VISUAL PROCESSES IN SPEECH PERCEPTION

拟议研究的长期目标是制定一项全面的 模型来解释视觉信息在言语感知中的作用。 语音阅读是人类信息处理的一种形式， 观察者从一个人的动作中获得语言信息。 说话人的脸。 几乎所有的人，尤其是有听力的人 损失，在困难的听力情况下依赖视觉信息。 的 本研究的主要目的是：1）研究视觉注意， 在视觉语音感知过程中面部运动的特定区域， 不同的演讲阅读能力的人; 2）确定 如果对面部运动的特定区域的注意力改变， 阅读能力提高。项目1：感知任务的表现 视觉语音处理将指定面部运动的参数， 视觉言语刺激和研究如何speechreaders出席，选择和 使用面部运动进行视觉语音感知。图像处理 技术，如光流分析，将被用来量化的脸， 运动，并测试有关语音的视觉语音线索的假设 perception. 眼睛监测技术将被用来精确地 确定语音阅读器关注的面部区域。比较 将在不同言语阅读能力的成年人中进行。 受试者包括听力正常和听力损失的人， 先天性、早发性或成人型。 项目2：感知的机会 提高语音阅读准确性的能力将决定1）如果 练习过程中刺激、反馈和任务可变性得到改善 保留和转移，以及2）如果改善的受试者改变模式 对包含视觉语音的面部区域的注意和选择 线索 实验组和对照组具有相似的听力和 将比较康复史。 科学知识 视觉言语知觉将有助于感官的发展 艾滋病，自动语音识别系统，和研究为基础的 干预协议以增强言语感知。

The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop a comprehensive model to explain the role of visual information in speech perception. Speechreading, a form of human information processing, requires an observer to obtain linguistic information from the movements of a talker's face. Virtually all people, and especially people with hearing loss, rely on visual information in difficult listening situations. The major objectives of this research are: 1) to study visual attention to specific regions of face motion during visual speech perception for individuals who differ in speechreading proficiency; and 2) to determine if attention to specific regions of face motion changes when speechreading improves. Project 1: performance on perceptual tasks in visual speech processing will specify parameters of face motion for visual speech stimuli and study how speechreaders attend to, select and use face motion for visual speech perception. Image processing techniques, such as optic flow analysis, will be used to quantify face motion, and test hypotheses about visual phonetic cues for speech perception. Eye-monitoring techniques will be used to precisely determine facial regions attended to by the speechreader. Comparisons will be made among adults who differ in speechreading proficiency. Subjects include those with normal hearing and hearing loss that may have a congenital-, early-, or adult-onset. Project 2: Chances in perceptual capabilities for improved speechreading accuracy will determine 1) if stimulus, feedback, and task variability during practice improve retention and transfer, and 2) if subjects who improve change patterns of attention and selection for facial regions containing visual phonetic cues. Experimental and control subjects with similar hearing and rehabilitation histories will be compared. Scientific knowledge about visual speech perception will contribute to the development of sensory aids, automatic speech recognition systems, and research-based intervention protocols to augment speech perception.