JSLHR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol.41 41-50 February 1998.
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow My Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wohlert, A. B.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wohlert, A. B.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, A.

Spatiotemporal Stability of Lip Movements in Older Adult Speakers

Amy B. Wohlert 1
Anne Smith 1
1 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

wohlert{at}purdue.edu

Although the intelligibility of healthy older adults normally seems unimpaired, age-related changes occur in sensorimotor components of the speech system and in such global parameters as speech rate. In order to clarify the effect of these changes on the variability of speech movements, we examined oral peripheral abilities, speech rate, and speech kinematics in a group of 10 adults age 76–83, compared to a group of 10 young adults. Participants repeated a short phrase 15 times at habitual, fast, and slow rates. The resulting lip displacement signals were time- and amplitude-normalized, and successive standard deviations along the movement waveforms were summed to produce a spatiotemporal index (STI) representing individual variability in movement pattern. Participants tended to show greatest variability at slow rate, less variability at fast rate, and least variability at habitual rate. For the older adults, STI at habitual rate was significantly higher (more variable) and speech durations were longer than those of young adults. Perioral strength and tactile acuity were poorer in these older adults than in young adults. We conclude that as sensorimotor abilities change in old age, speakers are less consistent in the spatiotemporal organization of speech movements, reflecting decreased stability of speech motor control.

KEY WORDS: motor control, speech production, aging, oral physiology, speech rate

Submitted on February 10, 1997
Accepted on September 29, 1997




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 JSLHRHome page
C. Dromey and E. Shim
The Effects of Divided Attention on Speech Motor, Verbal Fluency, and Manual Task Performance
J Speech Lang Hear Res, October 1, 2008; 51(5): 1171 - 1182.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JSLHRHome page
J. E. Huber and B. Chandrasekaran
Effects of Increasing Sound Pressure Level on Lip and Jaw Movement Parameters and Consistency in Young Adults
J Speech Lang Hear Res, December 1, 2006; 49(6): 1368 - 1379.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All ASHA Journals AJA AJSLP JSLHR LSHSS
Copyright © 1998 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.