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The sensitivity of auditory-motor representations to subtle changes in auditory feedback while singing.
Dwayne Keough1, Jeffery A Jones
1Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|July 31, 2009
Summary
Trained singers exhibit superior vocal control and pitch accuracy compared to untrained individuals. Singers demonstrate heightened sensitivity to altered auditory feedback, enabling quicker and more precise pitch adjustments during singing.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Speech Physiology
- Vocal Performance Science
Background:
- Accurate control of vocal fundamental frequency (F0) is crucial for singing.
- Understanding how auditory feedback influences vocal production is key to vocal training and rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sensitivity of trained singers and nonsingers to frequency-altered auditory feedback (FAF).
- To examine how FAF affects the mapping between auditory feedback and vocal fundamental frequency (F0) control.
- To compare the precision and timing of vocal adjustments between singers and nonsingers under FAF conditions.
Main Methods:
- Participants (trained singers and nonsingers) produced the consonant-vowel /ta/ syllable.
- Auditory feedback was manipulated by shifting the voice frequency up and down.
- Vocal fundamental frequency (F0) and compensatory responses were analyzed, focusing on initial vocalization latency and magnitude.
Main Results:
- Both singers and nonsingers compensated for FAF, but singers maintained F0 closer to the target pitch.
- Singers initiated compensatory responses at smaller feedback shifts (≥6 cents) than nonsingers (≥26 cents up, ≥22 cents down).
- Singers' internal models for vocal F0 regulation appear more sensitive to subtle auditory feedback discrepancies.
Conclusions:
- Singers possess a more finely tuned auditory-vocal feedback system for pitch control.
- Enhanced sensitivity to auditory feedback in singers allows for more accurate and rapid vocal adjustments.
- These findings have implications for vocal training methodologies and understanding the neural basis of expert vocal performance.
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