Contribution of Spectrotemporal Features on Auditory Event-Related Potentials Elicited by Consonant-Vowel Syllables

Conclusions: The study shows that even small differences in spectrotemporal features of speech may evoke different ERPs, despite very similar or even identical wide-band envelopes. The results are consistent with a model that ERPs evoked by short CVs are an onset response to the consonant merged with an acoustic change complex evoked by the vowel part. However, all components appear as one P1-N1-P2 complex. The results may be explained by differences in the narrow-band envelopes of the stimuli. Therefore, this study underlines the limitations of the wide-band envelope in explaining speech-evoked ERPs. Additionally, the results of this study are of special interest for clinical application since some of the ERP parameter differences, as the N1 latency, are present not only in the ERPs of each single subject but also in the group mean value of all N1 latencies. Thus, presented ERP measurements in response to CVs might be used for identification of potential problems in phoneme differentiation caused by spectrotemporal analysis problems.

from Ear and Hearing

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