Abstract:
The experiments reported here represent the preliminary findings of an investigation designed to provide a better understanding of the parameters underlying perceptual overshoot in vowel perception. Continua of dynamic vocalic tokens were synthesized which spanned multiple vowel categories and varied in (1) F1, F2 location of starting and ending points, (2) rate of frequency change, (3) direction of dynamic transition, and (4) total duration. Subjects determined (1) whether each token was heard as containing one or more than one vowel quality, and (2) the identity of the vowel quality(s). The results suggest the values of the varied parameters sufficient for eliciting the overshoot phenomenon and will be discussed in terms of evidence for a purely auditory mechanism for overshoot or whether an articulatory (biomechanical) basis can be considered.