Pitch range and pause duration as markers of discourse hierarchy: perception experiments

Purpose Among the best strategies to address inadequate speech monitoring skills and other parameters of communication in people with cluttering (PWC) is the relatively new but very promising auditory–visual feedback (AVF) training ( van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). This study examines the effects of AVF training on articulatory accuracy, pause duration, frequency, and type of disfluencies of PWC, as well as on the emotional and cognitive aspects that may be present in clients with this communication disorder ( Reichel, 2010 ; van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). Methods In this study, 12 male adolescents and adults—6 with phonological and 6 with syntactic cluttering—were provided with weekly AVF training for 12 weeks, with a 3-month follow-up. Data was gathered on baseline (T0), Week 6 (T1), Week 12 (T2), and after follow-up (T3). Spontaneous speech was recorded and analyzed by using digital audio-recording and speech analysis software known as Praat ( Boersma & Weenink, 2017 ). Results The results of this study indicated that PWC demonstrated significant improvements in articulatory rate measurements and in pause duration following the AVF training. In addition, the PWC in the study reported positive effects on their ability to retell a story and to speak in more complete sentences. PWC felt better about formulating their ideas and were more satisfied with their interactions with people around them. Conclusions The AVF training was found to be an effective approach for improving monitoring skills of PWC with both quantitative and qualitative benefits in the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social domains of communication.

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Temporal Characteristics of Speech in Simultaneous Communication

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3805.1014 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 1014-1024 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Robert L. Whitehead ◽

Nicholas Schiavetti ◽

Brenda H. Whitehead ◽

Dale Evan Metz

Keyword(s):

Pause Duration ◽

Vowel Duration ◽

Vowel Perception ◽

Temporal Characteristics ◽

Spoken English ◽

Temporal Features ◽

Before And After ◽

Word Duration ◽

Rate Of Speech ◽

Speech Condition

The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to determine if there are changes in specific temporal characteristics of speech that occur during simultaneous communication, and (b) to determine if known temporal rules of spoken English are disrupted during simultaneous communication. Ten speakers uttered sentences consisting of a carrier phrase and experimental CVC words under conditions of: (a) speech, (b) speech combined with signed English, and (c) speech combined with signed English for every word except the CVC word that was fingerspelled. The temporal features investigated included: (a) sentence duration, (b) experimental CVC word duration, (c) vowel duration in experimental CVC words, (d) pause duration before and after experimental CVC words, and (e) consonantal effects on vowel duration. Results indicated that for all durational measures, the speech/sign/fingerspelling condition was longest, followed by the speech/sign condition, with the speech condition being shortest. It was also found that for all three speaking conditions, vowels were longer in duration when preceding voiced consonants than vowels preceding their voiceless cognates, and that a low vowel was longer in duration than a high vowel. These findings indicate that speakers consistently reduced their rate of speech when using simultaneous communication, but did not violate these specific temporal rules of English important for consonant and vowel perception.

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Analysis of Pitch Range after Arytenoid Adduction for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Nihon Kikan Shokudoka Gakkai Kaiho ◽

10.2468/jbes.61.452 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 61 (5) ◽

pp. 452-457 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maki Takagi ◽

Ryoji Tokashiki ◽

Mamoru Suzuki

Keyword(s):

Vocal Fold ◽

Vocal Fold Paralysis ◽

Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis ◽

Pitch Range ◽

Arytenoid Adduction

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Prior real-world experience influences non-linguistic statistical learning

10.31234/osf.io/yscn8 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽

Ingrid Johnsrude ◽

Laura Batterink

Keyword(s):

Statistical Learning ◽

Real World ◽

Language Experience ◽

Pitch Range ◽

Test Items ◽

Instrument Measuring ◽

Statistical Regularities ◽

Context Free ◽

Specific Learning

Listeners are adept at extracting regularities from the environment, a process known as statistical learning (SL). SL has been generally assumed to be a form of “context-free” learning that occurs independently of prior knowledge, and SL experiments typically involve exposing participants to presumed novel regularities, such as repeating nonsense words. However, recent work has called this assumption into question, demonstrating that learners’ previous language experience can considerably influence SL performance. In the present experiment, we tested whether previous knowledge also shapes SL in a non-linguistic domain, using a paradigm that involves extracting regularities over tone sequences. Participants learned novel tone sequences, which consisted of pitch intervals not typically found in Western music. For one group of participants, the tone sequences used artificial, computerized instrument sounds. For the other group, the same tone sequences used familiar instrument sounds (piano or violin). Knowledge of the statistical regularities was assessed using both trained sounds (measuring specific learning) and sounds that differed in pitch range and/or instrument (measuring transfer learning). In a follow-up experiment, two additional testing sessions were administered to gauge retention of learning (one day and approximately one-week post-training). Compared to artificial instruments, training on sequences played by familiar instruments resulted in reduced correlations among test items, reflecting more idiosyncratic performance. Across all three testing sessions, learning of novel regularities presented with familiar instruments was worse compared to unfamiliar instruments, suggesting that prior exposure to music produced by familiar instruments interfered with new sequence learning. Overall, these results demonstrate that real-world experience influences SL in a non-linguistic domain, supporting the view that SL involves the continuous updating of existing representations, rather than the establishment of entirely novel ones.

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