In this Point of View, we review a number of recent discoveries from the emerging, interdisciplinary field of Network Science, which uses graph theoretic techniques to understand complex systems. In the network science approach, nodes represent entities in a system, and connections are placed between nodes that are related to each other to form a web-like network. We discuss several studies that demonstrate how the micro-, meso-, and macro-level structure of a network of phonological word-forms influence spoken word recognition in listeners with normal hearing and in listeners with hearing loss. Given the discoveries made possible by this new approach and the influence of several complex network measures on spoken word recognition performance we argue that speech recognition measures—originally developed in the late 1940s and routinely used in clinical audiometry—should be revised to reflect our current understanding of spoken word recognition. We also discuss other ways in which the tools of network science can be used in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Audiology more broadly.

In the speech-to-song illusion a spoken phrase is presented repeatedly and begins to sound as if it is being sung. Anecdotal reports suggest that subsequent presentations of a previously heard phrase enhance the illusion, even if several hours or days have elapsed between presentations. In Experiment 1, we examined in a controlled laboratory setting whether memory traces for a previously heard phrase would influence song-like ratings to a subsequent presentation of that phrase. The results showed that word lists that were played several times throughout the experimental session were rated as being more song-like at the end of the experiment than word lists that were played only once in the experimental session. In Experiment 2, we examined if the memory traces that influenced the speech-to-song illusion were abstract in nature or exemplar-based by playing some word lists several times during the experiment in the same voice and playing other word lists several times during the experiment but in different voices. The results showed that word lists played in the same voice were rated as more song-like at the end of the experiment than word lists played in different voices. Many previous studies have examined how various aspects of the stimulus itself influences the perception of the speech-to-song illusion. The results of the present experiments demonstrate that memory traces of the stimulus also influence the speech-to-song illusion.