EFFECTS OF PRACTICE ON SPEECH OUTPUT FOR CHILDREN

练习对儿童言语输出的影响

• 批准号: 6838399
• 负责人: KATHRYN D DRAGER
• 金额: $ 7.2万
• 依托单位: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6838399
• 关键词: behavioral /social science research tag; clinical research; comprehension; education evaluation /planning; experience; human subject; patient oriented research; preschool child (1-5); speech; speech synthesizers; training; vocabulary

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Children and adults with significant communication challenges may rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to communicate. Electronic communication devices that produce synthesized/digitized speech offer significant advantages to interaction, but only if the speech is sufficiently intelligible to the user and his or her communication partners. The intelligibility of synthesized speech is consistently lower than natural speech, due to fewer cues available in the signal, and the limited attentional resources available to listeners to process the speech. One way to improve the intelligibility of speech output is by training the listener to better recognize and understand the output. The present application will address the question of whether a practice program will significantly improve the intelligibility of speech output for young children. A developmental perspective will be taken to investigate the performance of three- and four-year-old children. The first aim of the application is to compare the effects of using words, sentences, and narratives as practice materials in increasing the intelligibility of synthesized speech for three- and four-year-old listeners. A Three Factor Mixed design will be used. Children will be assigned to one of four conditions (word, sentence, narrative-level practice, or no-training control group). Children in practice conditions will participate in four 20-minute practice sessions. The independent variables will include age, the practice materials, and time. The dependent measures will include intelligibility of single words and intelligibility of sentences. The second aim is to compare the effectiveness of two practice programs that differ in amount of listener engagement with the materials in increasing the intelligibility and comprehension of digitized and synthesized speech for three- and four-year-old listeners. The second experiment will use a Four Factor Mixed design, using age, speech type, the amount of engagement in the practice program, and time as independent variables. The dependent measures will include intelligibility of single words and comprehension of commands.

描述（由申请人提供）：有重大沟通障碍的儿童和成人可以依靠辅助和替代沟通（AAC）系统进行沟通。产生合成/数字化语音的电子通信设备为交互提供了显著的优势，但前提是语音对于用户和他或她的通信伙伴来说是足够可理解的。合成语音的可懂度始终低于自然语音，这是由于信号中可用的线索较少，以及听众可用于处理语音的注意力资源有限。提高语音输出的可懂度的一种方法是训练听者更好地识别和理解输出。本申请将解决练习程序是否将显著提高幼儿语音输出的可懂度的问题。本研究将从发展的角度探讨三、四岁儿童的表现。 应用程序的第一个目的是比较使用单词，句子和叙述作为练习材料的效果，以增加三岁和四岁的听众合成语音的可理解性。将使用三因素混合设计。孩子们将被分配到四个条件之一（单词，句子，叙事水平的做法，或无培训控制组）。在实践条件下的儿童将参加四个20分钟的实践会议。自变量包括年龄、练习材料和时间。相关的测量将包括单个单词的可懂度和句子的可懂度。 第二个目的是比较两个实践计划的有效性，不同的听众参与的材料，在增加可理解性和理解的数字化和合成语音为三，四岁的听众。第二个实验将使用四因素混合设计，使用年龄，言语类型，练习项目的参与量和时间作为自变量。相关的测量将包括单个单词的可理解性和命令的理解。