Perceptual flexibility: Maintenance or recovery of the ability to discriminate non-native speech sounds.

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Abstract
In 2 experiments, the influence of prior training and linguistic experience on the perception of non-native speech was examined. The 1st experiment assessed the effect of laboratory training on the ability of English-speaking adults to discriminate 2 speech contrasts that are used to contrast meaning in Hindi but not in English. A short-term intense period of training did result in a long-lasting amelioration of the initial poor performance of adults in discriminating a non-native voicing contrast, but training had no such effect in the case of a Hindi contrast involving a place of articulation distinction. In the 2nd experiment, the performance of 3 groups of English-speaking adults was examined to look at the effect of studying Hindi as a 2nd language for different periods. Native English subjects who had studied Hindi for 5 yr or longer were able to discriminate both Hindi speech contrasts. While 1 yr of 2nd language experience also improved performance of a 2nd group of adults on the voicing contrast, such experience had little influence on their ability to discriminate the Hindi place contrast. However, a 3rd group of subjects who had had early experience hearing the contrasts being used, but no further exposure, could discriminate both the voicing and place distinctions even prior to any language study. Results are discussed with respect to the recovery and maintenance of linguistic perceptual ability.