Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation
Despite ample evidence that speech production is associated with extensive trial-to-trial variability, it remains unclear whether this variability represents merely unwanted system noise or an actively regulated mechanism that is fundamental for maintaining and adapting accurate speech movements. Re...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.890065/full |
| _version_ | 1818535575173464064 |
|---|---|
| author | Hantao Wang Ludo Max Ludo Max |
| author_facet | Hantao Wang Ludo Max Ludo Max |
| author_sort | Hantao Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite ample evidence that speech production is associated with extensive trial-to-trial variability, it remains unclear whether this variability represents merely unwanted system noise or an actively regulated mechanism that is fundamental for maintaining and adapting accurate speech movements. Recent work on upper limb movements suggest that inter-trial variability may be not only actively regulated based on sensory feedback, but also provide a type of workspace exploration that facilitates sensorimotor learning. We therefore investigated whether experimentally reducing or magnifying inter-trial formant variability in the real-time auditory feedback during speech production (a) leads to adjustments in formant production variability that compensate for the manipulation, (b) changes the temporal structure of formant adjustments across productions, and (c) enhances learning in a subsequent adaptation task in which a predictable formant-shift perturbation is applied to the feedback signal. Results show that subjects gradually increased formant variability in their productions when hearing auditory feedback with reduced variability, but subsequent formant-shift adaptation was not affected by either reducing or magnifying the perceived variability. Thus, findings provide evidence for speakers’ active control of inter-trial formant variability based on auditory feedback from previous trials, but–at least for the current short-term experimental manipulation of feedback variability–not for a role of this variability regulation mechanism in subsequent auditory-motor learning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:26:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-486c67f910434ec188769e16d49477e4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:26:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-486c67f910434ec188769e16d49477e42022-12-22T00:55:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612022-07-011610.3389/fnhum.2022.890065890065Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant PerturbationHantao Wang0Ludo Max1Ludo Max2Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesHaskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United StatesDespite ample evidence that speech production is associated with extensive trial-to-trial variability, it remains unclear whether this variability represents merely unwanted system noise or an actively regulated mechanism that is fundamental for maintaining and adapting accurate speech movements. Recent work on upper limb movements suggest that inter-trial variability may be not only actively regulated based on sensory feedback, but also provide a type of workspace exploration that facilitates sensorimotor learning. We therefore investigated whether experimentally reducing or magnifying inter-trial formant variability in the real-time auditory feedback during speech production (a) leads to adjustments in formant production variability that compensate for the manipulation, (b) changes the temporal structure of formant adjustments across productions, and (c) enhances learning in a subsequent adaptation task in which a predictable formant-shift perturbation is applied to the feedback signal. Results show that subjects gradually increased formant variability in their productions when hearing auditory feedback with reduced variability, but subsequent formant-shift adaptation was not affected by either reducing or magnifying the perceived variability. Thus, findings provide evidence for speakers’ active control of inter-trial formant variability based on auditory feedback from previous trials, but–at least for the current short-term experimental manipulation of feedback variability–not for a role of this variability regulation mechanism in subsequent auditory-motor learning.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.890065/fullspeech motor controlvariabilityadaptationauditory feedbackacousticsarticulation |
| spellingShingle | Hantao Wang Ludo Max Ludo Max Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience speech motor control variability adaptation auditory feedback acoustics articulation |
| title | Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation |
| title_full | Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation |
| title_fullStr | Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation |
| title_short | Inter-Trial Formant Variability in Speech Production Is Actively Controlled but Does Not Affect Subsequent Adaptation to a Predictable Formant Perturbation |
| title_sort | inter trial formant variability in speech production is actively controlled but does not affect subsequent adaptation to a predictable formant perturbation |
| topic | speech motor control variability adaptation auditory feedback acoustics articulation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.890065/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hantaowang intertrialformantvariabilityinspeechproductionisactivelycontrolledbutdoesnotaffectsubsequentadaptationtoapredictableformantperturbation AT ludomax intertrialformantvariabilityinspeechproductionisactivelycontrolledbutdoesnotaffectsubsequentadaptationtoapredictableformantperturbation AT ludomax intertrialformantvariabilityinspeechproductionisactivelycontrolledbutdoesnotaffectsubsequentadaptationtoapredictableformantperturbation |