Abstract
The measurement of reaction times in response to suitable stimuli may provide insight into the separate functional blocks corresponding to diverse speech production mechanisms. The quantitative evaluation of speech motor performance provides useful information for the early detection and long-term monitoring of many neurological diseases. The vocal reaction times (VRTs) technique and its application in the assessment of a group of normal subjects is presented. Speech motor performance and the effect of age were investigated by measuring VRTs and speech duration, in a group of thirty normal subjects divided into three age groups (18-44, 45-59, 60-80). VRTs were measured by using an immediate and delayed reaction stimulation paradigm. Analysis of the acoustic and electromyographic signals indicated that reaction times increased with age in both the immediate and delayed tasks; also the acoustic signal durations increased with age. The analysis of variance showed that the difference between the young and elderly groups was statistically significant. This technique may be considered a useful tool to provide qualitative and quantitative measures of the processes involved in speech production.
| Translated title of the contribution | Processes of speech production: Analysis of the methods and applications in a group of normal subjects (I) |
|---|---|
| Original language | Italian |
| Pages (from-to) | 80-84 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1997 |