POSTER
Virginia Tardini, Charles Nudelman, Pasquale Bottalico
Augmented auditory feedback (AAF) has been proposed as a strategy to enhance speech communication by simultaneously influencing speech production and perception. This study integrates findings from two complementary investigations examining the effects of AAF delivered via the Forbrain device in ecologically valid conditions.
In the first study, two university professors were monitored during live lectures with and without AAF. Voice dosimetry revealed reductions in vocal intensity and phonation time when AAF was used, indicating decreased vocal load and a potential mitigation of vocal fatigue during prolonged speaking tasks. In the second study, speech produced under AAF was evaluated in noise using multi-talker babble at adverse signal-to-noise ratios. Results demonstrated improved speech intelligibility for AAF-modified speech compared to baseline production, suggesting that AAF induces acoustic-phonetic adjustments beneficial for transmission in noisy environments.
Together, these findings support a unified framework in which AAF enhances communication efficiency by reducing speaker effort while simultaneously improving listener outcomes. This dual effect is particularly relevant for classroom settings, where sustained vocal demands and challenging acoustic conditions often co-occur. AAF-based interventions may therefore offer a practical approach to improving both vocal health and speech intelligibility in real-world educational contexts.