Dual-task effects on speech production in children (Eichorn & Pirutinsky, 2022)

<strong>Purpose: </strong>Contemporary motor theories indicate that well-practiced movements are best performed automatically, without conscious attention or monitoring. We applied this perspective to speech production in school-age children and examined how dual-task conditions that engaged sustained attention affected speech fluency, speech rate, and language productivity in children with and without stuttering disorders. <strong>Method: </strong>Participants included 47 children (19 children who stutter, 28 children who do not stutter) from 7 to 12 years of age. Children produced speech in two baseline conditions with no concurrent task and under a dual-task condition requiring sustained attention to on-screen stimuli. Measures of speech fluency, speech rate, and language productivity were obtained for each trial and compared across conditions and groups. <strong>Results: </strong>Dual-task conditions resulted in a reduction in stutter-like disfluencies relative to the initial baseline speaking condition. Effects were similar for both groups of children and could not be attributed to decreases in language productivity or a simple order effect. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>Findings suggest that diverting attention during the process of speech production enhances speech fluency in children, possibly by increasing the automaticity of motor speech sequences. Further research is needed to clarify neurophysiological mechanisms underlying these changes and to evaluate potential clinical applications of such effects. <br> <strong>Supplemental Material S1.</strong> Model fit of sequential generalized multilevel regression models of stuttering-like disfluencies. <br> <strong>Supplemental Material S2.</strong> Model fit of sequential generalized multilevel regression models of non-stuttering-like disfluencies. <br> <strong>Supplemental Material S3. </strong>Model fit of sequential generalized multilevel regression models of stuttering-like disfluencies excluding bilingual participants (<em>n</em> = 3). <br> <strong>Supplemental Material S4.</strong> Model fit of sequential generalized multilevel regression models of non-stuttering-like disfluencies excluding bilingual participants (<em>n</em> = 3). <br> <strong>Supplemental Material S5. </strong>Results of final models of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs; M4) and non-stuttering-like disfluencies (non-SLDs; M4) excluding bilingual participants (<em>n</em> = 3). <br> Eichorn, N., &amp; Pirutinsky, S. (2022). Dual-task effects on concurrent speech production in school-age children with and without stuttering disorders. <em>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</em>. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00426 <br>

<strong>目的：</strong>当代运动理论（motor theories）表明，熟练动作的最佳执行方式是自动化的，无需有意识的注意或监控。我们将这一视角应用于学龄儿童的言语产生（speech production），考察了需要持续注意（sustained attention）的双任务条件（dual-task conditions）如何影响口吃障碍（stuttering disorders）儿童与非口吃儿童的言语流畅性（speech fluency）、语速（speech rate）及语言产出能力（language productivity）。<strong>方法：</strong>参与者包括47名7至12岁儿童（19名口吃儿童，28名非口吃儿童）。儿童在两种无并发任务（concurrent task）的基线条件（baseline conditions）下以及需要持续注意屏幕刺激（on-screen stimuli）的双任务条件下进行言语产生。获取每次试验的言语流畅性、语速和语言产出能力指标，并在不同条件与组别间进行比较。<strong>结果：</strong>双任务条件下，口吃样不流畅（stutter-like disfluencies）相对于初始基线言语条件有所减少。两组儿童的效应相似，且不能归因于语言产出能力下降或简单的顺序效应（order effect）。<strong>结论：</strong>研究结果表明，在言语产生过程中转移注意力可提高儿童的言语流畅性，这可能是通过增加运动言语序列（motor speech sequences）的自动化程度（automaticity）实现的。需要进一步研究阐明这些变化背后的神经生理机制（neurophysiological mechanisms），并评估此类效应的潜在临床应用（clinical applications）。<br><strong>补充材料S1：</strong>口吃样不流畅的序列广义多水平回归模型（sequential generalized multilevel regression models）拟合结果。<br><strong>补充材料S2：</strong>非口吃样不流畅（non-stuttering-like disfluencies）的序列广义多水平回归模型拟合结果。<br><strong>补充材料S3：</strong>排除双语参与者（bilingual participants）（n=3）后的口吃样不流畅序列广义多水平回归模型拟合结果。<br><strong>补充材料S4：</strong>排除双语参与者（n=3）后的非口吃样不流畅序列广义多水平回归模型拟合结果。<br><strong>补充材料S5：</strong>排除双语参与者（n=3）后的口吃样不流畅（SLDs；M4）与非口吃样不流畅（non-SLDs；M4）最终模型结果。<br>Eichorn, N., & Pirutinsky, S. (2022). Dual-task effects on concurrent speech production in school-age children with and without stuttering disorders. <em>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</em>. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00426<br>