Presenter(s): Chasen Afghani—Linguistics
Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Baese-Berk, Glen Waddell
Session 1: Speech and Sound—Can you Hear Me?
Native speakers often have challenges understanding non-native speech . Previous studies have shown that both cognitive and social factors affect perception of non-native speech by native speakers . It has also been demonstrated that native listeners can improve at this task over time . In the current study we ask how financial rewards affect adaptation to non-native speech . Two subject groups were asked to transcribe unfamiliar, non-native accented speech stimuli . The control group was asked to transcribe the speech as accurately as possible . The experimental group was given similar instructions, with an additional note that they will receive monetary compensation corresponding to the accuracy of their transcriptions . Here, we examine accuracy and learning over the course of the experiment . We hypothesize that the experimental group will start the study with a higher level of accuracy, will have a steeper learning curve throughout the study, and will demonstrate greater accuracy at the end of the experiment . This work will add to a growing body of evidence that a variety of factors impact listeners’ ability to understand unfamiliar accented speech, and that these factors also impact adaptation over time .