Aspects of speech motor control: programing of repetitive versus non-repetitive speech

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether time to program repetitive speech movements (RS) would be distinct from time to program non-repetitive speech movements (NRS) when the length of sequences is kept constant. Using an oral reading task, latencies for the initiation of RS and NRS were measured under two conditions which allowed delineation of the time necessary for perceptual processing separated from actual motor programing. The results show that latencies for NRS were significantly longer than for RS, indicating that the nature of an utterance, not simply its length, is a determinant of program complexity.