Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
Published on: May 14, 2019
Please say what this word is-Vowel-extrinsic normalization in the sensorimotor control of speech
Nicolas J Bourguignon1, Shari R Baum2, Douglas M Shiller1
1École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie, University of Montreal, Centre de recherche, CHU Sainte-Justine.
Abstract:
The extent to which the adaptive nature of speech perception influences the acoustic targets underlying speech production is not well understood. For example, listeners can rapidly accommodate to talker-dependent phonetic properties-a process known as vowel-extrinsic normalization-without altering their speech output. Recent evidence, however, shows that reinforcement-based learning in vowel perception alters the processing of speech auditory feedback, impacting sensorimotor control during vowel production. This suggests that more automatic and ubiquitous forms of perceptual plasticity, such as those characterizing perceptual talker normalization, may also impact the sensorimotor control of speech. To test this hypothesis, we set out to examine the possible effects of vowel-extrinsic normalization on experimental subjects' interpretation of their own speech outcomes. By combining a well-known manipulation of vowel-extrinsic normalization with speech auditory-motor adaptation, we show that exposure to different vowel spectral properties subsequently alters auditory feedback processing during speech production, thereby influencing speech motor adaptation. These findings extend the scope of perceptual normalization processes to include auditory feedback and support the idea that naturally occurring adaptations found in speech perception impact speech production. (PsycINFO Database Record
Related Concept Videos
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
Hierarchy of Motor Control
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Indirect Motor Pathways
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Neural Regulation

