Tactiling: a usable support system for speechreading?

The purpose of this study was to find out whether deafened adults can take advantage of the extra information in speechreading given by the vibrational and motional patterns picked up by placing a hand on a speaker's throat and shoulder, and how valuable this tactile supplement is as a support system for speechreading. We have named this method--speechreading with tactile supplement--tactiling. Eight deafened adults participated in the study, conducted with a pre-test/post-test control group design. The experimental and the control groups took speechreading classes together. The experimental group received additional individual training in tactiling during six 1 h lessons. Both the experimental and the control groups were tested, before and after training, first by a familiar person and thereafter by an unfamiliar person. The results demonstrated two significant main effects. Tactiling is generally better than speechreading alone, and the results from the test given by the familiar speaker are better than with the unfamiliar speaker. The main effect of tactiling indicates that the method is worth pursuing as a communication system for the deafened adults. Possible reasons for the direct effect of tactiling are discussed, as well as modifications of this 'natural' device.

[1]  Barbara Dodd,et al.  The Role of Vision in the Perception of Speech , 1977, Perception.

[2]  G M Clark,et al.  Speech recognition for 40 patients receiving multichannel cochlear implants. , 1986, Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery.

[3]  B E Walden,et al.  Some effects of training on speech recognition by hearing-impaired adults. , 1981, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[4]  B L Scott,et al.  A method for training and evaluating the reception of ongoing speech. , 1978, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[5]  N. Tye‐Murray,et al.  A critique of continuous discourse tracking as a test procedure. , 1988, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[6]  M Studdert-Kennedy On learning to speak. , 1983, Human neurobiology.

[7]  M E Demorest,et al.  Speechreading sentences with single-channel vibrotactile presentation of voice fundamental frequency. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[8]  A Boothroyd,et al.  Spatial, tactile presentation of voice fundamental frequency as a supplement to lipreading: results of extended training with a single subject. , 1988, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[9]  J. Rönnberg,et al.  Vibrotactile support: initial effects on visual speech perception. , 1993, Scandinavian audiology.

[10]  Francis Kuk,et al.  Evaluation of five different cochlear implant designs: Audiologic assessment and predictors of performance , 1988, The Laryngoscope.

[11]  C M Reed,et al.  Research on tactile communication of speech: a review. , 1982, ASHA monographs.

[12]  J. Rönnberg Cognitive characteristics of skilled tactiling: The case of GS , 1993 .

[13]  J M Weisenberger,et al.  Evaluation of two multichannel tactile aids for the hearing impaired. , 1989, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[14]  J M Weisenberger,et al.  The role of tactile aids in providing information about acoustic stimuli. , 1987, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[15]  M. Woodward,et al.  Phoneme perception in lipreading. , 1960, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[16]  R. Cholewiak,et al.  Tracking skill of a deaf person with long-term tactile aid experience: a case study. , 1986, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[17]  J. Rönnberg,et al.  Information-processing skill and speech-reading. , 1989, British journal of audiology.

[18]  S. Arlinger,et al.  Visual evoked potentials: relation to adult speechreading and cognitive function. , 1989, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[19]  C M Reed,et al.  Research on the Tadoma method of speech communication. , 1983, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[20]  D. Oller,et al.  Multisensory narrative tracking by a profoundly deaf subject using an electrocutaneous vocoder and a vibrotactile aid. , 1989, Journal of speech and hearing research.