On Dynamic Pitch Benefit for Speech Recognition in Speech Masker

Abstract

Previous work demonstrated that dynamic pitch (i.e., pitch variation in speech) aids speech recognition in various types of noises. While this finding suggests dynamic pitch enhancement in target speech can benefit speech recognition in noise, it is of importance to know what noise characteristics affect dynamic pitch benefit, and who will benefit from enhanced dynamic pitch cues. Following our recent finding that temporal modulation in noise influences dynamic pitch benefit, we examined the effect of speech masker characteristics on dynamic pitch benefit. Specifically, the first goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that dynamic pitch benefit varies depending on the availability of pitch cues in the masker and the intelligibility of masker. The second goal of this study was to investigate whether older listeners as a group can benefit from dynamic pitch for speech recognition in speech maskers. In addition, individual factors of hearing loss and working memory capacity were examined for their impact on older listeners' dynamic pitch benefit. Twenty-three younger listeners with normal hearing and 37 older listeners with varying levels of hearing sensitivity participated the study, in which speech reception thresholds were measured with sentences in speech maskers. While we did not find an effect of masker characteristics on dynamic pitch benefit, the results showed older listeners can benefit from dynamic pitch for recognizing speech in speech maskers. The data also suggest that among those older listeners with hearing loss, dynamic pitch benefit is stronger for individuals with higher working memory capacity. This can be attributed to their ability to exploit facilitated lexical access in processing of degraded speech signal.

Test Administration Methods and Cognitive Test Scores in Older Adults with Hearing Loss

“…Working memory capacity, defined as the ability to process and store information simultaneously [22], is one of the cognitive functions that are critical for daily functioning of older adults. Recent research has suggested a connection between working memory capacity and older listeners’ speech perception under adverse conditions [23] and individual benefit from speech enhancement strategies [24]. Clinically, it has been argued that measuring working memory capacity in audiology service can provide important information for customizing and evaluating rehabilitative interventions [25].…”

Towards a simultaneously speaking bilingual robot: Primary study on the effect of gender and pitch of the robot’s voice

“…The results are mixed when considering the effect of voice pitch on speech intelligibility in a competing-talker scenario as well. While some works suggest that a difference between the pitch of the target talker and that of the background talker improves speech intelligibility [ 25 , 26 ], other works suggest the effect of voice pitch on speech intelligibility to be smaller than previously thought [ 27 ] or find the effect stronger only in older individuals and those with a higher working memory capacity [ 28 ]. Inconsistency between the result of different studies on this matter leaves the question of what voice pitch should be used in a simultaneously speaking bilingual robot to increase the speech comprehension of subjects in noise, unanswered.…”