About this trial
This study examines whether individual differences in how speakers respond to hearing versus physical sensation during speech can predict who benefits most from visual feedback during a speech task. Healthy adults will complete a series of tasks in which auditory feedback is altered in real time through headphones, with and without an added visual display of the speech signal. A computational model will be used to estimate how strongly each participant relies on hearing versus physical sensation when monitoring speech. The study will then test whether this individual profile predicts how much the visual display improves each participant's ability to respond to the altered feedback.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 18 to 45 years
Self-reported English as dominant or equally dominant language (learned English by age 3)
No self-reported history of significant speech, language, or hearing difficulty
Pass pure-tone hearing screening at 25 dB HL
Disqualifiers
Learned English after age 3
English is not a dominant language
History of speech or language disorder, hearing loss, or neurodevelopmental disorder (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome)
Failure to pass pure-tone hearing screening
Trial design
Single group
Treatments tested in this trial
Altered Auditory Feedback (AAF)
BehavioralParticipants produce speech while hearing real-time altered auditory feedback delivered through headphones. Two task variants are administered: a fast-adapt design in which the altered feedback is introduced and withdrawn repeatedly, and a standard adaptive design in which the altered feedback is introduced once and maintained for an extended run. Administered to all participants as the baseline condition.
Visual-Acoustic Biofeedback
BehavioralParticipants perform the standard adaptive auditory feedback task with the addition of real-time visual display. The visual display presents the altered auditory signal alongside a visual target derived from the participant's baseline production. Administered to all participants following the auditory-only baseline phase.
Treatment groups
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
Mean difference in F1 compensation magnitude between auditory-visual and auditory-only feedback conditions of standard adaptive feedback task
Visual gain is defined as the within-participant difference in acoustic compensation magnitude (measured from formant frequencies) between the auditory-visual feedback condition and the auditory-only condition of the standard adaptive feedback task. Greater visual gain indicates a larger compensatory response when visual feedback is available.
Sponsors and contacts
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New York University
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Collaborator