Rate-Related Kinematic Changes in Younger and Older Adults

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of speech rate changes on kinematic characteristics and stability of speech movements in younger and older speakers using electromagnetic midsagittal articulography. Patients and Methods: Eight young adults and 8 older adults engaged in a series of syllable repetition tasks of /pa/, /sa/ and /ta/ obtained at self-paced slow, habitual and fast speech rates, as well as in a series of metronome-guided speech rates, ranging from 2 to 4 syllables per second. The kinematic parameters duration, amplitude and peak velocity were obtained for opening and closing movements. Results: Older speakers were able to increase speech rate to the same degree or higher compared to younger speakers in both pacing conditions. Kinematic data show that older adults increased duration and decreased peak velocity in closing movements of alveolar constrictions at slower rates more prominently than younger adults. The results on movement stability revealed no differences between age groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that an age-related difference in speed-accuracy trade-off can be ruled out. Differences in kinematic characteristics point towards the possibility that older adults aimed to facilitate a closed-loop control system to maintain movement stability at slower speech rates.

Auditory feedback perturbation in children with developmental speech sound disorders

“…Correlations between speakers' mean normalized F1 and F2 were calculated using Pearsons's r. A correction to adjust for multiple statistical tests was not applied, as this creates an unacceptably high probability of making a Type II error in analyses with small group sizes (Nakagawa, 2004). Rather, multiple comparisons are accounted for in the interpretation of the results (conform e.g., Rothman, 1990;van Brenk, Terband, van Lieshout, Lowit, & Maassen, 2013).…”

Effects of speaking rate, loudness, and clarity modifications on kinematic endpoint variability

“…Although references to speed-accuracy tradeoffs can be frequently found in the speech motor control literature (e.g., Bennett, van Lieshout, & Steele, 2007;Goozee et al, 2005;Guenther, 1995;van Brenk et al, 2013), so far only few studies have directly addressed this assertion. For example, a recent study reported moderate associations between movement time and the estimated difficulty level of an articulator to reach its target (Lammert, Shadle, Narayanan, & Quatieri, 2018) suggesting that talkers adjust their articulatory speed to ensure adequate articulatory precision during speech.…”

A systematic review of the relationships amongst older adults’ cognitive and motor speech abilities

“…Previous research suggests a role for cognition in age-related changes to speech (e.g. Bilodeau-Mercure & Tremblay, 2016;Sadagopan & Smith, 2013, Van Brenk et al, 2014.…”

“…Some evidence suggests a speed-accuracy trade-off to compensate for physiological changes, such as muscular atrophy to the tongue (Goozée et al, 2005). Although, younger and older adults can repeat syllables at a similar rate when prompted (van Brenk et al, 2014), suggesting that physiological changes are minimally disruptive to speech. Importantly, older adults may choose to speak slower to enable online monitoring of speech, broadly proposing a role for cognition.…”