Abstract

This study investigated the impacts of dual task and time pressure conditions on the speech fluency of 60 neurotypical adults between the ages of 26 and 85. Participants retold short stories in baseline, time pressure, dual task, and combined dual task and time pressure conditions. Dependent variables included five measures of speech fluency: words per minute (WPM), fillers per verbalization, false starts and repetitions per verbalization, extended pauses per utterance, and speech naturalness. Each of these variables was compared between age groups of younger, older, and elderly adults and across conditions. Results reveal that time pressure causes speech rate to increase across age groups but combining time pressure with a dual task condition mitigates this effect in elderly speakers. Additionally, younger adults are perceived to have more natural speech compared to older and elderly adults. Speakers across age groups perform similarly in all other variables of speech fluency, with notable changes in fluency under the combined dual task and time pressure condition compared to other conditions. These findings suggest that while speakers do not always become less fluent as attentional demands increase, the combination of dual task and time pressure conditions can cause attentional demands to surpass capacity and/or resource allocation thresholds for fluent speakers. Future research should continue investigating the effect of time pressure and other divided attention conditions on typical speakers and those with communication disorders to establish methods for optimizing conditions for effective communication in everyday situations.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

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