This process is possible through what is known as the auditory feedback loop, a three-part cycle that allows individuals to first speak, then listen to what they have said, and lastly, correct it when necessary.
Nonetheless, it has been shown that auditory feedback is capable of changing speech-sound production over a series of trials (i.e. adaptation by relearning; see e.g. perturbation experiments done with the DIVA model: neurocomputational speech processing).
Auditory inputs are typically produced by a communication partner (e.g. caretaker) and heard by the toddler, who subsequently tries to imitate them.
[8] However, children's speech motor adaption abilities are not fully optimised due to their limited auditory perceptual skills.
[15] When fluent speakers detect a sudden irregularity in a specific acoustic parameter of their auditory feedback, they are able to instantly correct the error in their speech production.
[16] Individuals that stutter hence demonstrate ineffective auditory comparisons of desired speech movements, as compared to fluent speakers.
[22] Auditory masking has been found to decrease disfluency duration and increase vocal intensity as well as syllable rate in some individuals with apraxia of speech.
Enhanced auditory processing can be observed in individuals with visual impairment, who partially compensate for their lack of vision with greater sensitivity in their other sensories.
For the visually impaired, sole reliance on speech based auditory feedback imposes a heavier cognitive load which is irritating for users.
Hence, the most ideal interface currently is adaptive auditory feedback, which automatically transitions between speech and non-speech cues based on the user state.
[36] Auditory feedback in the form of periodic audio signals was found to have a significant improvement on the gait of patients, with several explanations proposed.
[37] Another model posits that audio signals influence the gait of patients by directing motion patterns, such as heel strike timings.
[36] The use of an auditory feedback-based treatment is found to have improved on the social interaction, mimicking and coordination skills of children with autism spectrum disorder.
[45][46] This is further supported by recent research which revealed how non-professional singers show lower pitch accuracy when they receive lesser auditory feedback.
It has been found that songbirds rely on auditory feedback to compare the sounds that they make with inborn tunes or songs that they memorize from others.
(E.g. see Brainard and Doupe's (2000) error adjustment channel in the anterior forebrain: auditory feedback in birdsong learning).
[51] Some researchers have attributed to songbirds learning how to use other forms of non-auditory feedback such as sensory information to maintain the quality of their songs.