Elliptical speech reveals the use of broad phonetic categories aids noise-degraded speech perception

Use of broader categories was related to better SIN processing in nonmusicians but poorer SIN processing in musicians. Findings suggest listeners can use broader perceptual equivalence classes to deal with degraded listening situations but this depends critically on their auditory demographics. Nonmusicians might use broader phonetic categories to aid SIN perception while musicians might use narrower categories or otherwise similar speech contexts.