Research article summary (published 30 Jul 2009):

The sensitivity of auditory-motor representations to subtle changes in auditory feedback while singing.

Full Abstract

Singing requires accurate control of the fundamental frequency (F0) of the voice. This study examined trained singers' and untrained singers' (nonsingers') sensitivity to subtle manipulations in auditory feedback and the subsequent effect on the mapping between F0 feedback and vocal control. Participants produced the consonant-vowel /ta/ while receiving auditory feedback that was shifted up and down in frequency. Results showed that singers and nonsingers compensated to a similar degree when presented with frequency-altered feedback (FAF); however, singers' F0 values were consistently closer to the intended pitch target. Moreover, singers initiated their compensatory responses when auditory feedback was shifted up or down 6 cents or more, compared to nonsingers who began compensating when feedback was shifted up 26 cents and down 22 cents. Additionally, examination of the first 50 ms of vocalization indicated that participants commenced subsequent vocal utterances, during FAF, near the F0 value on previous shift trials. Interestingly, nonsingers commenced F0 productions below the pitch target and increased their F0 until they matched the note. Thus, singers and nonsingers rely on an internal model to regulate voice F0, but singers' models appear to be more sensitive in response to subtle discrepancies in auditory feedback.

Author information

Author/s: Keough, Dwayne (D); Jones, Jeffery A (JA);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Grants: DC-08092 (Agency:NIDCD NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (J Acoust Soc Am), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Aug; vol 126 (issue 2) : pp 837-46

Dates: Created 2009/07/30; Completed 2009/10/06;

PMID: 19640048, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/6/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Acoustic Stimulation Auditory Perception Feedback, Psychological Female Humans Multivariate Analysis

Music Professional Competence Psychoacoustics Speech Acoustics Time Factors Voice

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