Effects of frequency-shifted auditory feedback on voice F0 contours in syllables

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that, during continuous vocalization, voice fundamental frequency (voice F 0 ) is modified by frequency shifted auditory feedback. In this study, the effects of frequency-shifted auditory feedback on voice F 0 contours were determined for the first two syllables of the non-sense word [tatatas]. Results show that voice F 0 is auditorily controlled with a long latency and responses are not interrupted by onset and offset of phonation itself. Furthermore, after-effects were found in voice F 0 in trials after termination of frequency shift, which indicates that the response persists for several seconds. It is argued that the purpose of the auditory-vocal system is not to control voice F 0 precisely within single syllables, but rather on suprasegmental level in the context of prosody.

A Neural Basis for Auditory Feedback Control of Vocal Pitch

“…Because both the auditory system (Pollak and Casseday, 1989;Popper andFay, 1992, 1995;Webster et al, 1992) and the vocalization system (Suga et al, 1973;Rübsamen and Schuller, 1981;Schuller and Rübsamen, 1981;Schweizer et al, 1981;Yajima and Hayashi, 1983;Rübsamen and Betz, 1986;Rübsamen and Schweizer, 1986;Gooler and O'Neill, 1987;Yajima and Larson, 1993;Jürgens, 1998Jürgens, , 2002 are separately built on common structural and functional elements in all mammals studied so far, DSC behavior is likely to share basic aspects with audio-vocal feedback control of vocal pitch in other mammals (Janik and Slater, 1997), including the involuntary response to "pitch-shifted feedback" in humans (Elman, 1981;Burnett et al, 1998;Houde and Jordan, 1998;Donath et al, 2002).…”

“…Thus, DSC in horseshoe bats can provide a valuable animal model for dissecting the neural basis for auditory feedback control of mammalian vocalization and possibly vertebrates in general (Bass et al, 1997;Janik and Slater, 1997;Wild, 1997a,b;Burnett et al, 1998;Houde and Jordan, 1998;Jürgens, 1998;Donath et al, 2002). Specifically, DSC behavior in horseshoe bats has provided us with a broader appreciation for the functional significance of a prominent structure in the mammalian brainstem, the PB, which appears to be essential for something as crucial as the control of call frequencies by altered auditory feedback in echolocating horseshoe bats.…”

Neural mechanisms underlying auditory feedback control of speech

“…Recent studies have used transient, unexpected auditory feedback perturbations to demonstrate auditory feedback control of speech. Despite being unable to anticipate the perturbation, speakers respond to pitch Donath et al, 2002;Jones and Munhall, 2002;Natke et al, 2003;Xu et al, 2004) and formant shifts (Houde and Jordan, 2002;Purcell and Munhall, 2006b) by altering their vocal output in the direction opposite the shift. These compensatory responses act to steer vocal output closer to the intended auditory target.…”

The role of auditory feedback in sustaining vocal vibrato

“…Previous studies revealed that subjects monitor their auditory feedback signal to regulate F 0 when producing steady vowels (Jones and Munhall, 2000), glissandos (Burnett and Larson, 2002), continuous speech (Donath et al, 2002;Xu et al, 2002), and when reading (Laukkanen, 1994). Any deviation in pitch from the intended level is corrected through a compensatory reflex, termed the pitch-shift reflex (PSR) (Burnett et al, 1997).…”

“…Many studies investigating the influence of auditory feedback on voice production explored the vocal response to a single, transient shift in auditory feedback (Burnett et al, 1997;Burnett and Larson, 2002;Donath et al, 2002;Xu et al, 2002). In the present study, we examined vocal responses to continuous sinusoidal modulation in auditory feedback.…”