Eye-Gaze tracking of normal listeners to alaryngeal speech

描述（由申请人提供）：接受喉切除术（IWL）并使用其他声音形式（即气管食道[TE]，食道[ES]，喉电[EL]）的个体言语清晰度降低。许多研究已经确定了可能导致语音清晰度降低的因素（例如，声学，空气动力学，运动学），但这些研究都集中在说话者而不是听者身上。沟通障碍的其他领域已经认识到在讨论言语可理解性时听者的重要性。例如，据报道，熟悉特定形式的运动言语障碍的正常听者（例如，Liss等人，2002年）或在语音信号之外提供视觉线索的听者（例如，Hustad & Garcia， 2005年）的可理解性有所提高。除了听者在言语可理解性方面的作用外，视觉信息和言语可理解性的提高在正常和听力受损听者中也起到了很好的作用（例如，Brenatari & Wolk, 1986; Walden, Busacco, & Montgomery, 1993）。然而，很少有研究关注视觉信息对说话障碍者言语清晰度的影响。我们有理由怀疑，听者对一个说话不正常的人的行为可能与对一个说话不正常的人的行为不同。例如，听者可能会因造口、解剖结构改变或其他咽音语音产生所固有的外来运动而分心（例如，带TE语音的指指闭塞、带ES语音的空气注入食管、带EL语音的机械装置的存在）。此外，听者可能会接收到不一致的听觉和视觉信息（即McGurk效应；McGurk & McDonald），因为这些解剖学或言语模式的变化。本实验的目的是研究视觉信息在正常听者听到咽音语音时的作用。这将通过跟踪正常听众在听到正常、喉音和咽音讲话时的注视行为来完成。该项目的具体目标（SA）是：1)确定与正常喉音说话者交谈时听者的正常目光行为（实验1），2)确定与熟练的高可听性喉音说话者交谈时听者的正常目光行为（实验1），以及3)确定与低/中等可听性喉音说话者交谈时听者的正常目光行为（实验2）。涉及眼球追踪行为和喉癌的未来工作将：1)导致对IWL所经历的言语清晰度下降的更全面的了解，2)导致针对提高喉部言语清晰度的治疗方法的发展，以及3)提供对IWL可能经历的潜在听者反应或行为的更全面的了解。

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.