The effect of delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency altered feedback (FAF) on speech production: cochlear implanted versus normal hearing individuals

Normal auditory feedback contributes to moment-to-moment control of speech production. Effects of auditory feedback’s absence on hearing-impaired individuals are widely documented, but auditory perturbation has not been investigated. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and frequency altered feedback (FAF) on speech production among prelingual cochlear implant (CI) users and normal hearing (NH) individuals, to evaluate CI users’ reliance on auditory feedback. Twenty young adults (10 CI, 10 NH), without developmental and cognitive impairments, participated in the study. Under variable auditory feedback conditions, speech production (spontaneous or reading aloud) was measured using speech rate, percentage of interruptions, fundamental frequency (F0), and relative intensity. Results showed that (1) both DAF and FAF caused slower speech rates and more interruptions while reading aloud, with DAF having larger effect; (2) altered feedback produced no differences between groups, except an increase in F0 for CI users during DAF; and (3) CI users’ ability to understand speech via phone and without lip-reading was positively correlated with performance under DAF. These findings suggest that auditory perturbation similarly affects speech production among prelingual CI users and NH individuals, indicating CI users depend on auditory feedback to the same degree as normal hearing individuals.