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Beyond Categorical Perception: Gradient Lexical Tone Processing Revealed by Visual Analog Scale.

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Title: Beyond Categorical Perception: Gradient Lexical Tone Processing Revealed by Visual Analog Scale.
Authors: Cheng, Bing1, Xiang, Xi1, Dai, Xiangrong1, Zou, Yu1, Zhang, Xiaojuan1 zhangxiaojuan@xjtu.edu.cn, Zhang, Yang2 zhanglab@umn.edu
Source: Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Jul2026, Vol. 69 Issue 7, p2961-2978. 18p.
Subject Terms: *Dialects, *Data analysis, *Phonological awareness, *Speech evaluation, *Speech perception, *Comparative studies, *Algorithms, Task performance, T-test (Statistics), Research funding, Visual analog scale, Descriptive statistics, Statistics, Data analysis software
Abstract: Purpose: While the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) has revealed gradient perception in segmental speech sounds, its application to lexical tones, a critical yet understudied suprasegmental feature, has been absent. This study investigated lexical tone categorization using VAS, directly comparing it with traditional two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC). Method: Eighty-four native speakers of Mandarin Chinese categorized an 11-step fundamental frequency (F0) continuum from Mandarin Tone 1 to Tone 2 in both tasks. Four-parameter logistic functions yielded slope (categorization sharpness) and response variability. Within-category sensitivity was quantified from VAS responses. Results: Paired Wilcoxon signed-ranks test showed significantly shallower slopes (p < .001, r = .76) and lower variability (p < .001, r = .87) in VAS versus 2AFC. One-sample t tests confirmed that listeners discriminated fine-grained differences within categories, with within-category sensitivity reliably exceeding zero; left: M = 0.043, SD = 0.026, t(83) = 15.13, p < .001; right: M = 0.040, SD = 0.022, t(83) = 17.02, p < .001. Crucially, slope and response variability were weakly correlated in VAS (ρ = .27, p < .05) but strongly negatively correlated in 2AFC (ρ = −.67, p < .001). Moreover, response variability correlated significantly across tasks (ρ = .40, p < .001), while slopes did not. Conclusions: These findings provide the converging evidence that gradient aspects of perception are also observable at the suprasegmental level and illustrate how VAS can serve as a sensitive tool for probing lexical tone categorization. The dissociation between task-dependent gradiency and stable response variability helps reconcile apparent conflicts in the categorical perception literature, suggesting that these conflicts may stem from methodological constraints rather than genuine theoretical disagreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Purpose: While the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) has revealed gradient perception in segmental speech sounds, its application to lexical tones, a critical yet understudied suprasegmental feature, has been absent. This study investigated lexical tone categorization using VAS, directly comparing it with traditional two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC). Method: Eighty-four native speakers of Mandarin Chinese categorized an 11-step fundamental frequency (F0) continuum from Mandarin Tone 1 to Tone 2 in both tasks. Four-parameter logistic functions yielded slope (categorization sharpness) and response variability. Within-category sensitivity was quantified from VAS responses. Results: Paired Wilcoxon signed-ranks test showed significantly shallower slopes (p &lt; .001, r = .76) and lower variability (p &lt; .001, r = .87) in VAS versus 2AFC. One-sample t tests confirmed that listeners discriminated fine-grained differences within categories, with within-category sensitivity reliably exceeding zero; left: M = 0.043, SD = 0.026, t(83) = 15.13, p &lt; .001; right: M = 0.040, SD = 0.022, t(83) = 17.02, p &lt; .001. Crucially, slope and response variability were weakly correlated in VAS (ρ = .27, p &lt; .05) but strongly negatively correlated in 2AFC (ρ = −.67, p &lt; .001). Moreover, response variability correlated significantly across tasks (ρ = .40, p &lt; .001), while slopes did not. Conclusions: These findings provide the converging evidence that gradient aspects of perception are also observable at the suprasegmental level and illustrate how VAS can serve as a sensitive tool for probing lexical tone categorization. The dissociation between task-dependent gradiency and stable response variability helps reconcile apparent conflicts in the categorical perception literature, suggesting that these conflicts may stem from methodological constraints rather than genuine theoretical disagreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language &amp; Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00789
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 2961
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Dialects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Phonological awareness
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      – SubjectFull: Speech evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Speech perception
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      – SubjectFull: Comparative studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Algorithms
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Task performance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: T-test (Statistics)
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      – SubjectFull: Research funding
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      – SubjectFull: Visual analog scale
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      – SubjectFull: Statistics
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      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
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      – TitleFull: Beyond Categorical Perception: Gradient Lexical Tone Processing Revealed by Visual Analog Scale.
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              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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