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Dimensional modulation in continuous speech captures attention
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Poster D70 in Poster Session D, Wednesday, October 25, 4:45 - 6:30 pm CEST, Espace Vieux-Port
Ashley Symons1, Fred Dick2, Adam Tierney1; 1Birkbeck, University of London, 2University College London
Salient sounds in our environment can capture our attention and potentially distract us from our current goals. Prior work using simple, discrete sounds has shown that changes along multiple acoustic dimensions are linked to higher saliency ratings, increased physiological arousal, and decreased performance in dual-task paradigms. However, many of the socially relevant sounds that we encounter in our environment are continuous and constantly changing in multiple acoustic dimensions over time. For example, natural speech varies continuously along multiple dimensions that convey phonetic and prosodic information. To date, however, we know relatively little about how dynamic changes in natural speech capture attention and their effect on ongoing, goal-directed behavior. Computational models predict that goal-directed behavior will be disrupted following a high degree of spectrotemporal change. We tested this prediction using a synchronized tapping paradigm in which listeners tap to a metronome while ignoring distracting sounds in the background. The degree to which listeners’ tapping shifts following the distracting sound changes provides a measure of attentional capture. First, using simple, discrete stimuli, we show that salient changes in loudness and pitch lead to a transient increase in tapping speed between 250 – 750 ms after distracting sound changes. Split-half correlations show reliable individual differences in the magnitude of the tapping shift following sound changes. We then show a similar effect when continuous speech is presented in the background; listeners’ tapping speeds up following salient changes along amplitude, pitch, and spectral dimensions, with the effect most observable between 500 – 1000 ms after the change. These findings show that changes along acoustic dimensions in natural speech can capture attention and disrupt ongoing goal-directed behavior. One potential mechanism underpinning these results is an increase in arousal driven by activity in the locus coeruleus, leading to an expansion of time perception.
Topic Areas: Speech Perception,