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P Arabie

Publications and source records attributed to P Arabie.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Modelling dissimilarity: generalizing ultrametric and additive tree representations.

Methods for the hierarchical clustering of an object set produce a sequence of nested partitions such that object classes within each successive partition are constructed from the union of object classes present at the previous level. Any such sequence of nested partitions can in turn be characterized by an ultrametric. An approach to generalizing an (ultrametric) representation is proposed in which the nested character of the partition sequence is relaxed and replaced by the weaker requirement that the classes within each partition contain objects consecutive with respect to a fixed ordering of the objects. A method for fitting such a structure to a given proximity matrix is discussed, along with several alternative strategies for graphical representation. Using this same ultrametric extension, additive tree representations can also be generalized by replacing the ultrametric component in the decomposition of an additive tree (into an ultrametric and a centroid metric). A common numerical illustration is developed and maintained throughout the paper.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1986

Discrete representation of perceptual structure underlying consonant confusions.

The perceptual representation of speech is generally assumed to be discrete rather than continuous, pointing to the need for general discrete analytic models to represent observed perceptual similarities among speech sounds. The INDCLUS (INdividual Differences CLUStering) model and algorithm [J.D. Carroll and P. Arabie, Psychometrika 48, 157-169 (1983)] can provide this generality, representing symmetric three-way similarity data (stimuli X stimuli X conditions) as an additive combination of overlapping, and generally not hierarchial, clusters whose weights (which are numerical values gauging the importance of the clusters) vary both as a function of the cluster and condition being considered. INDCLUS was used to obtain a discrete representation of underlying perceptual structure in the Miller and Nicely consonant confusion data [G.A. Miller and P.E. Nicely, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 27, 338-352 (1955)]. A 14-cluster solution accounted for 82.9% of total variance across the 17 listening conditions. The cluster composition and the variations in cluster weights as a function of stimulus degradation were interpreted in terms of the common and unique perceptual attributes of the consonants within each cluster. Low-pass filtering and noise masking selectively degraded unique attributes, especially the cues for place of articulation, while high-pass filtering degraded both unique and common attributes. The clustering results revealed that perceptual similarities among consonants are accurately modeled by additive combinations of their specific and discrete acoustic attributes whose weights are determined by the nature of the stimulus degradation.

Attention↗
PubMed1979

Auditory versus phonetic accounts of observed confusions between consonant phonemes.

The utility of phonetic features versus acoustic properties for describing perceptual relations among speech sounds was evaluated with a multidimensional scaling analysis of Miller and Nicely's [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 27, 338-352 (1955)] consonant confusions data. The INDSCAL method and program were employed with the original data log transformed to enhance consistency with the linear INDSCAL model. A four-dimensional solution accounted for 69% of the variance and was best characterized in terms of acoustic properties of the speech signal, viz., temporal relationship of periodicity and burst onset, shape of voiced first formanant transition, shape of voiced second formanant transition, and amount of initial spectral dispersion, rather than in terms of phonetic features. The amplitude and spectral location of acoustic energy specifying each perceptual dimension were found to determine a dimension's perceptual effect as the signal was degraded by masking noise and bandpass filtering. Consequently, the perceptual bases of identification confusions between pairs of syllables were characterized in terms of the shared acoustic properties which remained salient in the degraded speech. Implications of these findings for feature-based accounts of perceptual relationships between phonemes are considered.

Female↗