Speaking with a KN95 Face Mask: A Within-Subjects Study on Speaker Adaptation and Strategies to Improve Intelligibility

Autor/inn/en	Gutz, Sarah E.; Rowe, Hannah P.; Tilton-Bolowsky, Victoria E.; Green, Jordan R.
Titel	Speaking with a KN95 Face Mask: A Within-Subjects Study on Speaker Adaptation and Strategies to Improve Intelligibility
Quelle	In: Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 7 (2022), Artikel 73 (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1186/s41235-022-00423-4
Schlagwörter	Hygiene; Disease Control; Health Behavior; COVID-19; Pandemics; Speech Communication; Intelligibility; Auditory Perception; Articulation (Speech); Adjustment (to Environment); Adults; Mechanics (Physics); Motion; Biomechanics; Acoustics; Communication Strategies + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Health behaviour; Gesundheitsverhalten; Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Mechanik; Bewegungsablauf; Biomechanik; Kommunikationsstrategie
Abstract	Mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a growing interest in the functional impact of masks on speech and communication. Prior work has shown that masks dampen sound, impede visual communication cues, and reduce intelligibility. However, more work is needed to understand how speakers change their speech while wearing a mask and to identify strategies to overcome the impact of wearing a mask. Data were collected from 19 healthy adults during a single in-person session. We investigated the effects of wearing a KN95 mask on speech intelligibility, as judged by two speech-language pathologists, examined speech kinematics and acoustics associated with mask-wearing, and explored KN95 acoustic filtering. We then considered the efficacy of three speaking strategies to improve speech intelligibility: Loud, Clear, and Slow speech. To inform speaker strategy recommendations, we related findings to self-reported speaker effort. Results indicated that healthy speakers could compensate for the presence of a mask and achieve normal speech intelligibility. Additionally, we showed that speaking loudly or clearly--and, to a lesser extent, slowly--improved speech intelligibility. However, using these strategies may require increased physical and cognitive effort and should be used only when necessary. These results can inform recommendations for speakers wearing masks, particularly those with communication disorders (e.g., dysarthria) who may struggle to adapt to a mask but can respond to explicit instructions. Such recommendations may further help non-native speakers and those communicating in a noisy environment or with listeners with hearing loss. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01