Enhanced speech sound perception through rhythmic motor priming in noisy conditions for adults who stutter

Increasing evidence suggests that individuals who stutter exhibit significant deficits in speech perception. However, previous research on therapeutic and alleviation strategies for stuttering has not adequately addressed this issue. This study leverages the benefits of rhythmic motor priming to assess its effectiveness in improving speech perception in adults who stutter. Fifty-six adults who stutter (AWS) participated in a speech perception experiment, where their accuracy rates and reaction times were recorded. A pairwise t-test and d-prime (D') statistic were employed to evaluate participants' performance in speech perception and the advantages conferred by motor priming. Rhythmic motor priming did not lead to significant improvements in accuracy or reaction time for speech in the quiet environment. However, when participants were exposed to speech in the presence of background noise, motor priming resulted in substantial improvements in both accuracy and reaction time. The findings of this study offer new methods and evidence for enhancing speech perception in noisy environments for adults who stutter (AWS), providing potential strategies to help them better cope with the challenges posed by everyday noisy settings.