Learning to talk changes the way we hear other's speech
3 Nov 2009, 1107 Hrs

Add comment          Mail          Print          Write to Editor

* Education Directory * Exam Results * Who is Who * Information *Tutorials * Articles * Quote * Classified

Washington, Nov 3 Learning to talk makes it easier to understand the speech of others, according to scientists at Haskins Laboratories.

The researchers said that the findings could have a major impact on improving speech disorders.

"We've found that learning is a two-way street; motor function affects sensory processing and vice-versa. Our results suggest that learning to talk makes it easier to understand the speech of others," said David J. Ostry, a senior scientist at Haskins Laboratories and professor of psychology at McGill University.

Ostry explained that when a child learns to talk, or an adult learns a new language, a growing mastery of oral fluency is accompanied by an increase in the ability to distinguish different speech sounds.

While these abilities may develop in isolation, it is possible that learning to talk also changes the way we hear speech sounds.

For the study, the researchers tested the notion that speech motor learning alters auditory perceptual processing by evaluating how speakers hear speech sounds following motor learning.

"In growing children, the nervous system has to adjust to moving vocal tract structures that are changing in size and weight in order to produce the same words. Participants in our study are learning to return the movement to normal in spite of these changes. Eventually our work could have an impact on deviations to speech caused by disorders such as stroke and Parkinson's disease," said Ostry.

"Our study showed that speech motor learning altered the perception of these speech sounds. After motor learning, the participants heard the words differently than those in the control group. One of the striking findings is that the more motor learning we observed, the more their speech perceptual function changed," added Ostry.

He added that future research will focus on the notion that sensory remediation may be a way to jumpstart the motor system.

The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

Related Latest

Was Button forced out of Brawn GP to make way for Schumacher? Oprah Winfrey brings curtain down on her talk show Andrew Yule, others offload stake in power utility Researchers find superior way to harness waste heat Shifting blame to others is socially contagious Oprah Winfrey to end talk show in 2011 Queen's seven-minute speech has UK opposition pasting Brown government Kidman hates to hear herself singing Changes to RTI in Bihar anger opposition, activists Court will hear Raj Thackeray case after 10 months

Related Latest

Bamboo fencing on Nainital's hillside roads to prevent mishaps Indian Navy vessel on solo circumnavigation of world reaches New Zealand Fort Hood gunman couldn't wait to join Qaeda imam in paradise in the afterlife AirAsia set to become most connected non-local airline in India Clarke's ultimate dream is Australian captaincy Winning more important to Murray than money Nadal says Agassi's 'lying' revelations are "terrible for tennis" Liverpool will be in top four of the league table, vows Benitez Maharashtra CM assures journalists of action against attackers on IBN office Panesar blames measly 7,500 pounds for England career decline

• Bamboo fencing on Nainital's hillside roads to prevent mishaps
• Indian Navy vessel on solo circumnavigation of world reaches New Zealand
• Fort Hood gunman couldn't wait to join Qaeda imam in paradise in the afterlife
• Clarke's ultimate dream is Australian captaincy
• Winning more important to Murray than money

• भारतीय क्रिकेट की मजबूत दीवार
• कंगारूओं के आगे ढेर, चीतों से कैसे मुकाबला करेंगें शेर
• Reducing greenhouse gases may not be enough to slow global warming
• बीकानेर महापौर चुनावः एक विश्लेषण
• Deepawali: The Festival Of Lights