The Brain Processes Underlying Speech Motor Learning and Speech Production

Summary

The aim of this research is to develop protocols that selectively target and improve speech-motor learning processes. Participants will be asked to name pictures, read words/sentences, and listen to sounds while their speech signals will be collected during the study.

Conditions

• Healthy Adults

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Effects of speech variability on speech motor learning

This intervention will examine whether reducing normal variability of speech could improve error detection and speech motor learning. We will design training tasks to change subjects' speech variability. We will train subjects to decrease/decrease their speech variability. Upon completing the training tasks, subjects will complete a motor learning task.

BEHAVIORAL

Effects of error-detection training on speech motor learning

This intervention will examine whether improving subjects' ability to detect and estimate auditory perturbation could improve speech motor learning. For this purpose, we will design training tasks to change subjects' estimation of the perturbation magnitude. After completing the training tasks, subjects will complete the motor learning task.

BEHAVIORAL

Contributions of error awareness to speech motor learning

This intervention will examine the contributions of error awareness to speech motor learning. Subjects will produce a target word while receiving perturbed auditory feedback with different magnitudes. Subjects will be trained to indicate the magnitude of the error they perceived with or without visual feedback.

BEHAVIORAL

Enhancing auditory-to-motor mapping with augmented visual feedback

This intervention will determine the contributions of enhanced auditory-to-motor mappings to speech motor learning. We will design training tasks in which we will use visual feedback to provide feedback regarding subjects' accuracy of auditory-to-motor mapping.

BEHAVIORAL

Effects of enhanced auditory-motor awareness on speech motor learning

In this intervention, subjects will be trained to control their articulators more accurately and be more aware of their articulators' position and their auditory consequences. After the training tasks, subjects will complete a motor learning task.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

  collaborator NIH

• Arizona State University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-06-01

Primary Completion

2026-08-31

Completion

2026-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations