Paul Iverson

Status:	PhD, Reader in Speech Sciences
Address:	Room 331, Chandler House, UCL, Wakefield Street, London
Phone:	+ 44 (0) 20 7679 4237
Email:	p.iverson@ucl.ac.uk
Primary Dept.:	Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences
RAE Research group:	Speech and Hearing
Interests:	Speech perception, language learning and development, cochlear implants, musical timbre

Research Projects

• Auditory Specialization for Speech Perception (2008-2011)
  Individuals are born with an ability to discern speech sounds (phonemes) in all of the world's languages, but they develop through childhood so that they become specialized to perceive native-language phonemes. The aim of this study is to test our hypothesis that this specialization for native-language phonemes begins to occur in central auditory processing, at a functional level prior to linguistic categorization. The work uses behavioural measures and MEG to examine and perception of English phonemes by adult native speakers of Sinhala and Japanese
• Second Language Vowel Perception (2005-2008)
  This project examines vowel perception and plasticity during second- language (L2) learning by adults. The study evaluates whether individuals learn to 'perceptually switch' between their L1 (first- language) and L2 vowel systems, and assesses the role of fine-grained phonetic detail in the learning process. Study 1 will use a new method to generate phonetically detailed L1 (first-language) and L2 perceptual vowel maps for native speakers of Norwegian, German, Spanish, and French. Study 2 will train matched groups of German and Spanish learners to identify English vowels and examine how their L1 and L2 vowel spaces change over time. Study 3 will train French speakers with varying English-language experience. The research will contribute to our scientific understanding of phonetic perception and plasticity, introduce methodological innovations, and help guide the development of new computer-based phonetic training methods.

Taught Courses

• SPSC2003 Phonetic Science: Acoustics of Speech and Hearing
• PLINGH05 Introduction to Speech Sciences
• PLING302 Advanced Topics in Speech Perception
• PLING305 Second Language Learning

Selected Publications

2012

• Iverson, P., Pinet, M., Evans, B. G. (2012). Auditory training for experienced and inexperienced second-language learners: Native French speakers learning English vowels. APPLIED PSYCHOLINGUISTICS 33(1), 145-160 doi:10.1017/S0142716411000300. Author URL
• Uther, M., Giannakopoulou, A., Iverson, P. (2012). Hyperarticulation of vowels enhances phonetic change responses in both native and non-native speakers of English: Evidence from an auditory event-related potential study. Brain Research 1470, 52-58

2011

• Iverson, P. (2011). Measuring phonetic perception in adults. In Cohn, A. C., Fougeron, C., Huffman, M. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Laboratory Phonology ( ). Oxford University Press.
• Iverson, P., Pinet, M., Evans, B. G. (2011). Auditory training for experienced and inexperienced second-language learners: Native French speakers learning English vowels. Applied Psycholinguistics Publisher URL
• Iverson, P., Wagner, A., Pinet, M., Rosen, S. (2011). Cross-language specialization in phonetic processing: English and Hindi perception of /w/-/v/ speech and nonspeech. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 130(5), EL297-EL303
• Pinet, M., Iverson, P., Evans, P. (2011). Perceptual Adaptation for L1 and L2 Accents in Noise by Monolingual British English Listeners. Proceedings of the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. ( pp.1602-1605).
• Pinet, M., Iverson, P., Huckvale, M. (2011). Second-language experience and speech-in-noise recognition: Effects of talker-listener accent similarity. J Acoust Soc Am 130(3), 1653-1662 doi:10.1121/1.3613698. Author URL
• Shin, D. J., Iverson, P. (2011). Individual Differences in Vowel Epenthesis among Korean Learners of English. Proceedings of the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. ( pp.1822-1825).
• Wagner, A., Iverson, P., Rosen, S. (2011). Do Cross-language Specializations in Phonetic Perception Extend across Novel Acoustic Transforms? Proceedings of the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. ( pp.2078-2081).

2010

• Pinet, M., Iverson, P. (2010). Talker-listener accent interactions in speech-in-noise recognition: Effects of prosodic manipulation as a function of language experience. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 128(3), 1357-1365 Author URL
• Ylinen, S., Uther, M., Latvala, A., Vepsalainen, S., Iverson, P., Akahane-Yamada, R., Naatanen, R. (2010). Training the Brain to Weight Speech Cues Differently: A Study of Finnish Second-language Users of English. J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI 22(6), 1319-1332

2009

• Hattori, K., Iverson, P. (2009). English vertical bar r vertical bar-vertical bar l vertical bar category assimilation by Japanese adults: Individual differences and the link to identification accuracy. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 125(1), 469-479 doi:10.1121/1.3021295. Author URL
• Iverson, P., Evans, B. G. (2009). Learning English vowels with different first-language vowel systems II: Auditory training for native Spanish and German speakers. J Acoust Soc Am 126(2), 866-877 doi:10.1121/1.3148196. Author URL
• Leff, A. P., Iverson, P., Schofield, T. M., Kilner, J. M., Crinion, J. T., Friston, K. J., Price, C. J. (2009). Vowel-specific mismatch responses in the anterior superior temporal gyrus: An fMRI study. Cortex 45(4), 517-526 doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2007.10.008. Author URL
• Schofield, T. M., Iverson, P., Kiebel, S. J., Stephan, K. E., Kilner, J. M., Friston, K. J., Crinion, J. T., Price, C. J., Leff, A. P. (2009). Changing meaning causes coupling changes within higher levels of the cortical hierarchy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106(28), 11765-11770 doi:10.1073/pnas.0811402106. Author URL
• Zhang, Y., Kuhl, P. K., Imada, T., Iverson, P., Pruitt, J., Stevens, E. B., Kawakatsu, M., Tohkura, Y., Nemoto, I. (2009). Neural signatures of phonetic learning in adulthood: A magnetoencephalography study. Neuroimage 46, 226-240 Author URL

2008

• Iverson, P., Ekanayake, D., Hamann, S., Sennema, A., Evans, B. G. (2008). Category and perceptual interference in second-language phoneme learning: An examination of English vertical bar w vertical bar-vertical bar v vertical bar learning by Sinhala, German, and Dutch speakers. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 34(5), 1305-1316 Author URL

2007

• Evans, B. G., Iverson, P. (2007). Plasticity in vowel perception and production: A study of accent change in young adults. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 121(6), 3814-3826 doi:10.1121/1.2722209. Author URL
• Hattori, K., Iverson, P. (2007). Examination of similarity between English /r/, /l/, and Japanese flap: An investigation of best exemplars by English and Japanese speakers. 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. ( pp.1777-1780). Saarbrücken, Germany Author URL
• Iverson, P., Evans, B. G. (2007). Auditory training of English vowels for first-language speakers of Spanish and German. 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. ( pp.1625-1628). Saarbrücken, Germany Author URL
• Iverson, P., Evans, B. G. (2007). Learning English vowels with different first-language vowel systems: Perception of formant targets, formant movement, and duration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 122(5), 2842-2854 doi:10.1121/1.2783198. Author URL
• Rosen, S., Iverson, P. (2007). COMMENTARY: Constructing adequate non-speech analogues: what is special about speech anyway? Developmental Science 10(2), 165-168
• Rosen, S., Iverson, P. (2007). Constructing adequate non-speech analogues: what is special about speech anyway? Developmental Science 10(2), 165-168 Author URL

2006

• Iverson, P., Smith, C. A., Evans, B. G. (2006). Vowel recognition via cochlear implants and noise vocoders: Effects of formant movement and duration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 120(6), 3998-4006
• Iverson, P., Smith, C. A., Evans, B. G. (2006). Vowel-recognition via cochlear implants and noise vocoders: Effects of formant movement and duration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 120(6), 3998-4006 doi:10.1121/1.2372453. Author URL
• Kuhl, P. K., Stevens, E., Hayashi, A., Deguchi, T., Kiritani, S., Iverson, P. (2006). Infants show a facilitation effect for native language phonetic perception between 6 and 12 months. DEVELOPMENTAL SCI 9(2), F13-F21
• Kuhl, P. K., Stevens, E., Hayashi, A., Deguchi, T., Kiritani, S., Iverson, P. (2006). Infants show a facilitation effect for native language phonetic perception between 6 and 12 months. Developmental Science 9(2), 13-21 doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00468.x. Author URL

2005

• Iverson, P., Hazan, V., Bannister, K. (2005). Phonetic training with acoustic cue manipulations: A comparison of methods for teaching English vertical bar r vertical bar-vertical bar l vertical bar to Japanese adults. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 118, 3267-3278 doi:10.1121/1.2062307. Author URL

2004

• Evans, B. G., Iverson, P. (2004). Vowel normalization for accent: An investigation of best exemplar locations in northern and southern British English sentences. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 115(1), 352-361 doi:10.1121/1.1635413. Author URL

2003

• Evans, B. G., Iverson, P. (2003). Vowel normalization for accent: a comparison of northern and southern British English speakers. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference of Phonetic Sciences. Barcelona Author URL
• Iverson, P. (2003). Evaluating the function of phonetic perceptual phenomena within speech recognition: An examination of the perception of vertical bar d vertical bar-vertical bar t vertical bar by adult cochlear implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 113, 1056-1064 doi:10.1121/1.1531985. Author URL
• Iverson, P., Evans, B. G. (2003). A goodness optimization method for investigating phonetic categorization. Proceedings of the the 15th International Conference of Phonetic Sciences. Barcelona Author URL
• Iverson, P., Kuhl, P. K., Akahane-Yamada, R., Diesch, E., Tohkura, Y., Kettermann, A., Siebert, C. (2003). A perceptual interference account of acquisition difficulties for non-native phonemes. Cognition 87, B47-B57 doi:10.1016/S0010-0277(02)00198-1. Author URL

2002

• Iverson, P. (2002). A choice theory method for evaluating audiovisual phoneme recognition. Speech, Hearing and Language: work in progress 14, 85-92 Author URL
• Iverson, P., Bradlow, A. R. (2002). The recognition of clear speech by adult cochlear implant users. Temporal Integration in the Perception of Speech. ( pp.78-78). Author URL

2000

• Iverson, P., Kuhl, P. K. (2000). Perceptual magnet and phoneme boundary effects in speech perception: Do they arise from a common mechanism? Perception and Psychophysics 62, 874-886 Author URL
• Zhang, Y., Kuhl, P. K., Imada, T., Iverson, P., Pruitt,, J, K., M, S., E, (2000). Neural plasticity revealed in perceptual training of a Japanese adult listener to learn American /l-r/ contrast: a whole-head magnetoencephalography study. Sixth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing. ( Vol. 3 pp.953-956).

1999

• Diesch, E., Iverson, P., Kettermann, A., Siebert, C. (1999). Measuring the perceptual magnet effect in the perception of /i/ by German listeners. Psychological Research 62, 1-19 Author URL
• Schellenberg, E. G., Iverson, P., McKinnon, M. C. (1999). Name that tune: Identifying popular recordings from brief excerpts. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 6, 641-646 Author URL

1998

• Iverson, P., Bernstein, L. E., Auer, E. T. (1998). Modeling the interaction of phonemic intelligibility and lexical structure in audiovisual word recognition. Speech Communication 26(1-2), 45-63

1997

• Bernstein, L. E., Iverson, P., Auer, E. T. (1997). Elucidating the complex relationships between phonetic perception and word recognition in audiovisual speech perception. Proceedings of the ESCA/ESCOP Workshop on Audio-Visual Speech Processing. ( pp.88-92). Grenoble, France ESCA.

1996

• Iverson, P., Kuhl, P. K. (1996). Influences of phonetic identification and category goodness on American listeners' perception of /r/ and /l/. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 92, 1130-1140 Author URL

1995

• Iverson, P. (1995). Auditory Stream Segregation by Musical Timbre: Effects of Static and Dynamic Acoustic Attributes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 21, 751-763 Author URL
• Iverson, P., Kuhl, P. K. (1995). Mapping the perceptual magnet effect for speech using signal detection theory and multidimensional scaling. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 97, 553-562 Author URL
• Kuhl, P. K., Iverson, P. (1995). Linguistic experience and the "perceptual magnet effect.". In Strange, W. (Ed.). Speech perception and linguistic experience: Issues in cross-language research ( pp.121-154). Baltimore, MD York Press.

1993

• Iverson, P., Krumhansl, C. L. (1993). Isolating the dynamic attributes of musical timbre. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 94, 2595-2603 Author URL

1992

• Krumhansl, C. L., Iverson, P. (1992). Perceptual Interactions Between Musical Pitch and Timbre. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 18, 739-751 Author URL

Current PhD Students

• Georgina Oliver
• Melanie Preece-Pinet
• Dong-jin Shin
• Anita Wagner

Completed PhD Students

• Bronwen G. Evans
  Plasticity in speech perception and production: A study of accent change in young adults (2005)
• Kota Hatori

(Possibly incomplete list)