Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 15;11(1):1485. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80260-x.
Absolute pitch (AP), a unique ability to name or produce pitch without any reference, is known to be influenced by genetic and cultural factors. AP and tone language experience are both known to promote lexical tone perception. However, the effects of the combination of AP and tone language experience on lexical tone perception are currently not known. In the current study, using behavioral (Categorical Perception) and electrophysiological (Frequency Following Response) measures, we investigated the effect of the combination of AP and tone language experience on lexical tone perception. We found that the Cantonese speakers with AP outperformed the Cantonese speakers without AP on Categorical Perception and Frequency Following Responses of lexical tones, suggesting an additive effect due to the combination of AP and tone language experience. These findings suggest a role of basic sensory pre-attentive auditory processes towards pitch encoding in AP. Further, these findings imply a common mechanism underlying pitch encoding in AP and tone language perception.
绝对音高（AP），一种无需任何参考即可命名或产生音高的独特能力，已知受到遗传和文化因素的影响。AP 和声调语言体验都已知可以促进词汇声调感知。然而，目前尚不清楚 AP 和声调语言体验的组合对词汇声调感知的影响。在当前的研究中，我们使用行为（范畴感知）和电生理（频率跟随反应）测量来研究 AP 和声调语言体验的组合对词汇声调感知的影响。我们发现，具有 AP 的粤语使用者在范畴感知和词汇声调的频率跟随反应方面优于没有 AP 的粤语使用者，这表明由于 AP 和声调语言体验的组合，存在附加效应。这些发现表明，在 AP 中，基本的感觉前注意听觉过程在音高编码中起作用。此外，这些发现意味着 AP 和声调语言感知中的音高编码具有共同的机制。
