Previous distributional learning research suggests that adults can improve perception of a non-native contrast more efficiently when exposed to a bimodal than a unimodal distribution. Studies have also suggested that perceptual learning can transfer to production. The current study tested whether the addition of visual images to reinforce the contrast and active learning with feedback would result in learning in both conditions and would transfer to gains in production. Native English-speaking adults heard stimuli from a bimodal or unimodal /o/-/œ/ continuum. No group differences were found on a discrimination task, possibly suggesting that the supports eliminated previously documented group differences. On an identification task, listeners in the bimodal group showed better performance than the unimodal group on the endpoint stimuli. Production results indicated that both groups showed increased Euclidean distance between the target vowels after training, suggesting that perceptual training improved production skills in both conditions. Contrary to expectations, degree of perception and production learning were not correlated. Together, these results suggest that a bimodal distribution may aid learning, but that adding images to reinforce the contrast and active learning to the training paradigm could mitigate disadvantages found previously for participants exposed to a unimodal distribution.

先前的分布学习研究表明，与单峰分布相比，成人在接触双峰分布时可以更有效地提高对非原生对比的感知。研究还表明，感性学习可以转移到生产中。当前的研究测试了添加视觉图像以增强对比度和通过反馈进行主动学习是否会导致两种情况下的学习，并会转移到生产中的收益。母语为英语的成年人听到来自双峰或单峰 /o/-/œ/ 连续体的刺激。在歧视任务中没有发现群体差异，这可能表明支持消除了先前记录的群体差异。在识别任务中，双峰组中的听众在端点刺激上表现出比单峰组更好的表现。生产结果表明，两组在训练后都表现出目标元音之间的欧几里德距离增加，这表明感知训练提高了两种条件下的生产技能。与预期相反，感知程度和生产学习不相关。总之，这些结果表明双峰分布可能有助于学习，但是将图像添加到训练范式中以增强对比度和主动学习可以减轻先前暴露于单峰分布的参与者发现的缺点。