Thesis
Partner-specific adaptation in disfluency processing in older adults
University of Iowa
Master of Arts (MA), University of Iowa
Spring 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007415
Abstract
Listeners utilize diverse linguistic and prelinguistic cues in real-time communication processing to aid in their anticipation of the following discourse. Speakers’ disfluency, such as "uh" and "um", often leads listeners to predict that the upcoming words will likely refer to something novel or unfamiliar. Studies have shown that younger listeners possess the capacity to adjust their anticipation of disfluency according to the speakers/contexts involved. However, it remains unclear whether older adults exhibit context/speaker specific adaptability and how age-related cognitive decline influences their processing. Two experiments were conducted with 50 healthy older adults (aged 65+) participating in each. Participants engaged in a referential communication task utilizing eye tracking and a series of cognitive assessments. Experiment 1 evaluated listeners’ responses to predictive and non-predictive disfluency conditions in between-subjects design. Experiment 2 employed a within-subjects design incorporating disfluency from two speakers to assess adaptability in complex contexts. Results suggested that while older listeners exhibit some degree of adaptability in utilizing speaker characteristics for processing disfluency, they display greater challenges in flexibly adapting their predictions of disfluency within complex conversations (e.g., having two speakers simultaneously). These findings suggest potential impacts of age-related cognitive declines on older adults' disfluency processing. More research should be conducted to investigate the impact of cognitive abilities on the underlying mechanisms, as well as the implications of stuttering-like disfluency and memory impairment on comprehension processing.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Partner-specific adaptation in disfluency processing in older adults
- Creators
- Diyu Luo
- Contributors
- Kristi Hendrickson (Advisor)Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale (Committee Member)Si On Yoon (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Speech Pathology and Audiology
- Date degree season
- Spring 2024
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007415
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- vi, 34 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 Diyu Luo
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/08/2024
- Description illustrations
- tables, graphs
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 27-34).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- Listeners utilize various linguistic and prelinguistic cues, including disfluency (e.g., uh, um...) to support comprehension in daily communication. Studies show that listeners tend to focus more on unfamiliar objects after the speaker produces disfluency, as opposed to familiar items. Research suggested that younger listeners can adapt their assumptions of disfluency accordingly in situations such as specific speakers. What remains unclear is whether older adults exhibit similar flexibility and how age-related cognitive decline affects their performance. Two experiments tested this question. Each study included 50 healthy older adults aged 65+, who were engaged in a referential communication task while their eye gaze was monitored. Experiment 1 assessed listeners’ responses to predictive and non-predictive disfluency conditions in between-subjects design. Experiment 2 employed a within-subjects design, including two speakers who use disfluency distinctively. The findings suggest that older listeners demonstrate a certain level of adaptability in utilizing the characteristics of speakers to aid in understanding following conversations. However, compared to younger population, older adults demonstrate increased difficulty in adapting their predictions of disfluency in a more complex conversation. This could be related to cognitive declines in memory, attention, and executive functions among older populations. Further investigation could explore cognitive abilities' significance in comprehension processing among older adults and implications for individuals with stuttering-like disfluency or memory impairments.
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984647356202771
Metrics
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