Identification of Consonants and Vowels Presented to Left and Right Ears*

Abstract

The results of earlier studies by several authors suggest that speech and nonspeech auditory patterns are processed primarily in different places in the brain and perhaps by different modes. The question arises in studies of speech perception whether all phonetic elements or all features of phonetic elements are processed in the same way. The technique of dichotic presentation was used to examine this question. The present study compared identifications of dichotically presented pairs of synthetic CV syllables and pairs of steady-state vowels. The results show a significant right-ear advantage for CV syllables but not for steady-state vowels. Evidence for analysis by feature in the perception of consonants is discussed.