Eye-Gaze tracking of normal listeners to alaryngeal speech

描述(由申请人提供)：接受过喉切除术(IWL)并使用另一种发音形式(即气管-食道[TE]、食道[ES]、电喉[EL])的个人语言清晰度降低。许多研究已经确定了可能导致语音可理解性降低的因素(例如，声学、空气动力学、运动学)，但这些研究侧重于说话人而不是听者。沟通障碍的其他领域已经认识到在讨论语言清晰度时听者的重要性。例如，据报道，对于熟悉特定形式的运动性言语障碍的正常听者(例如，Liss等人，2002年)或除了语音信号之外还被提供视觉线索的正常听者(例如，Hustad&Garcia，2005)，可理解性增加。除了听者在言语清晰度上的作用外，对于正常和听力受损的听者来说，视觉信息和提高言语清晰度的作用已经被很好地记录下来(例如，Brenatari&Wolk，1986；Walden，Busko，&Montgomery，1993)。然而，很少有研究着眼于视觉信息对说话人紊乱时语音可理解性的影响。我们有理由怀疑，与正常说话者相比，听者对失序说话者的表现可能会有所不同。例如，听者可能会被吻合口、解剖结构改变或喉部语音产生所固有的其他无关运动(例如，TE语音的数字闭塞、ES的食道内注入空气、EL语音的机械装置的存在)分散注意力。此外，由于解剖学或言语模式的这些变化，听者可能会接收到不协调的听觉和视觉信息(即McGurk效应；McGurk&McDonald)。本实验的目的是研究正常听者在听到喉音时视觉信息所起的作用。这将通过跟踪正常听者在听到正常的喉音和喉音时的眼睛凝视行为来实现。该项目的具体目标(SA)是：1)确定与正常喉部说话者交谈时的正常听者眼睛凝视行为(实验1)，2)确定与熟练、高清晰度喉音说话者交谈时的正常听者眼神凝视行为(实验1)，以及3)确定与低/中等清晰度喉音说话者交谈时的正常听者眼神凝视行为(实验2)。未来关于眼神跟踪行为和喉癌的研究将：1)更全面地了解IWL经历的语言清晰度下降；2)开发以提高喉咙语音清晰度为目标的治疗方法；3)更完整地了解IWL可能经历的潜在听者反应或行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Individuals who have had a laryngectomy (IWL) and who use an alternative form of voice (i.e., tracheosophageal [TE], esophageal [ES], electrolaryngeal [EL]) have reduced speech intelligibility. Much research has been done identifying factors that may contribute to the reductions in speech intelligibility (e.g., acoustic, aerodynamic, kinematic) but these studies have focused on the speaker and not the listener. Other areas of communication disorders have recognized the importance of the listener when discussing speech intelligibility. For example, increased intelligibility has been reported for normal listeners who were familiarized with a specific form of motor speech disorder (e.g., Liss et al, 2002) or who were provided visual cues in addition to the speech signal (e.g., Hustad & Garcia, 2005). Other than the listener's role on speech intelligibility, the role of visual information and increased speech intelligibility has been well documented for normal and hearing-impaired listeners (e.g., Brenatari & Wolk, 1986; Walden, Busacco, & Montgomery, 1993). However, few studies exist that look at the effects of visual information on speech intelligibility with disordered speakers. It is reasonable to suspect that listeners may behave differently with a disordered speaker than a normal speaker. For instance, listeners may be distracted by a stoma, altered anatomy, or other extraneous movements inherent to alaryngeal speech production (e.g., digital occlusion with TE speech, injection of air into the esophagus for ES, the presence of a mechanical device with EL speech). Furthermore, the listener may be receiving incongruent auditory and visual information (i.e., the McGurk Effect; McGurk & McDonald) because of these changes in anatomy or speech patterns. The purpose of this experiment will be to investigate the role of visual information on normal listeners when presented with alaryngeal speech. This will be accomplished by tracking the eye-gaze behaviors of normal listeners when presented with both normal, laryngeal and alaryngeal speech. Specific aims (SA) of the project are to: 1) determine normal listener eye-gaze behavior during conversation with a normal, laryngeal speaker (Experiment 1), 2) determine normal listener eye-gaze behavior during conversation with proficient, high-intelligibility alaryngeal speakers (Experiment 1), and 3) determine normal listener eye-gaze behavior during conversation with low/moderate-intelligibility alaryngeal speakers (Experiment 2). Future work involving eye-gaze tracking behavior and laryngeal cancer will: 1) lead to a more complete understanding of the decreases in speech intelligibility experienced by IWL, 2) lead to the development of therapeutic approaches that target increased alaryngeal speech intelligibility, and 3) provide a more complete understanding of potential listener reactions or behaviors that IWL may experience.