Seits, A. 1 & Protopapas, A. 2
1 University of California, Riverside
2 University of Athens
Numerous studies of visual learning have shown that task-irrelevant stimuli can be learned when they are paired with important behavioral events. These studies of task-irrelevant perceptual learning (TIPL) have helped elucidate how reinforcement and attentional mechanisms interact to produce learning. Here, I will present data from two studies of auditory TIPL. We show that detection of formant transitions (changes in spectral energy peaks) can be learned through TIPL. In the second study, we found that non-native speech sound contrasts can also be learned. Interestingly, the magnitude of the learning effects through TIPL is similar to that found through direct, explicit and attended training on the same stimuli. These studies help demonstrate the generality of TIPL to audition and show promise for TIPL as a methodology to aid adult learners of new languages.