Laterality Differences in the Auditory Feedback Control of Speech

Abstract

Proceeding from prior experimental evidence that better speech-sound identification most often occurs with right-ear presentation, an experiment was conducted to test for differences in speech production with right-ear and left-ear auditory feedback of one’s own speech. A hybrid-computer system and techniques of experimental programing were employed to control the intervals of aural delay. Presentation of delayed auditory feedback to the right ear during speech, with white noise masking the left ear, resulted in a significantly greater number of articulatory errors than did delayed feedback to the left ear with white noise masking the right ear. With a measure of total speaking time, however, similar differences between ears during delayed hearing were not found. The findings were interpreted as an indication of differences in aural function during auditory feedback control of speech. Such differences are consistent with aural laterality differences reported with speech identification.