Work

Background noise inhibits listeners' use of contextual cues for dysarthric speech

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Contextual clues aid in speech perception, especially when the signal is degraded by speech disorders or background noise. This study examined whether different types of degradation affect how listeners use contextual predictability. Two groups of 50 listeners were tested across three conditions: dysarthric speech, neurotypical speech masked by noise, and dysarthric speech masked by noise. Listeners relied on semantic context similarly for dysarthric speech in quiet and neurotypical speech in noise (single degradations). However, when dysarthric speech was masked by noise (concurrent degradation), contextual benefit was greatly reduced. Findings highlight the communication burden noise adds for understanding dysarthric speech.

Source: JASA Express Letters

DOI: 10.1121/10.0042316

Authors: Katerina A. Tetzloff, Sarah E. Yoho, Eric W. Healy, Stephanie A. Borrie

Institutions: Stony Brook University, Utah State University, The Ohio State University

Language: English

Topic: Phonetics and Phonology Research

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders