Tim Murphy, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Trainee, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Otolaryngology
Speech Motor Neuroscience Group (SMNG)
Retention of Behaviorally Relevant Changes in Speech with Altered Auditory Feedback
Altered auditory feedback is an experimental technique that makes subtle, imperceptible perturbations to the acoustics of a speaker’s voice in near real-time. With repeated exposure, participants learn to oppose these perturbations, a process known as sensorimotor adaptation. Because sensorimotor adaptation is rapid and unconscious, it could help supplement more intensive training programs aimed at improving overall speech intelligibility for individuals with motor disorders. One contributor to degraded intelligibility in motor disorders is decreased acoustic contrast between vowels. Our lab has found that as participants learn to oppose complex perturbations that shift formants toward the center of their vowel space, they increase these acoustic contrasts. Whether speakers retain any learning after removal of these perturbations, and whether repeated sessions of altered auditory feedback may strengthen retention, remain critical questions for the technique’s treatment potential. In this presentation, I will discuss our lab’s ongoing eight-session study designed to address these questions, along with preliminary results.