Adaptation occurs following a single exposure to altered auditory feedback in speech

Abstract

Auditory perturbations, or sensory errors caused by manipulating auditory feedback in near real-time, are known to induce instantaneous compensation as well as long-term adaptation responses in speech production. Adaptive responses are built through repetitive exposure to perturbations, but it is unknown how much learning occurs from a single exposure to an auditory perturbation. This trial-by-trial learning, known as one-shot learning, may provide insight into how individual events affect feed-forward control mechanisms and contribute to adaptation. One-shot learning is evident in reaching motor tasks, and the present study aims to understand its role in the speech sensorimotor system. Data were compiled from a set of studies which randomly exposed participants to isolated auditory perturbation events. On any given trial, the participants' first formant (F1) was either shifted up, shifted down, or remained unshifted while they pronounced a presented word. Data from unshifted trials that were preceded by a perturbation trial were extracted to examine if there was a learning effect that carried over from the previous, shifted trial. During unshifted trials that were preceded by a perturbation, participants adjusted their first formant in the opposite direction of the preceding shift, demonstrating that learning occurs even after a single auditory perturbation.