The Lombard effect is the tendency to increase one's vocal intensity in noise. The present study reports three experiments that test the robustness of the Lombard effect when speakers are given instructions and training with visual feedback to help suppress it. The Lombard effect was found to be extremely stable and robust. Instructions alone had little influence on the response to the noise among untrained speakers. When visual feedback correlated with vocal intensity was presented, however, subjects could inhibit the Lombard response. Furthermore, the inhibition remained after the visual feedback was removed. The data are interpreted as indicating that the Lombard response is largely automatic and not ordinarily under volitional control. When subjects do learn to suppress the effect, they seem to do so by changing overall vocal level rather than their specific response to the noise.
The Lombard sign was investigated as a function of age and task. Twenty adults and 20 5-year-old children spoke in quiet and in the presence of a 90-dB SPL noise. Half the subjects labelled a series of pictures, half told stories about the pictures. All subjects increased vocal intensity in the presence of noise. Children increased intensity equally in both tasks. Adults increased intensity more during the story-telling task than during the labelling task.
There is a controversy in the literature concerning the effects of delayed auditory feedback (DAF) on the speech of subjects of varying ages, In the current experiment the subjects were five-year-olds, eight-year-olds and adult speakers who performed a sentence repetition task under: 0-delay, 250, 375, 500, and 625 msec of amplified delayed auditory feedback. All subjects performed the task under normal rate instructions and under instructions to speak as rapidly as possible. A developmental pattern emerged, with the youngest children significantly more affected by the DAF than the older children or the adults. There was only weak evidence for a critical delay interval that varied according to age of the subjects. Rate instructions had essentially no effect on the DAF or age patterns.
Adult speakers participated in three feedback conditions: Lombard, sidetone amplification, and delayed auditory feedback (DAF). All the procedures affected vocal intensity significantly, but only DAF caused changes in syllable rate. The three conditions did not provide equivalent data. Performance on any one of the feedback procedures was not predictive of performance on the others. Generalizations concerning auditory feedback must, therefore, take account of the particular method used and the parameter of speech studied.
BackgroundProlonged grief disorder (PGD) is a potentially disabling condition affecting approximately 10% of bereaved people. It has been suggested that the impaired integration of the loss memory, as expressed in recurrent memories of the loss and disorganization of memory, is involved in the development of PGD. Narrative reconstruction (NR), originally designed for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an integrative therapy module, and consisting of exposure to the loss memory, detailed written reconstruction of the loss memory narrative and an elaboration of the personal significance of that memory for the bereaved, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of intrusion symptoms.ObjectiveIn light of findings that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), including cognitive restructuring and exposure, is effective in the treatment of PGD, we suggest the implementation of a somewhat novel therapy module, NR, for the treatment of intrusive phenomena in bereaved patients.MethodThe rationale for the implementation of NR for PGD and a case study of the treatment of a woman suffering from PGD after the death of her father are presented. Therapy took place in a university outpatient training clinic.ResultsEvaluations conducted before and after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up demonstrated the effectiveness of NR in reducing symptoms of PGD and depression. The analysis of spontaneous narratives recorded before and after treatment showed an increased organization of the narratives.ConclusionsThis case report demonstrates an adaptation of NR for the treatment of PGD. The results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of NR for PGD. The significance of the study and its limitations are discussed.Highlights of the articleProlonged grief disorder (PGD) affects approximately ten percent of bereaved people.Narrative Reconstruction (NR), an integrative therapy module originally used for PTSD patients, was adapted for PGD.NR consists of exposure to the loss memory, detailed written reconstruction of the loss and an elaboration its significance and meaning for the bereaved.NR was demonstrated in a case study. It was well tolerated and effective in the treatment of PGD.
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