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Recent modeling work shows that patterns of shared perceptual features relate to the group-level order of acquisition of early-learned words (Peters & Borovsky, 2019). Here we present results for two eye-tracked word recognition studies showing patterns of shared perceptual features likewise influence processing of known and novel noun-concepts in individual 24- to 30-month-old toddlers. In the first study (Chapter 2, N=54), we explored the influence of perceptual connectivity on both initial attentional biases to known objects and subsequent label processing. In the second study (Chapter 3, N=49), we investigated whether perceptual connectivity influences patterns of attention during learning opportunities for novel object-features and object-labels, subsequent pre-labeling attentional biases, and object-label learning outcomes. Results across studies revealed four main findings. First, patterns of shared (visual-motion and visual-form and surface) perceptual features do relate to differences in early noun-concept processing at the individual level. Second, such influences are tentatively at play from the outset of novel noun-concept learning. Third, connectivity driven attentional biases to both recently learned and well-known objects follow a similar timecourse and show similar patterns of individual differences. Fourth, initial, pre-labeling attentional biases to objects relate to subsequent label processing, but do not linearly explain effects of connectivity. Finally, we consider whether these findings provide support for shared-feature-guided selective attention to object features as a mechanism underlying early lexico-semantic development.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is one of the most important research areas in the field of speech technology and research. It is also known as the recognition of speech by a machine or, by some artificial intelligence. However, in spite of focused research in this field for the past several decades, robust speech recognition with high reliability has not been achieved as it degrades in presence of speaker variabilities, channel mismatch condi- tions, and in noisy environments. The superb ability of the human auditory system has motivated researchers to include features of human perception in the speech recognition process. This dissertation investigates the roles of perceptual features of human hearing in automatic speech recognition in clean and noisy environments. Methods of simplified synaptic adaptation and two-tone suppression by companding are introduced by temporal processing of speech using a zero-crossing algorithm. It is observed that a high frequency enhancement technique such as synaptic adaptation performs better in stationary Gaussian white noise, whereas a low frequency enhancement technique such as the two-tone sup- pression performs better in non-Gaussian non-stationary noise types. The effects of static compression on ASR parametrization are investigated as observed in the psychoacoustic input/output (I/O) perception curves. A method of frequency dependent asymmetric compression technique, that is, higher compression in the higher frequency regions than the lower frequency regions, is proposed. By asymmetric compression, degradation of the spectral contrast of the low frequency formants due to the added compression is avoided. A novel feature extraction method for ASR based on the auditory processing in the cochlear nucleus is presented. The processings for synchrony detection, average discharge (mean rate) processing and the two tone suppression are segregated and processed separately at the feature extraction level according to the differential processing scheme as observed in the AVCN, PVCN and the DCN, respectively, of the cochlear nucleus. It is further observed that improved ASR performances can be achieved by separating the synchrony detection from the synaptic processing. A time-frequency perceptual spectral subtraction method based on several psychoacoustic properties of human audition is developed and evaluated by an ASR front-end. An auditory masking threshold is determined based on these psychoacoustic e?ects. It is observed that in speech recognition applications, spec- tral subtraction utilizing psychoacoustics may be used for improved performance in noisy conditions. The performance may be further improved if masking of noise by the tonal components is augmented by spectral subtraction in the masked region.

Cette thèse en ergonomie s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un projet de conception industrielle d’un système innovant d’e-santé (HADAGIO), développé par l’entreprise SESIN et permettant le maintien à domicile de personnes âgées fragiles. Son objectif appliqué a été de produire des recommandations ergonomiques permettant d’améliorer les interfaces du système proposé sous la forme d’un portail d’applications web afin de les rendre faciles à utiliser par des personnes âgées et, ainsi, favoriser l’acceptation finale du dispositif HADAGIO. Ce travail s’est intéressé à la tâche de localisation d’informations sur un écran et, plus particulièrement, au rôle des éléments de surface (couleur et niveau de détails) des icônes et libellés lexicaux sur les performances de réalisation de cette tâche par des personnes âgées. Cette tâche est en effet particulièrement difficile pour ces dernières qui obtiennent des performances de localisation moindres que celles des jeunes (temps de réaction et nombre d’erreurs plus importants). Des recommandations graphiques pour la conception d’interfaces du portail HADAGIO ont émergées de ce travail, et permettent de faciliter la tâche de localisation des informations pour des personnes âgées. / This thesis in ergonomics is part of an industrial design project of an innovative e-health system (HADAGIO), developed by the company SESIN and allowing home support frail elderly. Its goal was applied to produce ergonomic recommendations for improving the interfaces of the system proposed in the form of a web portal software to make them easier to use and thus promote the final acceptance HADAGIO the device.This work has focused on the task of locating information on a screen and, in particular, the role of perceptual features (color and detail) lexical icons and labels on achieving performance of this task by elders. This task is indeed particularly difficult for this people who get lower localization performances than young people (reaction times and a larger number of errors). The models proposed for the target location task assumes that the knowledge possessed by individuals on the appearance of the target to locate allow improved performance. Given that advancing age does not affect the process involving knowledge stored in memory (Top Down type) implemented in this task it was to determine what could be the color of the role and Details of the target level in the implementation of these processes at a location task information.Graphics recommendations for HADAGIO portal interface design have emerged from this work, and provide information to facilitate the localization task for the elderly.

Perceptual features are qualitative features used to describe music properties in relation to human perception instead of typical musical theory concepts such as pitches and chords. This report describes a music discovery platform which uses three different methods of music playlist generation to investigate if and how perceptual features work when used for music discovery. One method abstracts away the complexity of perceptual features and the other two lets users use them directly. Two user testing sessions were performed to evaluate the browser and compare the different methods. Test participants found the playlist generation to work well in general, and especially found the method which uses emotions as an interface to be intuitive, enjoyable and something they would use to find new music. The other two methods which let users directly interact with perceptual features were less popular, especially among users without musical education. Overall, using perceptual features for music discovery was successful, although methods should be chosen with the intended audience in mind. / Perceptuella särdrag är kvalitativt framtagna särdrag som beskriver musik med fokus på mänsklig perception snarare än musikteoribegrepp som tonhöjd och ackord. Den här rapporten beskriver en musikhemsida som använder tre olika metoder för att generera spellistor med avsikt att undersöka om och hur perceptuella särdrag fungerar för att hitta ny musik. En metod abstraherar bort perceptuella särdragens komplexitet och de andra två metoderna låter testare använda dem utan abstraktion. Två användbarhetstest utfördes för att utvärdera musikhemsidan och jämföra de olika metoderna. Testanvändare tyckte överlag att genereringen av spellistor fungerade bra och att speciellt metoden som använde känslor som gränssnitt var intuitiv, rolig att använda och en metod de skulle använda för att hitta ny musik. De andra två metoderna som tillät användare att direkt använda perceptuella särdrag var mindre populära, speciellt bland användare utan musikutbildning. Överlag var användandet av perceptuella särdrag för att hitta musik en framgång, dock bör metoderna väljas utifrån användarnas kunskap.

Dizertační práce se zabývá rozpoznáním emočního stavu mluvčích z řečového signálu. Práce je rozdělena do dvou hlavních častí, první část popisuju navržené metody pro rozpoznání emočního stavu z hraných databází. V rámci této části jsou představeny výsledky rozpoznání použitím dvou různých databází s různými jazyky. Hlavními přínosy této části je detailní analýza rozsáhlé škály různých příznaků získaných z řečového signálu, návrh nových klasifikačních architektur jako je například „emoční párování“ a návrh nové metody pro mapování diskrétních emočních stavů do dvou dimenzionálního prostoru. Druhá část se zabývá rozpoznáním emočních stavů z databáze spontánní řeči, která byla získána ze záznamů hovorů z reálných call center. Poznatky z analýzy a návrhu metod rozpoznání z hrané řeči byly využity pro návrh nového systému pro rozpoznání sedmi spontánních emočních stavů. Jádrem navrženého přístupu je komplexní klasifikační architektura založena na fúzi různých systémů. Práce se dále zabývá vlivem emočního stavu mluvčího na úspěšnosti rozpoznání pohlaví a návrhem systému pro automatickou detekci úspěšných hovorů v call centrech na základě analýzy parametrů dialogu mezi účastníky telefonních hovorů.