In a study on categorical perception, listeners hear two sounds and then a third, and determine if the third sound was the same as the first or the second. Results show that:
A) performance is at chance if the two sounds are from the same phonetic category
B) performance is poor at the outset but listeners improve significantly with practice
C) performance is better if the two sounds are from the same phonetic category than if they are from different phonetic categories
D) all of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Performance is at chance if the two sounds are from the same phonetic category because listeners have difficulty distinguishing between sounds that fall within the same category. This is a key aspect of categorical perception, where variations within a category are less noticeable than variations between categories.

In a Study on Categorical Perception, Listeners Hear Two Sounds