The social life of voices: studying the neural bases for the expression and perception of the self and others during spoken communication

McGettigan, Carolyn

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00129

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Human vocal communication relies not only on the linguistic content of speech (the words spoken and their grammatical arrangement), but also on paralinguistic aspects including speaker sex, identity, and emotion (McGettigan, 2015). When speech is degraded, the loss of acoustic clarity can differently affect these two complementary aspects of communication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic richness modulates the neural networks supporting intelligible speech processing

et al. 2016

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The information contained in a sensory signal plays a critical role in determining what neural processes are engaged. Here we used interleaved silent steady-state (ISSS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore how human listeners cope with different degrees of acoustic richness during auditory sentence comprehension. Twenty-six healthy young adults underwent scanning while hearing sentences that varied in acoustic richness (high vs. low spectral detail) and syntactic complexity (subject-relative vs. object-relative center-embedded clause structures). We manipulated acoustic richness by presenting the stimuli as unprocessed full-spectrum speech, or noise-vocoded with 24 channels. Importantly, although the vocoded sentences were spectrally impoverished, all sentences were highly intelligible. These manipulations allowed us to test how intelligible speech processing was affected by orthogonal linguistic and acoustic demands. Acoustically rich speech showed stronger activation than acoustically less-detailed speech in a bilateral temporoparietal network with more pronounced activity in the right hemisphere. By contrast, listening to sentences with greater syntactic complexity resulted in increased activation of a left-lateralized network including left posterior lateral temporal cortex, left inferior frontal gyrus, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Significant interactions between acoustic richness and syntactic complexity occurred in left supramarginal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right inferior frontal gyrus, indicating that the regions recruited for syntactic challenge differed as a function of acoustic properties of the speech. Our findings suggest that the neural systems involved in speech perception are finely tuned to the type of information available, and that reducing the richness of the acoustic signal dramatically alters the brain’s response to spoken language, even when intelligibility is high.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic richness modulates the neural networks supporting intelligible speech processing

et al. 2016

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“…Using one's voice provides the opportunity to present what McGettigan refers to as a ''dynamic self''; in other words, a self that responds in a deliberate way to changing environmental and social stimuli. [20] When motor control of voice is impaired by disease, the listener must resort to assumptions, inference and, when possible, knowledge of the voice-disordered person's premorbid personality to make a ''best guess'' of the intended message and subtleties therein. Loss of native voice therefore has farreaching effects on the ability to convey the complexity of the self through social interaction -a process Barbara Shadden, Professor of Communication Disorders at the University of Arkansas, powerfully refers to as ''identity theft''.…”

Section: Voice As An Expression Of Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Native voice, self-concept and the moral case for personalized voice technology

Nathanson

2016

Disability and Rehabilitation

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Purpose (1) To explore the role of native voice and effects of voice loss on self-concept and identity, and survey the state of assistive voice technology; (2) to establish the moral case for developing personalized voice technology. Methods This narrative review examines published literature on the human significance of voice, the impact of voice loss on self-concept and identity, and the strengths and limitations of current voice technology. Based on the impact of voice loss on self and identity, and voice technology limitations, the moral case for personalized voice technology is developed. Results Given the richness of information conveyed by voice, loss of voice constrains expression of the self, but the full impact is poorly understood. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices facilitate communication but, despite advances in this field, voice output cannot yet express the unique nuances of individual voice. The ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence and equality of opportunity establish the moral responsibility to invest in accessible, cost-effective, personalized voice technology. Conclusions Although further research is needed to elucidate the full effects of voice loss on self-concept, identity and social functioning, current understanding of the profoundly negative impact of voice loss establishes the moral case for developing personalized voice technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitation of voice-disordered patients should facilitate self-expression, interpersonal connectedness and social/occupational participation. Proactive questioning about the psychological and social experiences of patients with voice loss is a valuable entry point for rehabilitation planning. Personalized voice technology would enhance sense of self, communicative participation and autonomy and promote shared healthcare decision-making. Further research is needed to identify the best strategies to preserve and strengthen identity and sense of self.

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“…Going forward, it will become increasingly important to model and measure the engagement of neural systems during contextualised and dynamic communicative interactions, rather than continuing to focus almost exclusively on speech as the disembodied and unilateral transmission of signals from talkers to listeners (McGettigan, 2015;Pickering & Garrod, 2013;Schilbach et al, 2013). This brings methodological challenges, for example in designing fMRI paradigms and analyses that can mitigate factors such as speech-related head movements associated with free conversation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Links between perception and production: examining the roles of motor and premotor cortices in understanding speech.

McGettigan¹,

Tremblay²

2017

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The social life of voices: studying the neural bases for the expression and perception of the self and others during spoken communication

Cited by 30 publications

References 44 publications

Acoustic richness modulates the neural networks supporting intelligible speech processing

Acoustic richness modulates the neural networks supporting intelligible speech processing

Native voice, self-concept and the moral case for personalized voice technology

Links between perception and production: examining the roles of motor and premotor cortices in understanding speech.

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