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Does passive sound attenuation affect responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback?
Matthias K Franken1, Robert J Hartsuiker1, Petter Johansson2
1Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|January 3, 2020
Summary
Altered auditory feedback (AAF) studies in speech production may be confounded by non-manipulated sound. This study found that passive sound attenuation levels did not significantly alter vocal responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback.
Area of Science:
- Speech Production
- Auditory Feedback
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Altered auditory feedback (AAF) is commonly used to study vocal production.
- Current theories propose that vocal compensation to AAF arises from a sensory mismatch.
- A methodological challenge in AAF research is isolating auditory feedback, potentially leading to participants hearing both manipulated and non-manipulated signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of passive sound attenuation (PSA) on vocal responses to AAF.
- To test the hypothesis that responses to AAF depend on the contrast between manipulated and non-manipulated auditory feedback.
Main Methods:
- Participants vocalized while their auditory feedback was pitch-shifted.
- The pitch-shifted auditory feedback was delivered through headphones with three different levels of passive sound attenuation (PSA).
- Vocal responses were analyzed across varying PSA conditions.
Main Results:
- Vocal responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback were not significantly affected by the different levels of passive sound attenuation.
- This suggests that either the PSA was sufficient to make the manipulated feedback dominant, or the differences in PSA were too small to influence the contribution of non-manipulated feedback.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights the potential impact of non-manipulated auditory feedback on responses to AAF.
- Researchers should consider the contribution of unmanipulated auditory feedback when designing and interpreting AAF experiments in speech production.
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