Enhancing speech motor learning using visual biofeedback

使用视觉生物反馈增强言语运动学习

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05080
• 负责人: Shiller, Douglas
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Université de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=738053
• 关键词: Enhancing; speech; motor; learning; using

The ability to produce speech sounds depends critically on sensory input (how it sounds and feels) to provide talkers with information about the success or failure of their speech actions. This has been explored experimentally in numerous studies by manipulating sensory feedback in real-time (e.g., altering the speech acoustic signal) and measuring the degree to which talkers compensate for perceived sensory errors. The vast majority of these studies report successful speech learning following a brief, intense practice period, however the degree of adaptation is typically small and variable among subjects. Surprisingly, very little attention has been given to procedures or conditions that may serve to enhance the rate, extent, and generality of sensory-based speech learning. The proposed research program builds directly on my prior NSERC-funded research by exploring a number of specific ways in which speech motor learning might be enhanced, with a focus on enrichment of the sensory signals available to talkers during speech production. Central to this research is the use of visual biofeedback, which provides talkers with real-time information about critical aspects of speech that are typically outside of their conscious awareness and control. Two types of visual biofeedback will be explored: 1) using ultrasound to provide a real-time image of the tongue in the mouth, and 2) providing a simplified, real-time visual representation of the sound of speech. Visual biofeedback has recently shown promise as a potential clinical treatment for speech disorders in children and adults. To date, however, there has been a near complete lack of basic, systematic research on the mechanisms of speech learning that are presumed to underlie its use. Here, different forms of visual biofeedback will be examined in highly controlled speech learning tasks, using training procedures developed using principles of motor learning (established outside the domain of speech), in order to improve speech learning outcomes. The specific aims are to 1) explore how the presentation of visual biofeedback may be optimized during different speech tasks to maximize performance, retention and generalization of learning, 2) examine how individual talkers differ in their ability to use visual biofeedback during speech learning, and whether such differences relate to the accuracy of their sensory abilities (auditory and tongue-tactile), and 3) explore whether the ability to use visual biofeedback during speech learning is limited in younger children compared with older children and adults. Identifying conditions that can reliably increase the success of speech motor learning will not only teach us more about the brain's mechanisms for speech motor learning and control, but will provide a clear basis for improving such learning in real-world contexts, including the production of speech sounds in a new language, and in the behavioural treatment of speech disorders.

产生语音的能力在很大程度上取决于感官输入(它听起来和感觉如何)为说话者提供关于他们言语行为成功或失败的信息。这在许多研究中已经通过实时操纵感觉反馈(例如，改变语音声学信号)并测量说话者对感知到的感觉错误的补偿程度来进行实验探索。这些研究中的绝大多数报告说，在经过短暂而密集的练习后，成功地学习了言语，然而，适应的程度通常很小，而且在不同的受试者之间存在差异。令人惊讶的是，很少有人关注可能有助于提高基于感觉的言语学习的速度、范围和一般性的程序或条件。拟议的研究计划直接建立在我之前由NSERC资助的研究基础上，通过探索一些具体的方法来增强言语运动学习，重点是在言语产生过程中丰富说话者可用的感觉信号。这项研究的核心是视觉生物反馈的使用，它为说话者提供关于言语关键方面的实时信息，这些信息通常不在他们有意识的意识和控制范围之内。将探索两种类型的视觉生物反馈：1)使用超声波提供口腔中舌头的实时图像，2)提供简化的、实时的语音视觉表示。视觉生物反馈最近显示出作为儿童和成人言语障碍的潜在临床治疗的前景。然而，到目前为止，几乎完全缺乏对语音学习机制的基本、系统的研究，这些机制被认为是语音学习使用的基础。为了改善语音学习结果，在高度受控的语音学习任务中，将使用使用运动学习原理(建立在语音领域之外)开发的训练程序来检验不同形式的视觉生物反馈，以改善语音学习结果。其具体目的是：1)探索如何在不同的语音任务中优化视觉生物反馈的呈现，以最大化学习的表现、保持和概括；2)考察单个说话者在语音学习中使用视觉生物反馈的能力的差异，以及这种差异是否与他们的感觉能力(听觉和舌触)的准确性有关，3)探索在言语学习过程中使用视觉生物反馈的能力是否在年龄较小的儿童和成人中受到限制。找出能够可靠地提高言语运动学习成功率的条件，不仅会让我们更多地了解大脑的言语运动学习和控制机制，而且将为在现实世界中改进这种学习提供明确的基础，包括在新语言中产生语音声音，以及在言语障碍的行为治疗中。