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Whitfield JA, Kriegel Z, Fullenkamp AM. Quantifying Spatial and Temporal Variability of Clear and Loud Speech Produced While Performing a Concurrent Visuomotor Task. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:3182-3193. [PMID: 36630929 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this research note was to quantify the impact of concurrent performance of an attention-demanding secondary task on utterance-to-utterance movement variability associated with higher effort speaking styles, namely, clear and loud speech. METHOD Lip and jaw kinematics collected as part of a prior study were analyzed. Participants repeated "Buy Bobby a puppy" using habitual, loud, and clear speech styles in isolation and while performing a secondary tracking task. The lip aperture (LA) signal was segmented based on opening and closing gestures associated with the utterance. The standard deviation of each segment duration was calculated to quantify temporal variability. To quantify spatial variability, each segment was first time normalized. The mean standard deviation of the overlapping time-normalized LA amplitudes was computed for each segment from the repetitions produced in each speech style and condition (speaking in isolation vs. speaking while tracking). A relative measure of spatial variation was also computed to account for the potential impact of articulatory scaling. RESULTS Clear speech was associated with greater temporal and spatial variability than the habitual and loud styles. In the habitual style, talkers also exhibited a slight reduction in absolute spatial variability when speaking while tracking compared to speaking in isolation. The reduction in absolute spatial variability was likely associated with the concomitant reduction in LA range of motion, as there was no change in the relative spatial variability between conditions. CONCLUSION The current investigation expands prior work by quantifying spatial and temporal characteristics of different speaking styles performed in isolation and while concurrently performing an attention-demanding visuomotor task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Whitfield
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Zoe Kriegel
- Division of Communication Disorders, University of Wyoming, Laramie
| | - Adam M Fullenkamp
- School of Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies, Bowling Green State University, OH
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Bae M, Seo MG, Ko H, Ham H, Kim KY, Lee JY. The efficacy of memory load on speech-based detection of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1186786. [PMID: 37333455 PMCID: PMC10272350 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1186786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The study aims to test whether an increase in memory load could improve the efficacy in detection of Alzheimer's disease and prediction of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Methods Speech from 45 mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease patients and 44 healthy older adults were collected using three speech tasks with varying memory loads. We investigated and compared speech characteristics of Alzheimer's disease across speech tasks to examine the effect of memory load on speech characteristics. Finally, we built Alzheimer's disease classification models and MMSE prediction models to assess the diagnostic value of speech tasks. Results The speech characteristics of Alzheimer's disease in pitch, loudness, and speech rate were observed and the high-memory-load task intensified such characteristics. The high-memory-load task outperformed in AD classification with an accuracy of 81.4% and MMSE prediction with a mean absolute error of 4.62. Discussion The high-memory-load recall task is an effective method for speech-based Alzheimer's disease detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minju Bae
- Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myo-Gyeong Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunwoong Ko
- Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Samsung Medical Center, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunsun Ham
- Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun You Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Young Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Fournet M, Chiuvé SC, Laganaro M. Attentional Demand of Motor Speech Encoding: Evidence From Parkinson's Disease. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3758-3775. [PMID: 36201164 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE While the involvement of attention in utterance planning is well established at the conceptual and lexical levels, the attentional demands of postlexical processes are still debated. This study investigates the involvement of attentional resources on motor speech encoding during utterance production in the context of Parkinson's disease (PD), a population allowing to assess if the attentional demands observed in a dual-task paradigm (the dual-task costs [DTCs]) are explained by postlexical difficulties and not solely by executive impairment. METHOD Speech production was analyzed in a dual-task paradigm with 30 participants presenting with motor speech disorders due to hypokinetic dysarthria in the context of PD. The dual-task comprised an automatic speech task in which participants recited the days of the week and two nonverbal tasks evaluating processing speed and inhibition. The severity of dysarthria and performance in several executive tests (inhibition, verbal fluency, and cognitive shifting) were used as potential predictors of the DTCs. RESULTS Individuals with PD exhibited a DTC on the nonverbal tasks and on the speech task when the secondary task was inhibition (the most difficult one). Additionally, the severity of dysarthria and a poorer performance in cognitive shifting predicted a more severe DTC on speech rate. Finally, modulation of the magnitude of the DTCs was observed, depending on the difficulty of the nonverbal secondary task. CONCLUSION The results suggest that, in PD, postlexical processes require attentional resources and cognitive shifting is related to dual-task performance in speech. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21265893.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryll Fournet
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
| | | | - Marina Laganaro
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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Fournet M, Pernon M, Catalano Chiuvé S, Lopez U, Laganaro M. Attention in post-lexical processes of utterance production: Dual-task cost in younger and older adults. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 74:1852-1872. [PMID: 34238085 PMCID: PMC8451003 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211034130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a general agreement that speaking requires attention at least for conceptual and lexical processes of utterance production. However, conflicting results have been obtained with dual-task paradigms using either repetition tasks or more generally tasks involving limited loading of lexical selection. This study aimed to investigate whether post-lexical processes recruit attentional resources. We used a new dual-task paradigm in a set of experiments where a continuous verbal production task involved either high or low demand on lexical selection processes. Experiment 1 evaluates lexical and post-lexical processes with a semantic verbal fluency task, whereas Experiments 2 and 3 focus on post-lexical processes with a non-propositional speech task. In each experiment, two types of non-verbal secondary tasks were used: processing speed (simple manual reaction times) or inhibition (Go/No-go). In Experiment 1, a dual-task cost was observed on the semantic verbal fluency task and each non-verbal task. In Experiment 2, a dual-task cost appeared on the non-verbal tasks but not on the speech task. The same paradigm was used with older adults (Experiment 3), as increased effort in post-lexical processes has been associated with ageing. For older adults, a dual-task cost was also observed on the non-propositional verbal task when speech was produced with the inhibition non-verbal task. The results suggest an attentional cost on post-lexical processes and strategic effects in the resolution of the dual-task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryll Fournet
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Neuropsychological Service-Neurorehabilitation, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michaela Pernon
- Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Laboratory of Phonetics and Phonology, National Scientific Research Center, University Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France
| | | | - Ursula Lopez
- Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Neuropsychology and Speech Therapy Service, Fribourg Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Marina Laganaro
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Whitfield JA, Holdosh SR, Kriegel Z, Sullivan LE, Fullenkamp AM. Tracking the Costs of Clear and Loud Speech: Interactions Between Speech Motor Control and Concurrent Visuomotor Tracking. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2182-2195. [PMID: 33719529 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Prior work has demonstrated that competing tasks impact habitual speech production. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the extent to which clear and loud speech are affected by concurrent performance of an attention-demanding task. Method Speech kinematics and acoustics were collected while participants spoke using habitual, loud, and clear speech styles. The styles were performed in isolation and while performing a secondary tracking task. Results Compared to the habitual style, speakers exhibited expected increases in lip aperture range of motion and speech intensity for the clear and loud styles. During concurrent visuomotor tracking, there was a decrease in lip aperture range of motion and speech intensity for the habitual style. Tracking performance during habitual speech did not differ from single-task tracking. For loud and clear speech, speakers retained the gains in speech intensity and range of motion, respectively, while concurrently tracking. A reduction in tracking performance was observed during concurrent loud and clear speech, compared to tracking alone. Conclusions These data suggest that loud and clear speech may help to mitigate motor interference associated with concurrent performance of an attention-demanding task. Additionally, reductions in tracking accuracy observed during concurrent loud and clear speech may suggest that these higher effort speaking styles require greater attentional resources than habitual speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Whitfield
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Serena R Holdosh
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Zoe Kriegel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Lauren E Sullivan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Adam M Fullenkamp
- School of Human Movement, Sport, & Leisure Studies, Bowling Green State University, OH
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Whitfield JA, Holdosh SR. Practice Mediates Bidirectional Dual-Task Interference When Performing a Novel Sequential Nonword Repetition Task. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:1904-1917. [PMID: 34019771 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The current study examined the extent to which practice amount mediates dual-task interference patterns associated with concurrent performance of a novel speech task and attention-demanding visuomotor task. Method A Sequential Nonword Repetition Task was used to examine the effect of practice on interference associated with concurrent performance of a Visuomotor Pursuit Task. Twenty-five young adult participants were assigned to either an Extended Practice Group or a Limited Practice Group and performed a novel Sequential Nonword Repetition Task in isolation and while performing a concurrent visuomotor pursuit rotor task. Results Participants in the Limited Practice Group who were afforded a limited amount of practice exhibited dual-task interference (i.e., dual-task performance reductions) for both the speech and visuomotor tasks (i.e., bidirectional dual-task interference). Conversely, participants in the Extended Practice Group who were afforded extended practice exhibited little-to-no observable dual-task interference on the nonword repetition task. Conclusion Data from the current investigation suggest that the amount of initial practice mediates the degree of dual-task interference observed when a novel speech production task is performed with an attention-demanding Visuomotor Pursuit Task. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14608071.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Whitfield
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Serena R Holdosh
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
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Harmon TG, Dromey C, Nelson B, Chapman K. Effects of Background Noise on Speech and Language in Young Adults. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:1104-1116. [PMID: 33719537 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate how different types of background noise that differ in their level of linguistic content affect speech acoustics, speech fluency, and language production for young adult speakers when performing a monologue discourse task. Method Forty young adults monologued by responding to open-ended questions in a silent baseline and five background noise conditions (debate, movie dialogue, contemporary music, classical music, and pink noise). Measures related to speech acoustics (intensity and frequency), speech fluency (speech rate, pausing, and disfluencies), and language production (lexical, morphosyntactic, and macrolinguistic structure) were analyzed and compared across conditions. Participants also reported on which conditions they perceived as more distracting. Results All noise conditions resulted in some change to spoken language compared with the silent baseline. Effects on speech acoustics were consistent with expected changes due to the Lombard effect (e.g., increased intensity and fundamental frequency). Effects on speech fluency showed decreased pausing and increased disfluencies. Several background noise conditions also seemed to interfere with language production. Conclusions Findings suggest that young adults present with both compensatory and interference effects when speaking in noise. Several adjustments may facilitate intelligibility when noise is present and help both speaker and listener maintain attention on the production. Other adjustments provide evidence that background noise eliciting linguistic interference has the potential to degrade spoken language even for healthy young adults, because of increased cognitive demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyson G Harmon
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
| | - Christopher Dromey
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
| | - Brenna Nelson
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
| | - Kacy Chapman
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
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Shen C, Janse E. Maximum Speech Performance and Executive Control in Young Adult Speakers. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:3611-3627. [PMID: 33079614 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study investigated whether maximum speech performance, more specifically, the ability to rapidly alternate between similar syllables during speech production, is associated with executive control abilities in a nonclinical young adult population. Method Seventy-eight young adult participants completed two speech tasks, both operationalized as maximum performance tasks, to index their articulatory control: a diadochokinetic (DDK) task with nonword and real-word syllable sequences and a tongue-twister task. Additionally, participants completed three cognitive tasks, each covering one element of executive control (a Flanker interference task to index inhibitory control, a letter-number switching task to index cognitive switching, and an operation span task to index updating of working memory). Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to investigate how well maximum speech performance measures can be predicted by elements of executive control. Results Participants' cognitive switching ability was associated with their accuracy in both the DDK and tongue-twister speech tasks. Additionally, nonword DDK accuracy was more strongly associated with executive control than real-word DDK accuracy (which has to be interpreted with caution). None of the executive control abilities related to the maximum rates at which participants performed the two speech tasks. Conclusion These results underscore the association between maximum speech performance and executive control (cognitive switching in particular).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Shen
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Esther Janse
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Whitfield JA, Kriegel Z, Fullenkamp AM, Mehta DD. Effects of Concurrent Manual Task Performance on Connected Speech Acoustics in Individuals With Parkinson Disease. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:2099-2117. [PMID: 31306612 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-msc18-18-0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Prior investigations suggest that simultaneous performance of more than 1 motor-oriented task may exacerbate speech motor deficits in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the extent to which performing a low-demand manual task affected the connected speech in individuals with and without PD. Method Individuals with PD and neurologically healthy controls performed speech tasks (reading and extemporaneous speech tasks) and an oscillatory manual task (a counterclockwise circle-drawing task) in isolation (single-task condition) and concurrently (dual-task condition). Results Relative to speech task performance, no changes in speech acoustics were observed for either group when the low-demand motor task was performed with the concurrent reading tasks. Speakers with PD exhibited a significant decrease in pause duration between the single-task (speech only) and dual-task conditions for the extemporaneous speech task, whereas control participants did not exhibit changes in any speech production variable between the single- and dual-task conditions. Conclusions Overall, there were little to no changes in speech production when a low-demand oscillatory motor task was performed with concurrent reading. For the extemporaneous task, however, individuals with PD exhibited significant changes when the speech and manual tasks were performed concurrently, a pattern that was not observed for control speakers. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8637008.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Whitfield
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Zoe Kriegel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Adam M Fullenkamp
- School of Human Movement, Sport, & Leisure Studies, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Daryush D Mehta
- Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School, Boston
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Dromey C, Simmons K. Bidirectional Interference Between Simulated Driving and Speaking. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:2053-2064. [PMID: 31306608 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-msc18-18-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study relied on acoustic measures of connected speech and several indices of driving performance to quantify interference between speaking and simulated driving. Method Three groups of 20 younger (ages 20-30 years), middle-age (ages 40-50 years), and older (ages 60-71 years) adults produced monologues and completed a simulated driving task, which involved maintaining a constant speed and lane position on a freeway. Both tasks were completed separately and concurrently. Results There were significant divided attention effects, with a reduced speaking time ratio, and increases in vocal intensity, speed variability, and steering wheel adjustments. There was a significant between-subjects age effect for intensity and fundamental frequency as the younger group had less variation with these variables compared to the other age groups across conditions. There was a significant between-subjects age effect for lane position, steering wheel position, and speed as the younger group had less variation in lane position compared to the other 2 groups, and the older group had more variation in speed and steering wheel position compared to the other 2 groups across the experimental conditions. Conclusion These findings reveal that divided attention conditions can impact both speech and simulated driving performance. The results also shed some light on the effects of age on speech and driving tasks, although the degree of interference from divided attention did not differ by age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Dromey
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
| | - Kelsey Simmons
- Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
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MacPherson MK. Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1258-1277. [PMID: 31051090 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-17-0222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest. Method Twelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop). Results Increased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition. Conclusions Increased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K MacPherson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant
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Maas E. Speech and nonspeech: What are we talking about? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2017; 19:345-359. [PMID: 27701907 PMCID: PMC5380597 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2016.1221995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding of the behavioural, cognitive and neural underpinnings of speech production is of interest theoretically, and is important for understanding disorders of speech production and how to assess and treat such disorders in the clinic. This paper addresses two claims about the neuromotor control of speech production: (1) speech is subserved by a distinct, specialised motor control system and (2) speech is holistic and cannot be decomposed into smaller primitives. Both claims have gained traction in recent literature, and are central to a task-dependent model of speech motor control. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking about speech production, its disorders and the clinical implications of these claims. The paper poses several conceptual and empirical challenges for these claims - including the critical importance of defining speech. The emerging conclusion is that a task-dependent model is called into question as its two central claims are founded on ill-defined and inconsistently applied concepts. The paper concludes with discussion of methodological and clinical implications, including the potential utility of diadochokinetic (DDK) tasks in assessment of motor speech disorders and the contraindication of nonspeech oral motor exercises to improve speech function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Maas
- a Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Temple University , Philadelphia , PA , USA
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Whitfield JA, Goberman AM. Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Effect of Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging on Dual-Task Performance. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2017; 60:1752-1765. [PMID: 28655039 DOI: 10.1044/2017_jslhr-s-16-0246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Everyday communication is carried out concurrently with other tasks. Therefore, determining how dual tasks interfere with newly learned speech motor skills can offer insight into the cognitive mechanisms underlying speech motor learning in Parkinson disease (PD). The current investigation examines a recently learned speech motor sequence under dual-task conditions. METHOD A previously learned sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords was examined using a dual-task paradigm. Participants repeated the sequence while concurrently performing a visuomotor task, and performance on both tasks was measured in single- and dual-task conditions. RESULTS The younger adult group exhibited little to no dual-task interference on the accuracy and duration of the sequence. The older adult group exhibited variability in dual-task costs, with the group as a whole exhibiting an intermediate, though significant, amount of dual-task interference. The PD group exhibited the largest degree of bidirectional dual-task interference among all the groups. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that PD affects the later stages of speech motor learning, as the dual-task condition interfered with production of the recently learned sequence beyond the effect of normal aging. Because the basal ganglia is critical for the later stages of motor sequence learning, the observed deficits may result from the underlying neural dysfunction associated with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Whitfield
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
| | - Alexander M Goberman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, OH
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