MARCS Monday Meeting (MMM): Professor Cathi Best and Professor Chris Davis

MARCS Monday Meeting (MMM) (Room 3.G.55 - Building 3)

11am start

Presentations from Professors Chris Davis & Cathi Best

Topic: Auditory-visual integration during non-conscious perception
Speaker:  Professor Chris Davis

Abstract: Our study proposes a test of a key assumption of the most prominent model of consciousness – the global workspace (GWS) model (e.g., Baars, 2002, 2005, 2007; Dehaene & Naccache, 2001; Mudrik, Faivre, & Koch, 2014). This assumption is that multimodal integration requires consciousness; however, few studies have explicitly tested if integration can occur between nonconscious information from different modalities. The proposed study examined whether a classic indicator of multimodal integration – the McGurk effect – can be elicited with subliminal auditory–visual speech stimuli. The combined results of both experiments demonstrate a type of nonconscious multimodal interaction that is distinct from integration – it allows unimodal information that is compatible for integration (i.e., McGurk combinations) to persist and influence later processes, but does not actually combine and alter that information. As the GWS model does not account for non-integrative multimodal interactions, this places some pressure on such models of consciousness.

Topic: : Natural phonetic variation and early word recognition: Toddlers’ recognition of familiar words across unfamiliar regional accents
Speaker:  Professor Cathi Best

Abstract: Much is known about infants’ ability to detect critical consonant or vowel mispronunciations of words, which signals a grasp of the principle of phonological distinctiveness (Best, 2015). However, recognizing words despite non-distinctive phonetic variation in regional accents, or phonological constancy, is also crucial for lexical acquisition. We have conducted a number of studies on phonological constancy in toddlers’ word recognition across English accents, and how it may relate to their vocabulary size. More recently, we have examined how young children adapt to accent variation. Implications for theories of early spoken word recognition and models of how episodic memory affect lexical retrieval, will be discussed. Relevance to adult second language speech and word learning will also be considered.

We thank you for your continued attendance at the MMM's.  Let's keep the momentum going.

MARCS staff and students are reminded that all meetings and workshops have an important role in building and maintaining the sense of community which is central to the success of MARCS as a cooperative and energetic research institute.  Your attendance is both welcomed and expected.

The zoom ID is: 627 146 998. Link to zoom https://uws.zoom.us/j/627146998