Vocal pitch enables differential motor learning of speech segments

Previous work shows that sensorimotor learning can be specific to different motor contexts, but to date, this research has only examined contexts provided by the same effector as the learning target or its contralateral pair. We show that laryngeal movements for pitch enable differentiated learning of oral articulator movements for vowels, even when the pitch is linguistically meaningless. This indicates that motor contexts that enable learning can be generated by effectors distinct from those that undergo learning.