AUDITORY INTEGRATION TRAINING: ITS EFFECT ON NATIVE JAPANESE SPEAKERS' PERCEPTION OF ENGLISH

Abstract

This study proposes an investigation of the effects of Auditory Integration Training (AIT) on the ability of native Japanese speakers to perceive English using four tests: speech perception in noise (SPIN), /r/-/l/ phoneme discrimination test, /r/-/1/ synthetic continuum, and /e/-/e/ vowel discrimination. AIT is an auditory training method that uses music for perceptual training for individuals with auditory processing problems. Most frequently it is used to reduce hypersensitivity to noise. It has, however, been used successfully for individuals without hypersensitive hearing. Responses from those studies reveal a variety of improvements in both perception and production of speech. It has not yet been studied for its effect on normal-hearing speakers of English, native or non-native. A pilot study was conducted on a native and nonnative speaker of English to see if AIT offered any benefit for normal hearing adults. It revealed significant improvements in the perception of speech in noise following AIT for both subjects (10%}. Based on these promising results, the goal of the proposed study is to examine AIT efficacy for native Japanese learners of English with respect to specific changes in perception of English.