The Brain Processes Underlying Speech Motor Learning and Speech Production

NCT05918679 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY00017657R01DC019905
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 510
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this research is to develop protocols that selectively target and improve speech-motor learning processes. Participants will be asked to name pictures, read words/sentences, and listen to sounds while their speech signals will be collected during the study.

Conditions

Healthy Adults

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in speech output in response to previously experienced auditory errors

  In each trial, participants will experience an auditory error while they produce speech (e.g., they may say "head" but hear "had"). Participants' speech will be measured in each trial. The investigators will measure how the participants' speech changes due to auditory errors experienced in previous trials.

  within each session of the study that may last up to 2 hours

• Change In Speech Output Immidiately After Hearing Auditory Errors

  In each trial, participants will experience an auditory error while they produce speech (e.g., they may say "head" but hear "had"). The investigators will measure how the participants' speech changes due to auditory errors that they experience in the current trial.

  within each session of the study that may last up to 2 hours

Study Arms (5)

Healthy Adults group 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Effects of speech variability on speech motor learning

Healthy Adults group 2

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Effects of error-detection training on speech motor learning

Healthy Adults group 3

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Contributions of error awareness to speech motor learning

Healthy Adults group 4

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Enhancing auditory-to-motor mapping with augmented visual feedback

Healthy Adults group 5

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Effects of enhanced auditory-motor awareness on speech motor learning

Interventions

Effects of speech variability on speech motor learning BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will examine whether reducing normal variability of speech could improve error detection and speech motor learning. We will design training tasks to change subjects' speech variability. We will train subjects to decrease/decrease their speech variability. Upon completing the training tasks, subjects will complete a motor learning task.

Healthy Adults group 1

Effects of error-detection training on speech motor learning BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will examine whether improving subjects' ability to detect and estimate auditory perturbation could improve speech motor learning. For this purpose, we will design training tasks to change subjects' estimation of the perturbation magnitude. After completing the training tasks, subjects will complete the motor learning task.

Healthy Adults group 2

Contributions of error awareness to speech motor learning BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will examine the contributions of error awareness to speech motor learning. Subjects will produce a target word while receiving perturbed auditory feedback with different magnitudes. Subjects will be trained to indicate the magnitude of the error they perceived with or without visual feedback.

Healthy Adults group 3

Enhancing auditory-to-motor mapping with augmented visual feedback BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will determine the contributions of enhanced auditory-to-motor mappings to speech motor learning. We will design training tasks in which we will use visual feedback to provide feedback regarding subjects' accuracy of auditory-to-motor mapping.

Healthy Adults group 4

Effects of enhanced auditory-motor awareness on speech motor learning BEHAVIORAL

In this intervention, subjects will be trained to control their articulators more accurately and be more aware of their articulators' position and their auditory consequences. After the training tasks, subjects will complete a motor learning task.

Healthy Adults group 5

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years and older
• native speaker of American English
• normal (age-appropriate) binaural pure-tone hearing threshold
• not taking medications affecting sensorimotor functioning
• no current or history of communication, neurological, or psychological disorders

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Arizona State University: lead
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, 85287, United States

RECRUITING

Central Study Contacts

Ayoub Daliri

CONTACT

4807278397; ayoub.daliri@asu.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2023
• First Posted: June 26, 2023
• Study Start: June 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Last Updated: July 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (1)