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）并使用替代声音形式（即，气管食管[TE]、食管[ES]、电喉[EL]）的语音清晰度降低。已经进行了许多研究来识别可能导致语音清晰度降低的因素（例如，声学的、空气动力学的、运动学的），但是这些研究集中在说话者而不是收听者。其他领域的沟通障碍已经认识到的重要性，听众在讨论语音清晰度。例如，对于熟悉特定形式的运动言语障碍（例如，利斯等，2002）或除了语音信号之外还被提供视觉提示的人（例如，Hustad & Garcia，2005）。除了收听者对语音可懂度的作用之外，视觉信息和增加的语音可懂度的作用对于正常和听力受损的收听者（例如，Brenatari & Wolk，1986;瓦尔登，Bushmann，&蒙哥马利，1993）。然而，很少有研究存在，看看视觉信息对语音清晰度与障碍扬声器的影响。我们有理由怀疑，听众对一个说话混乱的人的行为可能与对一个正常说话的人的行为不同。例如，听者可能会被造口、改变的解剖结构或喉语音产生所固有的其他外来运动（例如，指状闭塞伴TE发音、向食管内注入空气用于ES、存在机械装置伴EL发音）。此外，收听者可能正在接收不一致的听觉和视觉信息（即，McGurk效应; McGurk & McDonald），因为解剖学或言语模式的这些变化。本实验的目的是研究视觉信息在正常人听无喉言语时的作用。这将是通过跟踪正常听众的眼睛注视行为时，提出了正常，喉和无喉的讲话。该项目的具体目标是：1）在与正常的喉部说话者谈话期间确定正常的听者眼睛注视行为（实验1），2）确定在与熟练的、高可懂度的喉说话者交谈期间的正常听者眼睛注视行为（实验1），以及3）确定在与低/中等可懂度的喉说话者交谈期间的正常听者眼睛注视行为（实验2）。未来的工作涉及眼注视跟踪行为和喉癌将：1）导致更完整的理解，在语言清晰度的下降所经历的IWL，2）导致治疗方法的发展，目标是提高喉语言清晰度，和3）提供一个更完整的理解潜在的听众的反应或行为，IWL可能会遇到。

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.