Speech Processes in Syllable Recall

Abstract

A new method for evaluating speech quality was investigated to supplement articulation tests. Subjects recalled a single target syllable from a randomized list presented at various rates. The target syllable either immediately preceded or followed a predesignated cue syllable which occurred at random serial positions. Results: (1) recall deteriorated as rate increased; (2) this deterioration was more pronounced when the target preceded the cue; and (3) serial position had a negligible effect on recall. These results suggest that, when the target precedes the cue, subjects attempts to recognize and encode into memory each syllable before the next one occurs. Encoding, which is essential for recall and which apparently cannot proceed in parallel with recognition, may be interrupted when the next syllable arrives and requires recognition. Such interruptions reduce recall and occur more often as recognition time increases. If recognition time increases as speech quality declines, then the recall level in the target-cue condition should be a sensitive measure of speech quality. Apparently subjects do not alternate between recognition and encoding in the cue-target condition, thus precluding the interruptions from which recognition times are inferred.