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PubMedDate not supplied

The application of the theory of signal detection to the assessment of speech perception.

Traditional audiological measures of speech recognition ability have failed to correlate well with self-assessments of communication difficulty. In this tutorial, an approach to the evaluation of speech perception is described that uses quantities derived from the theory of signal detection. The basics of the theory are reviewed briefly, and its relevance to communication processes is discussed. The measures of performance accuracy and decision criterion provided by the theory of signal detection offer a way of quantifying the ability of a listener to assess the accuracy of his or her own identifications of spoken messages. It is hoped that these quantities will provide new information about communication processes and help to characterize communication difficulties encountered in everyday life.

Audiometry, Speech↗
PubMed1993

Electrode position, repetition rate, and speech perception by early- and late-deafened cochlear implant patients.

Psychophysical and speech perception studies were conducted on eight patients using the 22-electrode cochlear implant manufactured by Cochlear Pty. Ltd. Four early-deafened patients became deafened at 1-3 years of age and were implanted at 5-14 years of age. Four late-deafened (postlingual adult) patients became deafened at 38-47 years of age and were implanted at 42-68 years of age. Psychophysical studies measured the discrimination of trajectories with time-varying electrode positions and repetition rates. Speech perception studies measured performance using two speech coding strategies: a multi-electrode strategy which coded the first and second formant frequencies, the amplitudes of the two formants, and the fundamental frequency; and a single-electrode strategy which coded the amplitudes of the first and second formants, and the fundamental frequency. In general, the four late-deafened patients and one early-deafened patient were more successful than the other three early-deafened patients in the discrimination of electrode position trajectories and in speech perception using the multi-electrode strategy. Three of the four late-deafened patients were more successful than the early-deafened patients in the discrimination of repetition rate trajectories. Speech perception performance in the single-electrode strategy was closely related to performance in repetition rate discrimination. The improvement in speech perception performance from the single-electrode to multi-electrode strategy was consistent with successful performance in electrode discrimination.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1988

Similarities between tactual and auditory speech perception.

Perception of synthetic speech continua through the sense of touch and audition was compared utilizing a 32-channel spectrally oriented electrocutaneous display and standard auditory psychophysical procedures. Results indicated a close correspondence between tactual and auditory discrimination and identification for a vowel (/a/-/e/) and a consonant (/sta/-/sa/) continuum. These results suggest that at least some aspects of speech perception are amodal.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Context effects in a double-weak theory of speech perception.

The present study provides an elaboration of the "double-weak" theory of speech perception proposed by Nearey (1990, 1991). In this framework, the objects of speech perception (and production) are viewed as neither primarily auditory nor primarily gestural; rather, they are abstract, symbolic elements lawfully constrained to map onto relatively simple (but not entirely transparent) patterns in both domains. Speech cannot be understood unless both articulation and acoustics are considered: Many production strategies appear to be directed at achieving acoustically-oriented goals, yet most context effects in speech perception seem to be motivated by the consequences of gestural overlap. The double-weak framework suggests that speech perception and speech production are less-than-perfect inverses of each other. Despite long-term accommodation of each for the demands of the other, real-time production and perception may operate as autonomous subsystems. A family of perceptual models is discussed that provides varying degrees of approximation to "ideal solutions" (in the sense of minimizing error rate) to classifying production data exhibiting contextual interactions. Members of this family that provide substantial, yet incomplete, compensation for the consequences of gestural overlap appear to be adequate to account for the results of many speech perception experiments. Such partial perceptual compensation allows, in principle, for the kind of imperfect "error correction" discussed by Ohala (1981, 1990) in conjunction with hypo- and hypercorrection phenomena.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Cognitive style and perception: the relationship between category width and speech perception, categorization, and discrimination.

Category width, as defined by Pettigrew's (1958) Category Width Scale, is a cognitive variable that purportedly reveals individual differences in categorization strategy. Subjects differ in terms of broadness and narrowness of judgments of category width--to what extent they will accept exemplars as good instances of a category. We tested the hypothesis that category width would be related to how subjects behave in different speech perception tasks. Differences found between extremely broad and narrow categorizers on such tasks would be helpful in understanding the nature of the perceptual and cognitive processes underlying the category width distinction. No effects attributable to category width were found when results were analyzed in terms of subjects' (a) discrimination and feature evaluation of auditory and visual information in speech events, (b) integration of these sources of information, (c) the process of decision, and (d) subjective preference for a two-choice versus a nine-choice response method. The results from both male and female and broad and narrow categorizers supported the predictions made by a fuzzy logical model of perception (FLMP). In the FLMP, people have access to continuous information about each feature of a stimulus, they make independent evaluations of each feature based on this information, the various features are integrated, and a decision is made based on the relative support for the viable alternatives. Given the common processes involved in speech and other pattern perceptual-recognition tasks, we conclude that fundamental processes involved in pattern recognition are unlikely to vary with personality measures, such as category width.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

Correlation between rCBF and speech perception in cochlear implant users.

OBJECTIVE: Although cochlear implants (CIs) have provided the opportunity for bilaterally deaf individuals to recover their hearing abilities, the speech perception performances of the CI users varies considerably. To elucidate the cortical mechanisms of processing speech signals coded by CIs, we evaluated the correlation between the brain activity during speech activation and speech perception in CI users by PET. METHODS: Fourteen postlingually deaf CI users were examined. CI used in the patients was a 22-channel system and its speech-coding strategy was the Nucleus spectral peak (SPEAK) strategy. To evaluate the speech perception performances, we examined vowel perception, consonant perception and speech tracking performances in the Japanese language. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured during no sound stimulation and speech sound stimulation. PET data of the silent condition was subtracted from that of speech stimulation to determine changes in rCBF. In the search for changes in rCBF in the areas for auditory processing, three regions of interest (ROI) were selected; primary auditory area, auditory association area and Broca's area. The correlation between the rCBF changes in the ROIs and the speech perception performances was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The patient's speech perception performances ranged widely. Although there were no significant correlations between the speech perception and the rCBF increases in the primary auditory area and Broca's area, there were positive correlations in the auditory association area. In the left auditory association area, the correlation coefficient of the vowel perception performance was 0.546 (P <0.05) and that of the speech-tracking test was 0.657 (P < 0.05). Regarding the consonant perception performance, the correlation coefficient was 0.743 (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation only between the consonant perception performance and the rCBF increase (R = 0.576, P < 0.05) in the right auditory association area. These correlations are stronger in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the improvement of the auditory processing of speech in CI users with SPEAK strategy is accompanied by the recruitment of more neurons in the auditory association areas. The adult auditory cortices may still have plasticity or

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Reading speech and hearing print: constraining models of visual word recognition by exploring connections with speech perception.

Current models of reading and speech perception differ widely in their assumptions regarding the interaction of orthographic and phonological information during language perception. The present experiments examined this interaction through a two-alternative, forced-choice paradigm, and explored the nature of the connections between graphemic and phonemic processing subsystems. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated a facilitation-dominant influence (i.e., benefits exceed costs) of graphemic contexts on phoneme discrimination, which is interpreted as a sensitivity effect. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated a symmetrical influence (i.e., benefits equal costs) of phonemic contexts on grapheme discrimination, which can be interpreted as either a bias effect, or an equally facilitative/inhibitory sensitivity effect. General implications for the functional architecture of language processing models are discussed, as well as specific implications for models of visual word recognition and speech perception.

Cognition↗
PubMed2003

Developmental, audiological, and speech perception functioning in children after cochlear implant surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in audiological, speech perception, and developmental functioning subsequent to cochlear implantation in children with severe to profound hearing impairment, and to identify factors related to those changes. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal analysis to compare functioning of pediatric patients who underwent cochlear implantation before and 1 year after surgery. SETTING: Outpatient pediatric cochlear implantation program in an academic institution (The Listening Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md). Patients Forty consecutive pediatric patients between 1(1/2) and 9 years of age who received a cochlear implant between April 1, 1996, and August 31, 1998, and who also underwent psychological, audiological, and speech perception evaluations immediately before and 1 year after implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition, Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition, Developmental Profile II, Child Behavior Checklist, speech perception categories, and audiological pure-tone thresholds. RESULTS: Mean (SD) duration of hearing impairment was 37.78 (27.94) months, mean (SD) age at surgery was 50.72 (27.66) months. Significant improvements were found 1 year after surgery in audiological, speech perception, and developmental functioning, but not in nonverbal intelligence or behavior. Greater benefits in audiological and developmental functioning were associated with younger age (<48 months) at implantation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients showed significant improvement in audiological status, overall developmental functioning, and speech perception skills in a short time after surgery. Greatest improvement in speech perception was for children with the least initial impairment, and greatest developmental gains were associated with young age at implantation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

Impaired speech perception in poor readers: evidence from hearing and speech reading.

The performance of 14 poor readers on an audiovisual speech perception task was compared with 14 normal subjects matched on chronological age (CA) and 14 subjects matched on reading age (RA). The task consisted of identifying synthetic speech varying in place of articulation on an acoustic 9-point continuum between /ba/ and /da/ (Massaro & Cohen, 1983). The acoustic speech events were factorially combined with the visual articulation of /ba/, /da/, or none. In addition, the visual-only articulation of /ba/ or /da/ was presented. The results showed that (1) poor readers were less categorical than CA and RA in the identification of the auditory speech events and (2) that they were worse in speech reading. This convergence between the deficits clearly suggests that the auditory speech processing difficulty of poor readers is speech specific and relates to the processing of phonological information.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Use of ambiguous visual stimuli to demonstrate the value of acoustic cues in speech perception.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a set of English phrases and sentences in a minimal-pairs syllable-test format for assessing use of acoustic cues in the audiovisual perception of speech; in particular, by persons with severe or profound hearing loss. Test items that were not rejected were categorized as "acceptable" or "ideal." An acceptable item was visually confusable but auditorally distinct compared to its foil (analogous to /p/vs/m/). An ideal item was, in addition, tactilely distinct. Forty-eight items, spoken by a male and a female talker, were presented in a videotaped two-alternative force-choice format under three conditions to three young-adult subject groups. In a lipreading-without-sound condition, 39 items were visually confusable; of these, 16 items were reliably identifiable when sound was added (the "acceptable" items). Seven of the 16 acceptable items were also identifiable in a tactile-pattern-alone condition (the "ideal" items). Performance on the 16 acceptable items was analyzed for an additional 27 young adults with moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss. Results obtained with the new protocol were consistent with conventional assessment results (CID Everyday Sentences, with and without sound) in all but 4 cases. Communication characteristics of the exceptions were examined to explain lack of agreement.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2001

Variation in speech perception scores among children with cochlear implants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify common factors affecting speech perception scores in children with cochlear implants. DESIGN: Speech perception data for 167 implanted children were collected at two cochlear implant centres in Melbourne and Sydney. The data comprised audition-alone scores on open-set word and sentence tests. Children were selected on the basis that they had a Nucleus 22-electrode cochlear implant. The average age of the children was 5 yr. Information was also collected about 12 factors that may have influenced speech perception scores for each child. Analysis of covariance was used to identify factors that significantly affected speech perception scores. Pearson pairwise correlation coefficients were also calculated for all factors analyzed. RESULTS: The analyses in this study identified factors that accounted for 51%, 34%, and 45% of the variance in phoneme, word and sentence perception scores. Scores decreased by 1.4 to 2.4% per year of profound deafness prior to implantation. Children who normally use oral communication scored significantly higher than children normally using sign or simultaneous oral and sign communication. Children implanted in Sydney scored higher on average than children implanted in Melbourne. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a significant part of the variation in speech perception scores is systematically related to audiological and environmental factors for each child. The reasons for significant differences between children using different communication modes or from different clinics were not identified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[The test for the evaluation speech perception and production].

The aim of this paper is to present a Test to evaluate the speech perception and production in french profoundly hearing impaired children fitted with cochlear implant or traditional hearing aids. This test materials have been developed for children from 2 to 10 years old. This test fall into two basic categories known as speech perception and speech production. The assessment of the perceptual abilities through the use of the TEPPP is achieved across the hierarchy of perception which spans: detection, discrimination, identification, comprehension. The assessment of the speech production makes it possible to observe the speech production changes across three levels: phonetical, linguistical, intelligibility. The TEPPP, Test of Speech Perception and Production evaluation, enable us to observe if children, who receive a cochlear implant or a conventional hearing aids, obtain some degree of benefit in both speech perception and speech production.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Relationships among speech perception, self-rated tinnitus loudness and disability in tinnitus patients with normal pure-tone thresholds of hearing.

Exactly how speech perception and tinnitus perception are related remains unclear. This study investigated how tinnitus alone affects speech perception and the relationship between speech perception, tinnitus loudness, and tinnitus disability. The Mandarin Speech Perception in Noise Test (MSPIN), Tinnitus Loudness Scaling (TLS), and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were utilized to assess 20 tinnitus patients with normal hearing. The tinnitus group had a significantly lower MSPIN score than the control group (p < 0.01). TLS and THI scores were strongly correlated (r(2): 0.534 approximately 0.627, p < 0.05). Correlations between MSPIN and TLS or THI scores were not significant. Tinnitus loudness correlated well with tinnitus-related disability. Neither tinnitus loudness nor disability was strongly correlated with speech perception. In noisy environments, tinnitus sufferers had significantly poorer ability to recognize speech than control subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Audiovisual speech perception in elderly cochlear implant recipients.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: This study examined the speech perception skills of a younger and older group of cochlear implant recipients to determine the benefit that auditory and visual information provides for speech understanding. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHODS: Pre- and postimplantation speech perception scores from the Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC), the Hearing In Noise sentence Test (HINT), and the City University of New York (CUNY) tests were analyzed for 34 postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant recipients. Half were elderly (i.e., >65 y old) and other half were middle aged (i.e., 39-53 y old). The CNC and HINT tests were administered using auditory-only presentation; the CUNY test was administered using auditory-only, vision-only, and audiovisual presentation conditions RESULTS: No differences were observed between the two age groups on the CNC and HINT tests. For a subset of individuals tested with the CUNY sentences, we found that the preimplantation speechreading scores of the younger group correlated negatively with auditory-only postimplant performance. Additionally, older individuals demonstrated a greater reliance on the integration of auditory and visual information to understand sentences than did the younger group CONCLUSIONS: On average, the auditory-only speech perception performance of older cochlear implant recipients was similar to the performance of younger adults. However, variability in speech perception abilities was observed within and between both age groups. Differences in speechreading skills between the younger and older individuals suggest that visual speech information is processed in a different manner for elderly individuals than it is for younger adult cochlear implant recipients.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of frequency modulation (FM) transmitter microphone directivity on speech perception in noise.

Frequency modulation (FM) technology can significantly improve the speech perception ability of individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in background noise. Previous investigations have demonstrated that the microphone design of the FM transmitter can have a significant impact on this improved speech perception. The purpose of this investigation was to compare 3 types of FM transmitter microphone designs: (a) wide angle (omnidirectional microphone), which amplifies sounds coming from all directions around the microphone equally; (b) zoom (1 directional microphone), which provides less amplification to signals coming from the rear, and (c) superzoom (2 directional microphones), which provides less amplification to signals originating from the rear and the sides. Fifteen adults with bilateral slight to moderately severe SNHL participated. Speech perception was assessed using the Hearing in Noise Test (M. Nilsson, S. Soli, and J. Sullivan, 1994). Speech spectrum shaped noise served as the noise competition. Results revealed that the best speech perception in noise was obtained when the FM transmitter was used in the zoom setting. The poorest performance was obtained when the FM transmitter was in the wide-angle mode. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Adult↗