Dichotic Listening Performance in Young Adults Using Low-Pass Filtered Speech

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (03) ◽  
pp. 192-205
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Martin ◽  
Keiko Y. Gibson ◽  
Lisa C. Huston
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Right Ear Advantage ◽  
Filtered Speech

Background: Assessment of interaural asymmetry (IA) on dichotic listening tests becomes challenging when accuracy on one or both ears are at ceiling. Cognitive task demands are often increased to avoid this situation, raising the possibility that non-auditory-specific processes will further influence IA estimation. Purpose: To investigate the utility of low-pass filtered dichotic speech stimuli (dichotic filtered words [DFWs]) as a potential auditory-specific technique for increasing task difficulty in the dichotic listening paradigm. Research Design: A prospective experimental study investigating differences in IA observed for a group of young adults on three dichotic listening tasks differentiated on the basis of stimulus type (unfiltered words, DFWs) and/or mode of test administration (divided attention [DIV]; directed attention [DIR]). Study Sample: Thirty-two adults between 18 and 34 yr of age participated in the study. Data Collection and Analysis: Accuracy scores on each ear and normalized values of IA (via laterality index) served as dependent measures evaluated in a repeated-measures ANOVA design. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out to investigate potential relationships between participants’ behavioral accuracy to experimental stimuli and the magnitude of observed IA. Behavioral profiles of IA were constructed for each participant. Results: Using a traditional DIV test mode, DFW stimuli produced a significantly larger right-ear advantage (REA) as compared to unfiltered speech. The magnitude of the average REA to DFW stimuli was not statistically different between DIV and DIR test modes for the group. Inspection of individual performances, however, revealed that out of the participants who demonstrated meaningful IA during DIV, approximately half produced the same or greater amount of IA during DIR whereas half showed a relative decrease. Participants’ accuracy to left-sided stimuli was most related to the magnitude of observed IA across tasks. Conclusions: The utility of low-pass filtered speech may be helpful in the evaluation of IA obtained during dichotic testing.

scholarly journals EQUIVALENCE OF WORD TEST AND CONSONANT-VOWEL SYLLABLES TEST OF DICHOTIC LISTENING

2020 ◽  
pp. 168-186
Author(s):  
Tamara S. Muromtseva ◽  
Mariya S. Kovyazina
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Word Test ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Functional Orientation ◽  
Phonetic Features ◽  
Listening Task ◽  
Right Ear Advantage

Relevance. Development and improvement of methodological tools to solve scientific and practical problems is an important issue in modern neuropsychology. This study examines consonant-vowel (СV) syllable test and word test, considers their different functional orientation and shows relevance of the dichotic listening task development. For the first time in Russian neuropsychology the authors developed the dichotic listening consonant-vowel syllables test taking into account the phonetic features of the Russian language. Objective. Comparison of the equivalence of two dichotic listening tests: the word test that was first tested by B. S. Kotik and the two CV-syllable dichotic listening tests. Method. Two groups of respondents participated in the study. The first group of the participants (N = 88; M = 21.08; SD = 2.32) performed the word test and the first CV-syllable test. Participants of the second group (N = 44; M = 24.52; SD = 1.86) were presented with the word test and the second version of CV-syllable dichotic listening test. Results. The results confirmed the differences between the word test and the two CV-syllable dichotic listening tests. The differences and nonequivalence of the word test and the CV-syllable tests in laterality index (LI) and productivity coefficients (general productivity, right- and left-ear accuracy scores) are amplified as the stimulus material of CV-syllable dichotic listening is improved and modified. The increase of the load on working memory enhances right ear advantage (LI) and reduces performance with an increase in the influence of working memory on the results of dichotic listening. Conclusion. The study shows nonequivalence of the word test and the CV-syllable tests and their different functional orientation for the estimation of hemispheric specialization in audio-verbal domain.

Nonsegmental Factors in Foreign Accent

1995 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray J. Munro
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Accent ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Filtered Speech

Untrained native English listeners assigned foreign accent scores to sentence and narrative utterances that had been rendered unintelligible through low-pass filtering. Utterances produced by native English talkers were assigned consistently higher ratings than those produced by Mandarin-speaking learners of English, even when the listeners were unfamiliar with the content. Because these filtered speech stimuli contained very little of what could be considered segmental information, the results suggest that untrained listeners can identify foreign-accented speech on the basis of nonsegmental information alone, whether they are presented with material of known or of unknown content. Acoustical analyses of the stimuli suggested that differences in speaking rates, intonation patterns, and timing may have played a role in the listeners' assessments, although the cues to foreign-accentedness may have varied from talker to talker and from utterance to utterance. Surprisingly, no relationship was observed between the ratings of the filtered and unfiltered versions of the nonnative stimuli.

Replication of a premenstrual decrease in right-ear advantage on language-related dichotic listening tests of cerebral laterality

2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1293-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerianne M Alexander ◽  
Margaret Altemus ◽  
Bradley S Peterson ◽  
Bruce E Wexler
Keyword(s):  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Cerebral Laterality ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Ear Advantage ◽  
Right Ear Advantage

Interaural Asymmetries Revealed by Dichotic Listening Tests in Normal and Dyslexic Children

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (08) ◽  
pp. 428-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah W. Moncrieff ◽  
Frank E. Musiek
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Control Group ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
Percent Correct ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Right Ear Advantage ◽  
The Right ◽  
Simple Difference

Normal and dyslexic right-handed children were assessed with three dichotic listening tests, the Dichotic Digits test, the Competing Words subtest of the SCAN, and the Dichotic Consonant-Vowel test. Performance was measured as both number and percentage of correct responses in the right and left ears. Laterality was defined as a simple difference in percentage between the two ears. Differences across the tests were revealed for all children, with the greatest differences occurring for left-ear responses. Only one dichotic listening test, Competing Words from the SCAN, produced a consistent right-ear advantage across all of the children tested. Between groups of children, differences in performance and in laterality were demonstrated. Using a criterion of poorer than 76 percent correct for the left ear, the Competing Words subtest of the SCAN identified 7 of the 10 dyslexic children as abnormal, with no false alarms in the control group.

Bilingualism and children's use of paralinguistic cues to interpret emotion in speech

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. QUIN YOW ◽  
ELLEN M. MARKMAN
Keyword(s):  
Natural Speech ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Tone Of Voice ◽  
Affective Information ◽  
Filtered Speech

Preschoolers tend to rely on what speakers say rather than how they sound when interpreting a speaker's emotion while adults rely instead on tone of voice. However, children who have a greater need to attend to speakers’ communicative requirements, such as bilingual children, may be more adept in using paralinguistic cues (e.g. tone of voice) when interpreting a speaker's affect. We explored whether bilingual children are better able than monolingual children to use paralinguistic cues when interpreting a speaker's emotion. While monolingual and bilingual children were equally capable of identifying emotion using affective information in low-pass filtered speech stimuli (Study 1), bilingual children were better able than monolingual children to use tone of voice when judging emotion in natural speech when content was clear (Study 2).

scholarly journals An fNIRS Investigation of Discrete and Continuous Cognitive Demands During Dual-Task Walking in Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabassum Tahmina Rahman ◽  
Nadia Polskaia ◽  
Gabrielle St-Amant ◽  
Talia Salzman ◽  
Diana Tobón Vallejo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Attentional Demands ◽  
Time Accuracy

Introduction: Dual-task studies have demonstrated that walking is attention-demanding for younger adults. However, numerous studies have attributed this to task type rather than the amount of required to accomplish the task. This study examined four tasks: two discrete (i.e., short intervals of attention) and two continuous (i.e., sustained attention) to determine whether greater attentional demands result in greater dual-task costs due to an overloaded processing capacity.Methods: Nineteen young adults (21.5 ± 3.6 years, 13 females) completed simple reaction time (SRT) and go/no-go (GNG) discrete cognitive tasks and n-back (NBK) and double number sequence (DNS) continuous cognitive tasks with or without self-paced walking. Prefrontal cerebral hemodynamics were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and performance was measured using response time, accuracy, and gait speed.Results: Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed decreased accuracy with increasing cognitive demands (p = 0.001) and increased dual-task accuracy costs (p < 0.001). Response times were faster during the single compared to dual-tasks during the SRT (p = 0.005) and NBK (p = 0.004). DNS gait speed was also slower in the dual compared to single task (p < 0.001). Neural findings revealed marginally significant interactions between dual-task walking and walking alone in the DNS (p = 0.06) and dual -task walking compared to the NBK cognitive task alone (p = 0.05).Conclusion: Neural findings suggest a trend towards increased PFC activation during continuous tasks. Cognitive and motor measures revealed worse performance during the discrete compared to continuous tasks. Future studies should consider examining different attentional demands of motor tasks.

Area MT Neurons Respond to Visual Motion Distant From Their Receptive Fields

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 4156-4167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zaksas ◽  
Tatiana Pasternak
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Direction Selectivity ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Area Mt ◽  
Mt Neurons ◽  
Stimulus Offset

Neurons in cortical area MT have localized receptive fields (RF) representing the contralateral hemifield and play an important role in processing visual motion. We recorded the activity of these neurons during a behavioral task in which two monkeys were required to discriminate and remember visual motion presented in the ipsilateral hemifield. During the task, the monkeys viewed two stimuli, sample and test, separated by a brief delay and reported whether they contained motion in the same or in opposite directions. Fifty to 70% of MT neurons were activated by the motion stimuli presented in the ipsilateral hemifield at locations far removed from their classical receptive fields. These responses were in the form of excitation or suppression and were delayed relative to conventional MT responses. Both excitatory and suppressive responses were direction selective, but the nature and the time course of their directionality differed from the conventional excitatory responses recorded with stimuli in the RF. Direction selectivity of the excitatory remote response was transient and early, whereas the suppressive response developed later and persisted after stimulus offset. The presence or absence of these unusual responses on error trials, as well as their magnitude, was affected by the behavioral significance of stimuli used in the task. We hypothesize that these responses represent top-down signals from brain region(s) accessing information about stimuli in the entire visual field and about the behavioral state of the animal. The recruitment of neurons in the opposite hemisphere during processing of behaviorally relevant visual signals reveals a mechanism by which sensory processing can be affected by cognitive task demands.

scholarly journals Dichotic words listening test: technical aspects and results in normal right-handed individuals

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Regina Caner-Cukiert ◽  
Arthur Cukiert
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Dominance ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Msec Interval ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Hemisphere Dominance ◽  
Four Blocks ◽  
Right Ear Advantage ◽  
The Right

Dichotic listening tests have been being used in an increasing frequency to determine in a non-invasive way the cerebral dominance in right- and left-handed patients. This is especially relevant when surgery in eloquent brain areas is being contemplated. A Portuguese version of the dichotic words listening test was developed based mainly on Wexler's protocol. It consisted of 15 pairs of words with a stimulus dominance lower than 50%. They were recorded using natural voice and time and intensity synchronization by means of a specialized software. Each pair of words was presented twice in different channels within each block. The items were randomized and presented with a 300 msec interval between each trial. Four blocks of 30 pairs of words each were created, totalizing 120 trials. In the scoring process, the words heard over the right and left ears were wrote down. The number of times each word was heard over each ear was computed and their values subtracted yielding a partial score for each specific word pair. This process was repeated for all stimuli pair and a final score for right and left predominance was then reached. Thirty-two right handed normal individuals underwent the test 93.8% showed a right ear advantage. These results are very similar to the actual left hemisphere dominance rate in a right-handed population.

scholarly journals Effect of COVID-19 Disruptions on Young Adults' Affect and Substance Use in Daily Life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Papp ◽  
Chrystyna D Kouros
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Prescription Drug Misuse

Objective: Guided by accounts of adjustment in daily life as a key indicator of health, the current study examined prospective changes in young adults’ emotions and substance behaviors assessed during a normative baseline period and during the acute COVID-19 disruption period in late March/early April 2020. The COVID-19 assessment also collected psychosocial risk factors expected to moderate changes in adjustment across time. Method: Participants included 295 young adults (70.8% female; ages 18-21 at baseline), drawn from an ongoing study of daily behaviors and health in college life that oversampled for recent substance behaviors, who completed both the baseline and COVID-19 assessments. Hypotheses were tested using analyses of repeated-measures data that included covariates of length of time between assessments and sampling group status. Results: Direct tests in support of hypotheses indicated an increase in negative affect (d = .67, p < .001), and greater alcohol use (d = .75, p < .001) and marijuana use (d = .58, p < .001), in daily life across time. Levels of positive affect (d = .08, p > .05), nicotine use (d = .01, p > .05), and prescription drug misuse (d = .003, p > .05) did not reliably change in tests of direct models. Moderation tests indicated several risk factors for experiencing steeper increases in negative affect, and increased likelihood of marijuana and nicotine use, in daily life across time. Conclusions: Findings offer implications for future research and clinical efforts to improve young adult adjustment in response to the pandemic.

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