Does Auditory-Motor Learning of Speech Transfer from the CV Syllable to the CVCV Word?

International audienceSpeech is often described as a sequence of units associating linguistic, sensory and motor representations. Is the connection between these representations preferentially maintained at a specific level in terms of a linguistic unit? In the present study, we contrasted the possibility of a link at the level of the syllable (CV) and the word (CVCV). We modified the production of the syllable /be/ in French speakers using an auditory-motor adaptation paradigm that consists of altering the speakers' auditory feedback. After stopping the perturbation, we studied to what extent this modification would transfer to the production of the disyllabic word /bebe/ and compared it to the after-effect on /be/. The results show that changes in /be/ transfer partially to /bebe/. The partial influence of the somatosensory and motor representations associated with the syllable on the production of the disyllabic word suggests that both units may contribute to the specification of the motor goals in speech sequences. In addition, the transfer occurs to a larger extent in the first syllable of /bebe/ than in the second one. It raises new questions about a possible interaction between the transfer of auditory-motor learning and serial control processes

De bé à bébé : le transfert d'apprentissage auditori-moteur pour interroger l'unité de production de la parole

International audienceSpeech is often described as a sequence of units associating linguistic, sensory and motor representations. Are these representations linked at the level of a specific unit, for example, the syllable or the word? In the present study, we contrast these two hypotheses. We modified the production of the syllable “bé” (/be/) in French speakers using an auditory-motor adaptation paradigm that consists in altering the speakers’ auditory feedback. We studied how this modification then transfers to the production of the word “bébé” (/bebe/). The results suggest a link between linguistic and motor representations both at the word and the syllable level. They also show an effect of the position of the syllable in the transfer word, which raises new interrogations about serialcontrol of speech.La parole est souvent décrite comme une mise en séquence d'unités associant des représentations linguistiques, sensorielles et motrices. Le lien entre ces représentations se fait-il de manière privilégiée sur une unité spécifique ? Par exemple, est-ce la syllabe ou le mot ? Dans cette étude, nous voulons contraster ces deux hypothèses. Pour cela, nous avons modifié chez des locuteurs du français la production de la syllabe « bé », selon un paradigme d'adaptation auditori-motrice, consistant à perturber le retour auditif. Nous avons étudié comment cette modification se transfère ensuite à la production du mot « bébé ». Les résultats suggèrent un lien entre représentations linguistiques et motrices à plusieurs niveaux, à la fois celui du mot et de la syllabe. Ils montrent également une influence de la position de la syllabe dans le mot sur le transfert, qui soulève de nouvelles questions sur le contrôle sériel de la parole

From Sensorimotor Experience To Speech Unit -Adaptation to altered auditory feedback in speech to assess transfer of learning in complex serial movements

International audienceUsing bird song as a model to understand generalization in motor learning, Hoffman and Sober recently found that adaptation to pitch-shift of birds’ vocal output transfered to the production of the same sounds embedded in a different serial context (J. Neurosc 2014). In humans, speech learning has been found to transfer as a function of the acoustical similarity between the training and the testing utterances (Cai et al. 2010, Rochet-Capellan et al. 2011) but it is unclear if transfer of learning is sensitive to serial order. We investigate the effects of serial order on transfer of speech motor learning using non-words sequences of CV syllables. Three groups of native speakers of French were trained to produce the syllable /be/ repetitively while their auditory feedback was altered in real time toward /ba/. They were then tested for transfer toward /be/ (control), /bepe/ or /pebe/ under normal feedback conditions. The training utterance was then produced again to test for after-effects. The auditory shift was achieved in real time using Audapter software (Cai et al. 2008). Adaptation and transfer effects were quantified in terms of changes in formants frequencies of the vowel /e/, as a function of its position and the preceding consonant in the utterance. Changes in formant frequencies in a direction opposite to the shift were significant for ~80% of the participants. Adaptation was still significant for the three groups in the after-effect block. Transfer effects in the /bepe/ and /pebe/ groups were globally smaller than that of the control group, particularly when the vowel /e/ came after /p/ and/or was in second position in the utterance. Taken together, the results suggest that transfer of speech motor learning is not homogenous and as observed by Hoffman and Sober, depends on the serial context of a sound within the utterance.Cai S, Boucek M, Ghosh SS, Guenther FH, Perkell JS. (2008). A system foronline dynamic perturbation of formant frequencies and results from perturbation of the Mandarin triphthong /iau/. In Proceedings of the 8th Intl. Seminar on Speech Production, Strasbourg, France, Dec. 8-12, 2008. pp. 65Cai, S., Ghosh, S. S., Guenther, F. H., & Perkell, J. S. (2010). Adaptive auditory feedback control of the production of formant trajectories in the Mandarin triphthong/iau/and its pattern of generalization. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(4), 2033-2048.Hoffmann, L. A., & Sober, S. J. (2014). Vocal generalization depends on gesture identity and sequence. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(16), 5564-5574.Rochet-Capellan, A., Richer, L., & Ostry, D. J. (2012). Nonhomogeneous transfer reveals specificity in speech motor learning. Journal of neurophysiology, 107(6), 1711-1717

Multidimensional signals and analytic flexibility: Estimating degrees of freedom in human speech analyses

Recent empirical studies have highlighted the large degree of analytic flexibility in data analysis which can lead to substantially different conclusions based on the same data set. Thus, researchers have expressed their concerns that these researcher degrees of freedom might facilitate bias and can lead to claims that do not stand the test of time. Even greater flexibility is to be expected in fields in which the primary data lend themselves to a variety of possible operationalizations. The multidimensional, temporally extended nature of speech constitutes an ideal testing ground for assessing the variability in analytic approaches, which derives not only from aspects of statistical modeling, but also from decisions regarding the quantification of the measured behavior. In the present study, we gave the same speech production data set to 46 teams of researchers and asked them to answer the same research question, resulting insubstantial variability in reported effect sizes and their interpretation. Using Bayesian meta-analytic tools, we further find little to no evidence that the observed variability can be explained by analysts’ prior beliefs, expertise or the perceived quality of their analyses. In light of this idiosyncratic variability, we recommend that researchers more transparently share details of their analysis, strengthen the link between theoretical construct and quantitative system and calibrate their (un)certainty in their conclusions

Transfert d’apprentissage sensorimoteur et développement des unités de parole

Speech motor control has traditionally been studied apart from other cognitive processes underlying speech production, since first cognitive theories presented the brain as a set of relatively independent modules (Fodor & Pylyshyn, 2007), taken apart from the body. However developments in embodied cognition (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991), grounded cognition (Barsalou, 2008) and dynamic systems (Smith & Thelen, 2003) occurred in the last three decades underline that cognition cannot be considered separately from a body and its environment. These frameworks constitute an inspiration for this thesis and a motivation to study motor control and sensorimotor processes in relation to other cognitive processes. Whether linguistic structures are grounded in sensorimotor processes will be an underlying question.A spoken message can be decomposed into sequences of linguistic units hierarchically structured. We argue that these speech units are grounded in sensorimotor representations, associating linguistic structures with auditory and motor information. Do these units correspond to words? Syllables? Phonemes? To probe the building blocks of speech production, we propose to use a paradigm of auditory-motor learning based on auditory feedback perturbation (Caudrelier & Rochet-Capellan, in press). This paradigm actually enables to change specific internal sensorimotor representations in speakers. Adaptation induces updating sensorimotor representations underlying the production of the training item. We assume that if this change affects the pronunciation of another word, it means that this word uses some of these updated representations. Thus, transfer patterns may reveal the structure of representations at stake.A first study in adults shows that transfer of auditory-motor learning occurs at word, syllable, and phoneme levels in parallel (Caudrelier, Schwartz, Perrier, Gerber, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). These observations suggest that all these units may co-contribute to the organization of speech articulation in adult speakers. Experimental results are discussed in the light of existing theories and models of speech production. A second experiment suggests that whether a speaker reads a word aloud or names a picture may have an influence on the transfer of auditory-motor learning (Caudrelier, Perrier, Schwartz, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). A third study in 4- to 5-year-old and 7- to 8 year-old children investigates whether phoneme sensorimotor representations may emerge during reading acquisition, or prior to it (Caudrelier et al., in revision). The observed transfer patterns suggest that phoneme representations emerge before reading acquisition, as a consequence of speech experience. Moreover, we found a relationship between adaptation to auditory perturbation and phonological awareness scores in both age groups. This suggests a link between sensorimotor representations and more explicit phonological representations. The potential causal or predictive nature of this link is discussed.Overall, this work exploits an original and fruitful tool to probe speech representations and study their development. It may have clinical implications with regards to speech rehabilitation, as well as developmental dyslexia. It also highlights connections between speech sensorimotor level and higher linguistic and contextual levels that further question the nature of speech representations.Le contrôle moteur a traditionnellement été étudié séparément des autres processus cognitifs qui sous-tendent la parole, dans la lignée de théories de la cognition présentant le cerveau comme un ensemble de modules relativement indépendants (Fodor & Pylyshyn, 2007). Cependant les recherches autour de la cognition incarnée (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991) et située (Barsalou, 2008), ainsi que des systèmes dynamiques (Smith & Thelen, 2003), menées ces trois dernières décennies soulignent que la cognition ne peut pas être considérée séparément d’un corps et de son environnement. Ce cadre constitue une source d’inspiration pour cette thèse et une motivation pour étudier les processus sensorimoteurs de la parole en lien avec les autres processus cognitifs.La parole peut-être décomposée en séquence d’unités linguistiques structurées sous forme d’une hiérarchie. Nous soutenons que ces unités sont ancrées dans des représentations sensorimotrices, associant une structure linguistique avec des informations perceptives et motrices. Ces unités correspondent-elles à des mots ? Des syllabes ? Des phonèmes ? Pour sonder les représentations assurant l’articulation de la parole, nous proposons d’utiliser un paradigme d’apprentissage auditorimoteur basé sur la perturbation du retour auditif (Caudrelier & Rochet-Capellan, accepté). Ce paradigme permet de modifier chez un locuteur des représentations sensorimotrices spécifiques, les représentations qui sous-tendent la production d’un item d’entrainement, par exemple un mot. Nous faisons ainsi l’hypothèse que si cette modification affecte la prononciation d’un autre mot, cela veut dire que la production de ce mot s’appuie sur une partie de ces représentations. Ainsi, l’observation du transfert d’apprentissage permet de révéler la structure de représentations qui assurent la production de parole.Une première étude chez l’adulte montre que le transfert d’apprentissage auditorimoteur a lieu à la fois aux niveaux du phonème, de la syllabe et du mot (Caudrelier, Schwartz, Perrier, Gerber, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). Ces observations suggèrent que ces unités co-contribuent à l’articulation de la parole chez l’adulte. Les résultats sont mis en perspective par rapport aux théories et modèles de production de parole. Une 2ème expérience suggère que la modalité de présentation du stimulus (un mot à lire ou une image à dénommer) peut influencer le transfert d’apprentissage auditorimoteur (Caudrelier, Perrier, Schwartz, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). Une 3ème étude chez des enfants de 4-5 ans et de 7-8 ans montre que les représentations du phonème émergent avant l’acquisition de la lecture (Caudrelier et al., en révision). De plus, un lien entre adaptation à la perturbation auditive et conscience phonologique est mis en évidence dans les deux groupes d’âge. Le potentiel caractère prédictif ou causal de ce lien est discuté.En conclusion, cette thèse exploite un outil original et productif pour explorer les représentations de la parole et étudier leur développement. Ce travail pourrait avoir des implications cliniques, pour la rééducation de la parole, et pour la dyslexie développementale. Il met en évidence des liens entre les niveaux sensorimoteurs, linguistiques et contextuels qui questionnent la nature des représentations qui sous-tendent la parole

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Transfer of sensorimotor learning and speech units development

Le contrôle moteur a traditionnellement été étudié séparément des autres processus cognitifs qui sous-tendent la parole, dans la lignée de théories de la cognition présentant le cerveau comme un ensemble de modules relativement indépendants (Fodor & Pylyshyn, 2007). Cependant les recherches autour de la cognition incarnée (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991) et située (Barsalou, 2008), ainsi que des systèmes dynamiques (Smith & Thelen, 2003), menées ces trois dernières décennies soulignent que la cognition ne peut pas être considérée séparément d’un corps et de son environnement. Ce cadre constitue une source d’inspiration pour cette thèse et une motivation pour étudier les processus sensorimoteurs de la parole en lien avec les autres processus cognitifs.La parole peut-être décomposée en séquence d’unités linguistiques structurées sous forme d’une hiérarchie. Nous soutenons que ces unités sont ancrées dans des représentations sensorimotrices, associant une structure linguistique avec des informations perceptives et motrices. Ces unités correspondent-elles à des mots ? Des syllabes ? Des phonèmes ? Pour sonder les représentations assurant l’articulation de la parole, nous proposons d’utiliser un paradigme d’apprentissage auditorimoteur basé sur la perturbation du retour auditif (Caudrelier & Rochet-Capellan, accepté). Ce paradigme permet de modifier chez un locuteur des représentations sensorimotrices spécifiques, les représentations qui sous-tendent la production d’un item d’entrainement, par exemple un mot. Nous faisons ainsi l’hypothèse que si cette modification affecte la prononciation d’un autre mot, cela veut dire que la production de ce mot s’appuie sur une partie de ces représentations. Ainsi, l’observation du transfert d’apprentissage permet de révéler la structure de représentations qui assurent la production de parole.Une première étude chez l’adulte montre que le transfert d’apprentissage auditorimoteur a lieu à la fois aux niveaux du phonème, de la syllabe et du mot (Caudrelier, Schwartz, Perrier, Gerber, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). Ces observations suggèrent que ces unités co-contribuent à l’articulation de la parole chez l’adulte. Les résultats sont mis en perspective par rapport aux théories et modèles de production de parole. Une 2ème expérience suggère que la modalité de présentation du stimulus (un mot à lire ou une image à dénommer) peut influencer le transfert d’apprentissage auditorimoteur (Caudrelier, Perrier, Schwartz, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). Une 3ème étude chez des enfants de 4-5 ans et de 7-8 ans montre que les représentations du phonème émergent avant l’acquisition de la lecture (Caudrelier et al., en révision). De plus, un lien entre adaptation à la perturbation auditive et conscience phonologique est mis en évidence dans les deux groupes d’âge. Le potentiel caractère prédictif ou causal de ce lien est discuté.En conclusion, cette thèse exploite un outil original et productif pour explorer les représentations de la parole et étudier leur développement. Ce travail pourrait avoir des implications cliniques, pour la rééducation de la parole, et pour la dyslexie développementale. Il met en évidence des liens entre les niveaux sensorimoteurs, linguistiques et contextuels qui questionnent la nature des représentations qui sous-tendent la parole.Speech motor control has traditionally been studied apart from other cognitive processes underlying speech production, since first cognitive theories presented the brain as a set of relatively independent modules (Fodor & Pylyshyn, 2007), taken apart from the body. However developments in embodied cognition (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991), grounded cognition (Barsalou, 2008) and dynamic systems (Smith & Thelen, 2003) occurred in the last three decades underline that cognition cannot be considered separately from a body and its environment. These frameworks constitute an inspiration for this thesis and a motivation to study motor control and sensorimotor processes in relation to other cognitive processes. Whether linguistic structures are grounded in sensorimotor processes will be an underlying question.A spoken message can be decomposed into sequences of linguistic units hierarchically structured. We argue that these speech units are grounded in sensorimotor representations, associating linguistic structures with auditory and motor information. Do these units correspond to words? Syllables? Phonemes? To probe the building blocks of speech production, we propose to use a paradigm of auditory-motor learning based on auditory feedback perturbation (Caudrelier & Rochet-Capellan, in press). This paradigm actually enables to change specific internal sensorimotor representations in speakers. Adaptation induces updating sensorimotor representations underlying the production of the training item. We assume that if this change affects the pronunciation of another word, it means that this word uses some of these updated representations. Thus, transfer patterns may reveal the structure of representations at stake.A first study in adults shows that transfer of auditory-motor learning occurs at word, syllable, and phoneme levels in parallel (Caudrelier, Schwartz, Perrier, Gerber, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). These observations suggest that all these units may co-contribute to the organization of speech articulation in adult speakers. Experimental results are discussed in the light of existing theories and models of speech production. A second experiment suggests that whether a speaker reads a word aloud or names a picture may have an influence on the transfer of auditory-motor learning (Caudrelier, Perrier, Schwartz, & Rochet-Capellan, 2018). A third study in 4- to 5-year-old and 7- to 8 year-old children investigates whether phoneme sensorimotor representations may emerge during reading acquisition, or prior to it (Caudrelier et al., in revision). The observed transfer patterns suggest that phoneme representations emerge before reading acquisition, as a consequence of speech experience. Moreover, we found a relationship between adaptation to auditory perturbation and phonological awareness scores in both age groups. This suggests a link between sensorimotor representations and more explicit phonological representations. The potential causal or predictive nature of this link is discussed.Overall, this work exploits an original and fruitful tool to probe speech representations and study their development. It may have clinical implications with regards to speech rehabilitation, as well as developmental dyslexia. It also highlights connections between speech sensorimotor level and higher linguistic and contextual levels that further question the nature of speech representations

Changes in speech production in response to formant perturbations: An overview of two decades of research,

International audienceOne way to investigate speech motor learning is to create artificial adaptation situations by perturbing speakers' auditory feedback in real time. Formant perturbations were introduced by Houde and Jordan (1998), providing the first evidence that speakers adapt their pronunciation to compensate for these perturbations. Twenty years later, this chapter provides an overview of the general impact of Houde and Jordan's work in speech research and beyond, as well as a more detailed review of studies that involve formant perturbations. The impact of Houde and Jordan's work appears to be cross-disciplinary. Although mainly related to speech production and perception, it has also been cited in the limb movement and even animal research, mainly as evidence of adaptive sensorimotor control. Formant perturbations research has expanded rapidly since 2006, spreading across the world and many research teams. We identified 77 experimental studies focused on formant perturbations which we then analyzed with regard to technical and theoretical issues. This analysis showed that various apparatuses and procedures were used to address important topics of speech research. A primary interest has been in feedback and feedforward control mechanisms in speech. These mechanisms were addressed in di erent populations, including adults and children with typical vs. atypical development, with behavioral or neurophysiological approaches, or both. Some formant perturbations studies more specifically focused on the integration of auditory and somatosensory feedback in speech production, while others explored the interaction between speech production and perception of phonemic contrasts. Some research questioned the processes and the nature of speech representations by investigating generalization of adaptation to formant perturbations. Finally, a few studies were interested in the e ect of extraneous variables such as surface e ects or speakers' general cognitive abilities. Altogether, these studies provide insights into speech motor control in general and into the understanding of sensorimotor interactions in particular. The field has developed recently and may still expand in the future, as it allows us to address fundamental topics in speech research such as perception-production links or abstract vs. exemplar representations. Future research with formant perturbations may also further connect sensorimotor adaptation to linguistic and cognitive factors and in particular to working and long-term memory

Changes in speech production in response to formant perturbations: An overview of two decades of research,

International audienceOne way to investigate speech motor learning is to create artificial adaptation situations by perturbing speakers' auditory feedback in real time. Formant perturbations were introduced by Houde and Jordan (1998), providing the first evidence that speakers adapt their pronunciation to compensate for these perturbations. Twenty years later, this chapter provides an overview of the general impact of Houde and Jordan's work in speech research and beyond, as well as a more detailed review of studies that involve formant perturbations. The impact of Houde and Jordan's work appears to be cross-disciplinary. Although mainly related to speech production and perception, it has also been cited in the limb movement and even animal research, mainly as evidence of adaptive sensorimotor control. Formant perturbations research has expanded rapidly since 2006, spreading across the world and many research teams. We identified 77 experimental studies focused on formant perturbations which we then analyzed with regard to technical and theoretical issues. This analysis showed that various apparatuses and procedures were used to address important topics of speech research. A primary interest has been in feedback and feedforward control mechanisms in speech. These mechanisms were addressed in di erent populations, including adults and children with typical vs. atypical development, with behavioral or neurophysiological approaches, or both. Some formant perturbations studies more specifically focused on the integration of auditory and somatosensory feedback in speech production, while others explored the interaction between speech production and perception of phonemic contrasts. Some research questioned the processes and the nature of speech representations by investigating generalization of adaptation to formant perturbations. Finally, a few studies were interested in the e ect of extraneous variables such as surface e ects or speakers' general cognitive abilities. Altogether, these studies provide insights into speech motor control in general and into the understanding of sensorimotor interactions in particular. The field has developed recently and may still expand in the future, as it allows us to address fundamental topics in speech research such as perception-production links or abstract vs. exemplar representations. Future research with formant perturbations may also further connect sensorimotor adaptation to linguistic and cognitive factors and in particular to working and long-term memory