In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of perceptual Disposable Cups training, administered to Argentinean learners, in the perception and production of word-initial voiceless stops in English.24 participants were divided into 3 groups: (i) Group 1, which participated in 3 training sessions; (ii) Group 2, which, besides performing the same training tasks, was explicitly informed about the target item; (iii) Group 3 (control).All participants took part in a pre-test, a post-test and a delayed post-test.
In all these phases, they participated in a consonant identification task and took part in a reading exercise.Our results show a significant increase of both experimental groups in GOGGLES identification.As for production, Group 2 exhibited a significant increase in /p/ and /t/ after training.
These results are indicative of the effectiveness of perceptual training tasks in helping learners focus on Voice Onset Time.