Exploring the Impact of Two Feedback Types on Speech Intelligibility, Precision, and Naturalness

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Motor learning
• Second language acquisition

Background:

• Effective feedback strategies are crucial for motor skill acquisition.
• Understanding how different feedback types influence learning novel speech tasks is essential for optimizing training protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of knowledge of performance (KP) versus knowledge of results (KR) feedback on learning a novel speech task.
• To compare the efficacy of combined KP+KR feedback against individual feedback types.
• To inform future research with larger sample sizes and refined methodologies.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 24 native English-speaking adults learning novel Hindi phrases.
• Random assignment to three feedback groups: KP, KR, or combined KP+KR.
• Assessment of speech intelligibility, precision, and naturalness by blind native Hindi speakers at 1 day and 1 week post-training.

Main Results:

• Participants receiving KP and KP+KR feedback showed superior performance compared to KR alone at 1 day post-training.
• The KP feedback group demonstrated the best performance across all measures at 1 week post-training.
• Augmented feedback appears beneficial for learning novel speech skills, particularly when internal feedback mechanisms are limited.

Conclusions:

• Knowledge of performance feedback is more effective than knowledge of results for learning novel speech tasks.
• Augmented feedback, especially KP, can enhance motor learning principles in speech training.
• Findings may guide clinical applications for individuals with motor speech disorders.