tone identification training in either an HV or an LV condition. The participants were trained in the evening, were tested after training, and returned after 24 hr for overnight consolidation assessment. Results: The results indicate that pitch aptitude, measured through pitch threshold, may have predicted overnight consolidation and training progress of the HV group but not those of the LV group. In the HV group, compared with high-aptitude learners, low-aptitude learners benefited temporarily from training variability but did not consolidate the tonal knowledge as much as their high-aptitude counterparts did after 24 hr. Conclusions: The findings suggest that individual learners had difficulty learning nonnative tones by virtue of memory consolidation. Higher pitch aptitude ability (pitch threshold) may provide protection against the decay of learned tones and facilitate tone consolidation. The findings imply that the early emergence of tonal representation is a dynamic process among individuals of nonnative speakers who are exposed to training variability.
AB - Purpose: Although variability of training materials has the potential to benefit the learning of lexical tones, the benefit is contingent on an individual’s pitch aptitude. Previous studies did not segregate immediate learning and consolidation after an overnight interval, and little is known about how pitch aptitude differences affect consolidation. This study examined whether pitch aptitude predicts overnight consolidation of Cantonese level tones through high-variability (HV) and low-variability (LV) training. Method: Two groups of Mandarin-speaking participants were first assessed in terms of pitch threshold and tone discrimination, which tapped into different aspects of pitch aptitude. They then received Cantonese level tone identification training in either an HV or an LV condition. The participants were trained in the evening, were tested after training, and returned after 24 hr for overnight consolidation assessment. Results: The results indicate that pitch aptitude, measured through pitch threshold, may have predicted overnight consolidation and training progress of the HV group but not those of the LV group. In the HV group, compared with high-aptitude learners, low-aptitude learners benefited temporarily from training variability but did not consolidate the tonal knowledge as much as their high-aptitude counterparts did after 24 hr. Conclusions: The findings suggest that individual learners had difficulty learning nonnative tones by virtue of memory consolidation. Higher pitch aptitude ability (pitch threshold) may provide protection against the decay of learned tones and facilitate tone consolidation. The findings imply that the early emergence of tonal representation is a dynamic process among individuals of nonnative speakers who are exposed to training variability.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137937303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00058
DO - 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00058
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36018578
AN - SCOPUS:85137937303
SN - 1092-4388
VL - 65
SP - 3377
EP - 3391
JO - Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders
JF - Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders
IS - 9
ER -