Speech shadowing

The task instructs participants to shadow speech, which generates intent to reproduce the phrase while motor regions in the brain unconsciously process the syntax and semantics of the words spoken.

[2] However, for people with left dominant brains, the reaction time has been recorded at 150 ms.[4] Functional imaging finds that the shadowing of speech occurs through the dorsal stream.

[15] Ludmilla Chistovich and Valerij Kozhevnikov focused on research of the mental processes that stimulate the functions of perception and production of speech in communication.

[16] This refers to the diversity of tones and syllables in speech, which is perceived without a conscious detection of delay and forgotten with the limited working memory capacity.

Close speech shadowing is when the technique requires an immediate repetition, at the fastest pace a person is able to achieve.

[19] The short delay of response occurs as the motor regions of the brain have recorded cues that are related to consonants.

The auditory hairs can be stimulated to sharpened activity when a tonal emission is held for 100 ms.[20] This length of time indicates that speech shadowing ability can be enhanced by a moderately paced phrase.

Analysing the variations of instructions of shadowing tasks concludes that through each case, the motor systems are primed to respond optimally and reduce a delay in reaction time.

Auditory and visual analysis has established that the vocal tract has developed a coarticulation of consonants and vowels during shadowing.

[25] This provides evidence that human speech is a communication form of efficient coding rather than of complex semantics and syntax.

[25] The interaction between the coding of perception and production of speech in this motor theory has also gained more evidence through the discovery of mirror neurones.

[25] The speech shadowing technique is part of research methods that examine the mechanics of stuttering and identifies practical improvement strategies.

[27] It reduces the likelihood of stuttering as the linguistic mental block is overturned and conditioned to provide an opening for fluid speech.

[26][28] Mirror neurones of the frontal lobe are active during this exercise and act to link speech perception and production.

[26][28] The elongation of words in this stuttering characteristic does not align with the auditory system, which functions efficiently with moderately paced speech.

[30] It is used as an activity when studying fluency disorders,[31] for students to experience how psychological and social outcomes are impacted by stuttering with strangers.

[12][10][36] Research into the effect of audio stimuli resulting from mobile phone use while driving, has used the speech shadowing technique in its methodology.

[39] This impairment is problematic as fast reaction time when driving is required to respond to general traffic signals and signage as well as unpredictable events to maintain safety.

It was previously difficult to create a standardised scoring system as learners would slur and skip words when uncertain in order to keep up with the pace of the phrases that were to be shadowed.

[36] Remote learning of language can occur without the presence of a real-time speaker through text-to-speech applications and using the principle of speech shadowing.

[20][failed verification] Applications for learning languages are focused on developing greater accuracy in pronunciation and pitch since these features are also replicated when shadowing speech.

Languages may not carry parallel words of meaning, so the role of an interpreter is to place emphasis on semantics during translation.

[45] Close speech shadowing would be the primary focus of an interpreter as the role involves the production of a semantically accurate response as well as a steady, conversation-like pace.

Mental load only allows for partial overlap between perceiving, comprehending, translating and producing speech and it is also affected by diminishing returns.

Shadowing speech during a positron emission tomography finds greater stimulation of the temporal cortex and motor-function regions.

It also requires the process of perception and production but with inverted energy distributions of a low input and a large output.