Mode of Presentation Affects Infants’ Preferential Attention to Singing and Speech

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Costa-Giomi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Visual Condition ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Auditory Condition ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Auditory Mode ◽  
Mode Of Presentation ◽  
Differential Attention ◽  
Audiovisual Stimuli

Almost from birth, infants prefer to attend to human vocalizations associated with speech over many other sounds. However, studies that have focused on infants’ differential attention to speech and singing have failed to show a speech listening bias. The purpose of the study was to investigate infants’ preferential attention to singing and speech presented in audiovisual and auditory mode. Using an infant-controlled preference procedure, 11-month-olds were presented with audiovisual stimuli depicting a woman singing or reciting a song (Experiment 1, audiovisual condition). The results showed that infants attended significantly longer to singing than to speech. In Experiment 2 (visual condition), infants watched the same videos presented with no sound and in Experiment 3 (auditory condition), they listened to the singing and speech stimuli in English and a foreign language. No differences in length of attention to singing and speech were found in either experiment. The results of the study reconcile the seemingly contradicting findings of previous investigations and show that mode of presentation affects infants’ preferential attention to speech and singing. The facilitating effects of facial cues on infants’ processing of speech and singing are discussed.

scholarly journals Speech and non-speech measures of audiovisual integration are not correlated

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wilbiks ◽  
Julia Feld Strand ◽  
Violet Aurora Brown
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Mcgurk Effect ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Multiple Tasks ◽  
Auditory Signals ◽  
Audiovisual Stimuli

Many natural events generate both visual and auditory signals, and humans are remarkably adept at integrating information from those sources. However, individuals appear to differ markedly in their ability or propensity to combine what they hear with what they see. Individual differences in audiovisual integration have been established using a range of materials including speech stimuli (seeing and hearing a talker) and simpler audiovisual stimuli (seeing flashes of light combined with tones). Although there are multiple tasks in the literature that are referred to as “measures of audiovisual integration,” the tasks themselves differ widely with respect to both the type of stimuli used (speech versus non-speech) and the nature of the tasks themselves (e.g., some tasks use conflicting auditory and visual stimuli whereas others use congruent stimuli). It is not clear whether these varied tasks are actually measuring the same underlying construct: audiovisual integration. This study tested the convergent validity of four commonly-used measures of audiovisual integration, two of which use speech stimuli (susceptibility to the McGurk effect and a measure of audiovisual benefit), and two of which use non-speech stimuli (the sound-induced flash illusion and audiovisual integration capacity). We replicated previous work showing large individual differences in each measure, but found no significant correlations between any of the measures. These results suggest that tasks that are commonly referred to as measures of audiovisual integration may not be tapping into the same underlying construct.

Infants’ Preferential Attention to Sung and Spoken Stimuli

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Costa-Giomi ◽  
Beatriz Ilari
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Folk Song ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Nonspeech Sounds ◽  
The World ◽  
Differential Attention

Caregivers and early childhood teachers all over the world use singing and speech to elicit and maintain infants’ attention. Research comparing infants’ preferential attention to music and speech is inconclusive regarding their responses to these two types of auditory stimuli, with one study showing a music bias and another one indicating no differential attention. The purpose of this investigation was to study 11-month-old infants’ preferential attention to spoken and sung renditions of an unfamiliar folk song in a foreign language ( n = 24). The results of an infant-controlled preference procedure showed no significant differences in attention to the two types of stimuli. The findings challenge infants’ well-documented bias for speech over nonspeech sounds and provide evidence that music, even when performed by an untrained singer, can be as effective as speech in eliciting infants’ attention.

Review of Auditory Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation Experiments

1991 ◽  
Vol 73 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1115-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Fudin ◽  
Cassandra Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Subsequent Research ◽  
Auditory Mode ◽  
Mode Of Presentation

Subliminal psychodynamic activation experiments using auditory stimuli have yielded only a modicum of support for the contention that such activation produces predictable behavioral changes. Problems in many auditory subliminal psychodynamic activation experiments indicate that those predictions have not been tested adequately. The auditory mode of presentation, however, has several methodological advantages over the visual one, the method used in the vast majority of subliminal psychodynamic activation experiments. Consequently, it should be considered in subsequent research in this area.

scholarly journals Multisensory action effects facilitate the performance of motor sequences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengkai Luan ◽  
Heiko Maurer ◽  
Arash Mirifar ◽  
Jürgen Beckmann ◽  
Felix Ehrlenspiel
Keyword(s):  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Visual Condition ◽  
Auditory Condition ◽  
Action Effects ◽  
Major Scale ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Sequence Performance ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Multiple Modality

Abstract Research has shown that contingent, distinct action effects have a beneficial influence on motor sequence performance. Previous studies showed the beneficial influence of task-irrelevant action effects from one modality (auditory) on motor sequence performance, compared with no task-irrelevant action effects. The present study investigated the influence of task-irrelevant action effects on motor sequence performance from a multiple-modality perspective. We compared motor sequence performances of participants who received different task-irrelevant action effects in an auditory, visual, or audiovisual condition. In the auditory condition, key presses produced tones of a C-major scale that mapped to keys from left to right in ascending order. In the visual condition, key presses produced rectangles in different locations on the screen that mapped to keys from left to right in ascending order. In the audiovisual condition, both tone and rectangle effects were produced simultaneously by key presses. There were advantages for the audiovisual group in motor sequence initiation and execution. The results implied that, compared with unimodal action effects, action effects from multiple sensory modalities can prime an action faster and strengthen associations between successive actions, leading to faster motor sequence performance.

Contributions of Voice and Nonverbal Communication to Perceived Masculinity–Femininity for Cisgender and Transgender Communicators

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-947
Author(s):  
Teresa L. D. Hardy ◽  
Carol A. Boliek ◽  
Daniel Aalto ◽  
Justin Lewicke ◽  
Kristopher Wells ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Sound Pressure Level ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Presentation Mode ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Presentation Modes ◽  
Audiovisual Stimuli ◽  
Vocal Tract Resonance ◽  
Point Light

Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to identify a set of communication-based predictors (including both acoustic and gestural variables) of masculinity–femininity ratings and (b) to explore differences in ratings between audio and audiovisual presentation modes for transgender and cisgender communicators. Method The voices and gestures of a group of cisgender men and women ( n = 10 of each) and transgender women ( n = 20) communicators were recorded while they recounted the story of a cartoon using acoustic and motion capture recording systems. A total of 17 acoustic and gestural variables were measured from these recordings. A group of observers ( n = 20) rated each communicator's masculinity–femininity based on 30- to 45-s samples of the cartoon description presented in three modes: audio, visual, and audio visual. Visual and audiovisual stimuli contained point light displays standardized for size. Ratings were made using a direct magnitude estimation scale without modulus. Communication-based predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings were identified using multiple regression, and analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of presentation mode on perceptual ratings. Results Fundamental frequency, average vowel formant, and sound pressure level were identified as significant predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings for these communicators. Communicators were rated significantly more feminine in the audio than the audiovisual mode and unreliably in the visual-only mode. Conclusions Both study purposes were met. Results support continued emphasis on fundamental frequency and vocal tract resonance in voice and communication modification training with transgender individuals and provide evidence for the potential benefit of modifying sound pressure level, especially when a masculine presentation is desired.

Employing Latino Value Orientations to Facilitate Success in Stuttering Treatment

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Lourdes Ramos-Heinrichs ◽  
Lynn Hansberry Mayo ◽  
Sandra Garzon
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Therapeutic Relationship ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Collaborative Partnership ◽  
The Family ◽  
Therapy Services ◽  
Cultural Connections

Abstract Providing adequate speech therapy services to Latinos who stutter can present challenges that are not obvious to the practicing clinician. This article addresses cultural, religious, and foreign language concerns to the therapeutic relationship between the Latino client and the clinician. Suggestions are made for building cross-cultural connections with clients and incorporating the family into a collaborative partnership with the service provider.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measures of Blood Flow Patterns in the Human Auditory Cortex in Response to Sound

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean C. Huckins ◽  
Christopher W. Turner ◽  
Karen A. Doherty ◽  
Michael M. Fonte ◽  
Nikolaus M. Szeverenyi
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Complex Stimuli ◽  
Scanning Session ◽  
Auditory Research

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) holds exciting potential as a research and clinical tool for exploring the human auditory system. This noninvasive technique allows the measurement of discrete changes in cerebral cortical blood flow in response to sensory stimuli, allowing determination of precise neuroanatomical locations of the underlying brain parenchymal activity. Application of fMRI in auditory research, however, has been limited. One problem is that fMRI utilizing echo-planar imaging technology (EPI) generates intense noise that could potentially affect the results of auditory experiments. Also, issues relating to the reliability of fMRI for listeners with normal hearing need to be resolved before this technique can be used to study listeners with hearing loss. This preliminary study examines the feasibility of using fMRI in auditory research by performing a simple set of experiments to test the reliability of scanning parameters that use a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio unlike that presently reported in the literature. We used consonant-vowel (CV) speech stimuli to investigate whether or not we could observe reproducible and consistent changes in cortical blood flow in listeners during a single scanning session, across more than one scanning session, and in more than one listener. In addition, we wanted to determine if there were differences between CV speech and nonspeech complex stimuli across listeners. Our study shows reproducibility within and across listeners for CV speech stimuli. Results were reproducible for CV speech stimuli within fMRI scanning sessions for 5 out of 9 listeners and were reproducible for 6 out of 8 listeners across fMRI scanning sessions. Results of nonspeech complex stimuli across listeners showed activity in 4 out of 9 individuals tested.

Eye Movements of Children and Adults While Reading Television Subtitles

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géry d'Ydewalle ◽  
Wim De Bruycker
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Verbal Information ◽  
Single Text ◽  
Grade 5 ◽  
Reading Patterns ◽  
Attentional System

Abstract. Eye movements of children (Grade 5-6) and adults were monitored while they were watching a foreign language movie with either standard (foreign language soundtrack and native language subtitling) or reversed (foreign language subtitles and native language soundtrack) subtitling. With standard subtitling, reading behavior in the subtitle was observed, but there was a difference between one- and two-line subtitles. As two lines of text contain verbal information that cannot easily be inferred from the pictures on the screen, more regular reading occurred; a single text line is often redundant to the information in the picture, and accordingly less reading of one-line text was apparent. Reversed subtitling showed even more irregular reading patterns (e.g., more subtitles skipped, fewer fixations, longer latencies). No substantial age differences emerged, except that children took longer to shift attention to the subtitle at its onset, and showed longer fixations and shorter saccades in the text. On the whole, the results demonstrated the flexibility of the attentional system and its tuning to the several information sources available (image, soundtrack, and subtitles).

Use of the TOEFL as a Standard for University Admission: A Position Statement by the Canadian Psychological Association

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marvin L. Simner
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Position Statement ◽  
Considerable Evidence ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Weak Relationship ◽  
University Admission ◽  
Canadian Psychological Association

Nearly all Canadian universities employ, as a standard for university admission, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In light of considerable evidence indicating only a weak relationship between TOEFL scores and academic achievement, the Canadian Psychological Association recently issued a report containing a position statement that called upon Canadian universities to refrain from employing the TOEFL in this manner. Because the concerns raised in the report are likely to apply to many universities outside Canada, the entire report is reproduced in this article.

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