Enhanced audiovisual integration with aging in speech perception: a heightened McGurk effect in older adults

Two experiments compared young and older adults in order to examine whether aging leads to a larger dependence on visual articulatory movements in auditory-visual speech perception. These experiments examined accuracy and response time in syllable identification for auditory-visual (AV) congruent and incongruent stimuli. There were also auditory-only (AO) and visual-only (VO) presentation modes. Data were analyzed only for participants with normal hearing. It was found that the older adults were more strongly influenced by visual speech than the younger ones for acoustically identical signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of auditory speech (Experiment 1). This was also confirmed when the SNRs of auditory speech were calibrated for the equivalent AO accuracy between the two age groups (Experiment 2). There were no aging-related differences in VO lipreading accuracy. Combined with response time data, this enhanced visual influence for the older adults was likely to be associated with an aging-related delay in auditory processing

Advanced aging effects on implicit motor imagery and its links to motor performance: An investigation via mental rotation of letters, hands, and feet

This study focuses on changes in implicit motor imagery during advanced aging and these changes’ co-occurrences with physical motor deficits. We administered a mental rotation (MR) task with letters, hands, and feet to 28 young adults (20–27 years) and to 71 older adults (60–87 years), and assessed motor skills (gait mobility and hand dexterity) and neuropsychological performance. Compared to young adults, older adults showed lower MR performance for all stimuli and stronger biomechanical constraint effects on both hand and foot rotation. Moreover, the foot biomechanical constraint effect continued to increase during late adulthood, and declines in hand and foot motor imagery emerged at earlier old ages than declines in visual imagery. These results first demonstrated distinct aging trajectories of hand motor imagery, foot motor imagery, and visual imagery. Exploratory partial correlation analysis for older adults showed positive associations of low-level perceptual-motor skills (Trail Making Test-A performance) with hand and foot MR performance and positive associations of mobility (Timed Up and Go test performance) with foot and letter MR performance. These associations exhibited somewhat different patterns from those of young adults and raised the possibility that age-related declines in motor (and visual) imagery co-occur with declines in motor functioning

音声知覚における読唇情報利用度と外国語習熟度の関係

金沢大学文学部発話中の口の形の映像と、それとは矛盾する音声を組み合わせて作られたビデオを見ると、音声の聞こえが口の形に影響されるという現象がおこる。この現象がマガ-ク効果と呼ばれ、人間が聴覚と視覚情報をいかに統合して音声を知覚するかを調べるパラダイムとして用いられている。先行研究では、日本人ではアメリカ人ほど強い視覚の効果はみられないが、いずれの被験者群でも、母国語の刺激より外国語の刺激に対してマガ-ク効果が強く生じると報告されている。本研究では、このような被験者の言語的要因が視聴覚統合様式に及ぼす影響を検討した。まず実験1で、中国人被験者におけるマガ-ク効果の強さを、日本語刺激と英語刺激を用いて調べたところ、中国人は日本人と同様、アメリカ人よりもマガ-ク効果が生じにくく、聴覚重視の統合様式がうかがわれた。この実験では、日本に滞在している留学生を被験者としていたが、被験者の日本滞在期間とマガ-ク効果の強さとの間に中程度の正の相関が見いだされた。実験2で、母国語の刺激より外国語の刺激に対してマガ-ク効果が強く生じるという「外国語効果」の有無を、中国人被験者と日本人被験者について、中国語刺激と日本語刺激を用いて検討した。その結果、日本人被験者では外国語効果が再現されたが、中国人被験者では中国語刺激と日本語刺激との間に差はみられなかった。実験3では、外国語習得によって音声知覚における視聴覚統合の様式が変化するかどうかを、中国人の留学生46名(23〜35歳)を被験者として検討した。マガ-ク効果の強さと、被験者の年齢、日本に来てからの年数、日本語の習熟度などとの関係を調べたところ、日本語の習熟度と滞日年数がマガ-ク効果の強さと関連をもっていることはうかがわれたが、年齢など他の要因の影響も大きく、剰余変数の統制なしに単純な結論は導けないことが明らかとなった。The McGurk effect is an audiovisual illusion which shows that visual lip information is integrated with conflicting auditory information during speech perception, demonstrating that speech perception is not a solely auditory process in face-to-face communication, but a multimodal process. Our previous research has shown that the McGurk effect is stronger for auditory speech in foreign languages both in native speakers of Japanese and American English, although the visual effect is weaker for the Japanese than for the Americans. The present study investigated such linguistic factors in audiovisual speech perception.In Experiment 1, native speakers of Chinese were tested with Japanese and English stimuli. The McGurk effect was as weak as for our previously tested Japanese subjects, suggesting an audition-biased manner of processing in the Chinese subjects as well. These subjects, who lived in Japan after finishing college in China, showed a positive correlation between the time they had spent in Japan and the size of the McGurk effect.In Experiment 2, we tested the "foreign language effect hypothesis" that the McGurk effect is stronger for auditory speech in foreign languages, by testing native speakers of Chinese and Japanese with Chinese and Japanese stimuli. The results showed that the hypothesis was true only for the Japanese subjects and that the Chinese subjects did not show any differences between the Japanese and Chinese stimuli.Experiment 3 examined the effect of second language (Japanese) proficiency on the McGurk effect, by testing forty six native speakers of Chinese. The results suggested some evidence for such an effect, but there were extra variables such as age which should be controlled before a definite conclusion.研究課題/領域番号:08610076, 研究期間(年度):1996 – 1997出典：研究課題「音声知覚における読唇情報利用度と外国語習熟度の関係」課題番号08610076（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/report/KAKENHI-PROJECT-08610076/086100761997kenkyu_seika_hokoku_gaiyo/）を加工して作

読唇情報が音声知覚に及ぼす影響の文化的起源

金沢大学文学部研究課題/領域番号:04851019, 研究期間(年度):1992出典：研究課題「読唇情報が音声知覚に及ぼす影響の文化的起源」課題番号04851019（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-04851019/）を加工して作

Musical instrument training program improves verbal memory and neural efficiency in novice older adults

楽器訓練で高齢者の認知機能が向上することを確認 --訓練による脳活動の変化を高齢者で初報告--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-12-24.Previous studies indicate that musical instrument training may improve the cognitive function of older adults. However, little is known about the neural origins of training‐related improvement in cognitive function. Here, we assessed the effects of instrumental training program on cognitive functions and neural efficiency in musically naïve older adults (61–85 years old). Participants were assigned to either the intervention group, which received a 4‐month instrumental training program using keyboard harmonica, or a control group without any alternative training. Cognitive measurements and functional magnetic resonance imaging during visual working memory (VWM) task were administered before and after the intervention in both groups. Behavioral data revealed that the intervention group significantly improved memory performance on the test that measures verbal recall compared to the control group. Neuroimaging data revealed that brain activation in the right supplementary motor area, left precuneus, and bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus (PCgG) during the VWM task decreased after instrumental training only in the intervention group. Task‐related functional connectivity (FC) analysis revealed that the intervention group showed decreased FC between the right PCgG and left middle temporal gyrus, and between the left putamen and right superior temporal gyrus (lPu‐rSTG) during a VWM task after the intervention. Furthermore, a greater improvement in memory performance in the intervention group was associated with a larger reduction in lPu‐rSTG FC, which might be interpreted as improved neural efficiency. Our results indicate that the musical instrument training program may contribute to improvements in verbal memory and neural efficiency in novice older adults

The Japanese translation of the Gold-MSI: Adaptation and validation of the self-report questionnaire of musical sophistication

This study presents a Japanese translation of the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI). The index consists of 38 self-report questions and provides a general sophistication score as well as subscale scores for Active Engagement, Perceptual Abilities, Musical Training, Singing Abilities, and Emotions. The validation of the translation with 689 native Japanese speakers indicated excellent internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the bifactor model structure formulated by the original study of Gold-MSI is maintained reasonably in our data. The strengths of the Gold-MSI self-report inventory are (1) it offers a multifaceted view of musical sophistication, (2) a subset of five subscales can be used to measure different aspects of musical sophistication independently, and (3) the ease of administration as it is a self-report questionnaire. In view of the fact that this inventory and its translations increasingly contribute to research on musical expertise, skills, and abilities, having a Japanese translation may enhance future research in these areas even further

Effects of a 10-week musical instrument training on cognitive function in healthy older adults: implications for desirable tests and period of training

IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that musical instrument training programs of 16 or more weeks improve verbal memory (Logical Memory Test delayed recall), processing speed (Digit Symbol Coding Test), and executive function (Trail Making Test Part B) of musically untrained healthy older adults. However, it is unclear whether shorter-period instrument training can yield similar effects. We sought to (1) verify those results and (2) clarify if intervention effects could be detected using other measures such as reaction time.MethodsHealthy older adults (mean age = 73.28 years) were pseudo-randomly assigned to an untrained control group (n = 30) or an intervention group (n = 30) that received a weekly 10-session musical instrument training program (using melodica). We conducted neuropsychological tests on which intervention effects or association with musical training were reported in previous studies. We newly included two reaction time tasks to assess verbal working memory (Sternberg task) and rhythm entrainment (timing task). Intervention effects were determined using a “group × time” analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsThe intervention effects were detected on the reaction time in Sternberg task and phonological verbal fluency. Although intervention effects had been reported on Logical Memory test, Digit Symbol Coding Test and Trail Making Test in previous studies with longer training periods, the present study did not show such effects. Instead, the test-retest practice effect, indicated by significant improvement in the control group, was significant on these tests.DiscussionThe present results indicated the usefulness of working memory assessments (Verbal Fluency Test and Sternberg task) in detecting the effects of short-term melodica training in healthy older adults. The practice effect detected on those three tasks may be due to the shorter interval between pre- and post-intervention assessments and may have obscured intervention effects. Additionally, the findings suggested the requirement for an extended interval between pre- and post-tests to capture rigorous intervention effects, although this should be justified by a manipulation of training period

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on twelve research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00117National Institutes of Health Contract 2 P01 DC00361National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant R01-DC00270U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Contract AFOSR-90-0200National Institutes of Health Grant R29-DC00625U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-88-K-0604U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1454U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-1814U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-M-1213U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-C-0055U.S. Navy - Naval Training Systems Center Contract N61339-93-C-0083U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-4005U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-93-1-119

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on twelve research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC02032National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant 2 R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC-5-2107National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00100U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N61339-96-K-0002U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N61339-96-K-0003U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-97-1-0635U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-97-1-0655U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0379U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0202National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 NS33778Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Innovative Minimally Invasive Therapy Research Fellowship Gran

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on fourteen research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC02032National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC52107U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-95-K-0014U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0003U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0379U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-95-1-0176U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0202U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0002National Institutes of Health Grant R01-NS33778U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-184