Older listeners' ability to comprehend speaker-generated rate alteration of passages

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of speaker-generated (natural) rate alteration on passage comprehension performance by healthy older listeners. Fourteen men and 14 women between 65 and 74 years of age were tested. The passages were recorded at 60% time compression, 0% alteration (normal rate), and at time expansion values of 140% and 180%. Comprehension was measured by scoring the responses made by subjects to questions that were pertinent to each passage. The data were analyzed for comprehension performance differences among the four rate alteration conditions and between the men and women. The group performed significantly more poorly only at 60% time compression when compared with normal rate; there were no differences among the three slower rates. The findings are compared with prior studies of rate-altered stimuli with older listeners and are discussed relative to potential differences in the responses of older persons to electronically altered as opposed to naturally altered speech rate.