Interaction between auditory and oral sensory feedback in speech regulation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Speech Science
• Auditory Perception

Background:

• Speech production relies on intricate sensory feedback loops.
• The interplay between auditory and oral sensory information is crucial for maintaining speech stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interaction between auditory and oral sensory feedback during speech production.
• To determine how auditory masking affects lingual sensory thresholds and speech articulation.

Main Methods:

• Lingual vibrotactile thresholds were measured before and after speech tasks under normal and masked auditory conditions.
• Duration measurements of speech sounds were analyzed to assess temporal changes in articulation.

Main Results:

• A decrease in lingual sensory perception and temporal reorganization of speech patterns were observed exclusively in subjects speaking under auditory masking.
• No significant changes were noted in control conditions without speech tasks or with normal auditory feedback.

Conclusions:

• A balanced interaction exists between auditory and oral sensory feedback in speech production.
• Disturbing this balance, specifically through auditory masking, results in non-phonemic alterations in speech output.