Subject: Re: Does anybody know a similar study? From: Richard M Warren <rmwarren@xxxxxxxx> Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 14:25:12 -0500 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>--Apple-Mail=_DF7BED29-EA77-4387-921C-BB4014DF794F Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Dear Al and List, Repeating a recording of any clearly pronounced word produces illusory = words or syllables that has been called the "verbal transformation = effect." Googling this term will produce a list of articles dealing = with the effect, including the link to "Warren Perception Lab - Auditory = Demonstrations," which produces examples of both repeating diotic and = dichotic stimuli. Incidentally, making the stimulus indistinct by the addition of noise = reduces the rate at which illusory changes occur. All the best, Dick On Jun 18, 2014, at 2:25 AM, Al Bregman <al.bregman@xxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hi Massimo & List, >=20 > I believe that in Skinner's book, "Verbal Behavior" (1957), he = reported an experiment he had done getting people to listen to a machine = that played a tape of a babble of voices. He called the machine a = "verbal summator". I don't remember whether it was a loop or not. He = reported that people heard all kinds of words, with different people = hearing different words, and thought it tapped people's verbal habits = (including thoughts). I recall that he thought it could be used as a = projective test. You'd have to check the original to be sure. Also = Google finds a number of entries for "Verbal summator", so there may = have been follow-up work. >=20 > I myself frequently hear words, usually short incomplete phrases, as = part of irregular environmental sounds, usually involving splashing = water in a resonant space, as when I am washing clothing or dishes in a = sink. I can't make it happen voluntarily; it always happens as a = double-take (e.g., Did I just hear "count the others"?). The stress = patterns of the words in the phrase always correspond with loudness = variations in the sound. >=20 > Dick Warren and colleagues experimented with recycling white noise in = the 1980s (e.g., Warren & Bashford, 1981, Perception of acoustic = iterance: Pitch and infrapitch. Perception and Psychophysics, 29, = 323-335.) but I don't think words were ever embedded. >=20 > Best, > Al >=20 > = --------------------------------------------------------------------------= - > Albert S. Bregman, Emeritus Professor > Psychology Department, McGill University > Office phone: (514) three-nine-eight-6103,=20 > http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/Group2/abregm1/web/ > = --------------------------------------------------------------------------= - >=20 >=20 > On Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 10:46 AM, Massimo Grassi = <massimo.grassi@xxxxxxxx> wrote: > Dear list members, >=20 > yesterday I colleague played me a sample (a sentence) of highly = degraded speech. It was a recording made in a highly noisy environment. = It included speech (a conversation) that was hardly intelligible except = for a few occasional words. >=20 > The colleague asked me to listen to the sample and pay attention = whether I was able to spot a few target words. These words were not = intelligible to me. >=20 > The colleague then selected a portion of the recording and played it = in loop. That portion included (according to him) one target word. After = a few loops I was able to "perceive" the word. >=20 > This is exactly the problem. I'm wandering whether it was just a = suggestion due to the repeated listening of an ambiguous auditory = signal. A kid of auditory Rorschach test: there seem to be nothing at = the beginning but if you keep listening you can hear whatever you like. >=20 > Is there anybody out there that is aware of studies that investigated = whether listening in loop to an ambiguous signal can lead to hear things = that are not in the signal? >=20 > I didn't find anything yet. >=20 > Thank you all in advance, > m >=20 > --=20 > http://www.psy.unipd.it/~grassi/ > http://www.springer.com/978-1-4614-2196-2 >=20 --Apple-Mail=_DF7BED29-EA77-4387-921C-BB4014DF794F Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dus-ascii"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; = "><div><br></div><div>Dear Al and = List,</div><div><br></div><div>Repeating a recording of any clearly = pronounced word produces illusory words or syllables that has been = called the "verbal transformation effect." Googling this term will = produce a list of articles dealing with the effect, including the link = to "Warren Perception Lab - Auditory Demonstrations," which produces = examples of both repeating diotic and dichotic = stimuli.</div><div> Incidentally, making the stimulus indistinct by = the addition of noise reduces the rate at which illusory changes = occur.</div><div><br></div><div>All the = best,</div> Dick<div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Jun 18, 2014, = at 2:25 AM, Al Bregman <<a = href=3D"mailto:al.bregman@xxxxxxxx">al.bregman@xxxxxxxx</a>> = wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Hi Massimo & = List,<br><br></div><div class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">I believe that in Skinner's = book, "Verbal Behavior" (1957), he reported an experiment he had done = getting people to listen to a machine that played a tape of a babble of = voices. He called the machine a "verbal summator". I don't = remember whether it was a loop or not. He reported that people = heard all kinds of words, with different people hearing different words, = and thought it tapped people's verbal habits (including thoughts). = I recall that he thought it could be used as a projective test. = You'd have to check the original to be sure. Also Google finds a = number of entries for "Verbal summator", so there may have been = follow-up work.<br> <br></div><div class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">I myself frequently hear words, = usually short incomplete phrases, as part of irregular environmental = sounds, usually involving splashing water in a resonant space, as when I = am washing clothing or dishes in a sink. I can't make it happen = voluntarily; it always happens as a double-take (e.g., Did I just hear = "count the others"?). The stress patterns of the words in the = phrase always correspond with loudness variations in the sound.<br> <br></div><div class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Dick Warren and colleagues = experimented with recycling white noise in the 1980s (e.g., Warren & = Bashford, 1981, Perception of acoustic iterance: Pitch and infrapitch. = <i>Perception and Psychophysics, 29,</i> 323-335.) but I don't think = words were ever embedded.<br> <br></div><div class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Best,<br></div><div = class=3D"gmail_default" = style=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Al<br></div><div = class=3D"gmail_extra"><br clear=3D"all"><div><div dir=3D"ltr"> = <div>---------------------------------------------------------------------= ------<br>Albert S. Bregman, Emeritus Professor<br>Psychology = Department, McGill University<br>Office phone: (514) = three-nine-eight-6103, <br> <a = href=3D"http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/Group2/abregm1/web/" = target=3D"_blank">http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/Group2/abregm1/web/</a><= br> = </div><div>---------------------------------------------------------------= ------------</div></div></div> <br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 10:46 AM, = Massimo Grassi <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a = href=3D"mailto:massimo.grassi@xxxxxxxx" = target=3D"_blank">massimo.grassi@xxxxxxxx</a>></span> = wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 = .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> Dear list members,<br> <br> yesterday I colleague played me a sample (a sentence) of highly degraded = speech. It was a recording made in a highly noisy environment. It = included speech (a conversation) that was hardly intelligible except for = a few occasional words.<br> <br> The colleague asked me to listen to the sample and pay attention whether = I was able to spot a few target words. These words were not intelligible = to me.<br> <br> The colleague then selected a portion of the recording and played it in = loop. That portion included (according to him) one target word. After a = few loops I was able to "perceive" the word.<br> <br> This is exactly the problem. I'm wandering whether it was just a = suggestion due to the repeated listening of an ambiguous auditory = signal. A kid of auditory Rorschach test: there seem to be nothing at = the beginning but if you keep listening you can hear whatever you = like.<br> <br> Is there anybody out there that is aware of studies that investigated = whether listening in loop to an ambiguous signal can lead to hear things = that are not in the signal?<br> <br> I didn't find anything yet.<br> <br> Thank you all in advance,<br> m<span class=3D"HOEnZb"><font color=3D"#888888"><br> <br> -- <br> <a href=3D"http://www.psy.unipd.it/~grassi/" = target=3D"_blank">http://www.psy.unipd.it/~<u></u>grassi/</a><br> <a href=3D"http://www.springer.com/978-1-4614-2196-2" = target=3D"_blank">http://www.springer.com/978-1-<u></u>4614-2196-2</a><br>= </font></span></blockquote></div><br></div></div> </blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail=_DF7BED29-EA77-4387-921C-BB4014DF794F--