Ann R. Bradlow
Speech Res. Lab., Dept. of Psych., Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN 47405
Reiko A. Yamada
ATR Human Information Processing Res. Labs., Soraku, Kyoto, 619-02, Japan
David B. Pisoni
Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN 47405
Yoh'ichi Tohkura
ATR Human Information Processing Res. Labs., Soraku, Kyoto, 619-02, Japan
This study investigated the relationship between performance in perception and production, and the relationship between degrees of learning in the two domains within individual subjects. Eleven monolingual Japanese adults participated in an /r/--/l/ perceptual training program. Both perception data (minimal pair identification scores) and production data (recordings of /r/--/l/ minimal pair productions) were collected before and after perceptual training. Pre- and post-test production data were then evaluated by native speakers of American English in a minimal pair identification task. Results showed considerable individual variation in all aspects of the perception--production relationship. Subjects varied widely in pretest levels of performance in both perception and production, as well as in improvement in perception and production. In general, subjects who performed well in the perception pretest also had good productions at pretest; however, subjects who were low performers in the perception pretest varied in their production abilities at pretest. Additionally, there was considerable variation in the transfer of perceptual learning to production. Subjects with a relatively high degree of improvement in perception did not necessarily have a comparable degree of improvement in production. Possible sources of these individual differences, and implications for the perception--production link will be discussed.