Abstract
Purpose: High-variability phonetic training (HVPT) has been found to be effective on adult second language (L2) learning, but results are mixed in regards to the benefit of multiple talkers over single talker. This study provides a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate the talker variability effect in nonnative phonetic learning and the factors moderating the effect. Method: We collected studies with keyword search in major academic data-bases including EBSCO, ERIC, MEDLINE, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, Elsevier, Scopus, Wiley Online Library, and Web of Science. We identified potential participant-, training-, and study-related moderators and conducted a random-effects model meta-analysis for each individual variable. Results: On the basis of 18 studies with a total of 549 participants, we obtained a small-level summary effect size (Hedges’ g = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI; 0.08, 0.84]) for the immediate training outcomes, which was greatly reduced (g = −0.04, 95% CI [−0.46, 0.37]) after removal of outliers and correction for publication bias, whereas the effect size for immediate perceptual gains was nearly medium (g = 0.56, 95% CI [0.13, 1.00]) compared with the nonsignificant production gains. Critically, the summary effect sizes for generalizations to new talkers (g = 0.72, 95% CI [0.15, 1.29]) and for long-term retention (g = 1.09, 95% CI [0.39, 1.78]) were large. Moreover, the training program length and the talker presentation format were found to potentially moderate the immediate perceptual gains and generalization outcomes. Conclusions: Our study presents the first meta-analysis on the role of talker variability in nonnative phonetic training, which demonstrates the heterogeneity and limitations of research on this topic. The results highlight the need for further investigation of the influential factors and underlying mechanisms for the presence or absence of talker variability effects. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16959388.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4802-4825 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by grants from the National Social Science Foundation of China (18ZDA293). Y. Zhang received additional support from the University of Minnesota’s Brain Imaging Grant and Grand Challenges Exploratory Research Grant for international collaboration. The authors would like to thank Francoise Brosseau-Lapré, Tyler K. Perrachione, Susan Rvachew, and Seth Wiener for kindly sharing their original data. They would also like to thank Emma Marsden and three anonymous reviewers for their suggestions to improve their manuscript.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by grants from the National Social Science Foundation of China (18ZDA293). Y. Zhang received additional support from the University of Minnesota?s Brain Imaging Grant and Grand Challenges Exploratory Research Grant for international collabora-tion. The authors would like to thank Francoise Brosseau-Lapr?, Tyler K. Perrachione, Susan Rvachew, and Seth Wiener for kindly sharing their original data. They would also like to thank Emma Marsden and three anonymous reviewers for their suggestions to improve their manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Meta-Analysis
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Systematic Review