Hearing a voice in the noise: auditory hallucinations and speech perception

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1177-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vercammen ◽  
E. H. F. de Haan ◽  
A. Aleman
Keyword(s):  
Response Bias ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Auditory Hallucinations ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Perceptual Sensitivity ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Enhanced Sensitivity ◽  
Actual Stimulus

BackgroundIt has recently been suggested that auditory hallucinations are the result of a criterion shift when deciding whether or not a meaningful signal has emerged. The approach proposes that a liberal criterion may result in increased false-positive identifications, without additional perceptual deficit. To test this hypothesis, we devised a speech discrimination task and used signal detection theory (SDT) to investigate the underlying cognitive mechanisms.MethodSchizophrenia patients with and without auditory hallucinations and a healthy control group completed a speech discrimination task. They had to decide whether a particular spoken word was identical to a previously presented speech stimulus, embedded in noise. SDT was used on the accuracy data to calculate a measure of perceptual sensitivity (Az) and a measure of response bias (β). Thresholds for the perception of simple tones were determined.ResultsCompared to healthy controls, perceptual thresholds were higher and perceptual sensitivity in the speech task was lower in both patient groups. However, hallucinating patients showed increased sensitivity to speech stimuli compared to non-hallucinating patients. In addition, we found some evidence of a positive response bias in hallucinating patients, indicating a tendency to readily accept that a certain stimulus had been presented.ConclusionsWithin the context of schizophrenia, patients with auditory hallucinations show enhanced sensitivity to speech stimuli, combined with a liberal criterion for deciding that a perceived event is an actual stimulus.

scholarly journals Mismatch negativity in children with cochlear implant

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Hamid ◽  
Mona Ahmed Kotait ◽  
Enaas Ahmad Kolkaila
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Mismatch Negativity ◽  
Standard Stimulus ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Hearing Children

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Cochlear implant provides a great opportunity for children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss to restore normal hearing. Identifying mismatch negativity (MMN) in cochlear implant recipients helps to assess the role of central auditory structures in processing speech stimuli in those patients. The objective of the present study is to evaluate tone and speech discrimination in cochlear implanted children using mismatch negativity test.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> MMN was recorded in 35 children. They were divided into two groups. Control group consisted of 15 normal hearing children, their age ranged from 3-11 years. Study group consisted of 20 children fitted with unilateral CI, and their age matched the control group. Two oddball paradigms were used; the first was tone bursts (1000 Hz as standard stimulus and 1050 Hz as deviant stimulus). The second was synthesized speech stimuli (/da/ as standard stimulus and /ga/ as deviant one). Both paradigms were presented at 75dB SPL.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> All cochlear implanted children included showed MMN on using both oddball paradigms. Comparing results of both groups revealed statistically significant differences in MMN latency and amplitude. There was a significant positive correlation between MMN latencies and the implantation age as well as the duration of hearing loss before implantation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> MMN provides an objective tool to assess the auditory discrimination abilities in cochlear implanted children which may help in their rehabilitation and also in the optimum setting of their devices.</p>

Stimulus Ratio Effects on Speech Discrimination by Children and Adults

1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 671-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan E. Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Discrimination Accuracy ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Place Of Articulation ◽  
Adults And Children

This investigation examined the response strategies and discrimination accuracy of adults and children aged 5–10 as the ratio of same to different trials was varied across three conditions of a “change/no-change” discrimination task. The conditions varied as follows: (a) a ratio of one-third same to two-thirds different trials (33% same), (b) an equal ratio of same to different trials (50% same), and (c) a ratio of two-thirds same to one-third different trials (67% same). Stimuli were synthetic consonant-vowel syllables that changed along a place of articulation dimension by formant frequency transition. Results showed that all subjects changed their response strategies depending on the ratio of same-to-different trials. The most lax response pattern was observed for the 50% same condition, and the most conservative pattern was observed for the 67% same condition. Adult response patterns were most conservative across condition. Differences in discrimination accuracy as measured by P(C) were found, with the largest difference in the 5- to 6-year-old group and the smallest change in the adult group. These findings suggest that children’s response strategies, like those of adults, can be manipulated by changing the ratio of same-to-different trials. Furthermore, interpretation of sensitivity measures must be referenced to task variables such as the ratio of same-to-different trials.

Associations between collectivism and perception of social threat: a signal detection approach

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuong-Van Vu ◽  
Catrin Finkenauer ◽  
Lydia Krabbendam
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Response Bias ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Social Threat ◽  
Threat Detection ◽  
Perceptual Sensitivity ◽  
Detection Approach ◽  
Self Construal ◽  
The Individual

Collectivistic orientation, which entails interdependent self-construal and concern for interpersonal harmony and social adjustment, has been suggested to be associated with detecting emotional expressions that signal social threat than individualistic orientation, which entails independent self-construal. The present research tested if this detection is a result of enhanced perceptual sensitivity or of response bias. We used country as proxy of individualism and collectivism (Country IC), measured IC of individuals with a questionnaire (Individual IC) and manipulated IC with culture priming (Situational IC). Dutch participants in the Netherlands (n = 143) and Chinese participants in China (n = 151) performed a social threat detection task where they had to categorize ambiguous facial expressions as “angry” or “not angry”. As the stimuli varied in degrees of scowling and frequency of presentation, we were able to measure the participants' perceptual sensitivity and response bias following the principles of the Signal Detection Theory. On the Country IC level, the results indicated that individualism-representative Dutch participants had higher perceptual sensitivity than collectivism-representative Chinese participants; whereas, Chinese participants were more biased towards categorizing a scowling face as “angry” than the Dutch (i.e. stronger liberal bias). In both groups, collectivism on the Individual IC was associated with a bias towards recognizing a scowling face as “not angry” (i.e. stronger conservative bias). Culture priming (Situational IC) affected neither perceptual sensitivity nor response bias. Our data suggested that cultural differences were in the form of behavioral tendency and IC entails multiple constructs linked to different outcomes in social threat detection.

scholarly journals Impairment of self-monitoring: part of the endophenotypic risk for psychosis

2007 ◽  
Vol 191 (S51) ◽  
pp. s58-s62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Versmissen ◽  
Inez Myin-Germeys ◽  
Ilse Janssen ◽  
Nicolas Franck ◽  
Nicolas Georgieff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Recognition ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Delusional Ideation

BackgroundA disorder of self-monitoring may underlie the positive symptoms of psychosis. The cognitive mechanisms associated with these symptoms may also be detectable in individuals at risk of psychosisAimsTo investigate (a) whether patients with psychosis show impaired self-monitoring, (b) to what degree this is associated with positive symptoms, and (c) whether this is associated with liability to psychotic symptomsMethodThe sample included: individuals with a lifetime history of non-affective psychosis (n=37), a genetically defined risk group (n=41), a psychometrically defined risk group (n=40), and control group (n=49). All participants carried out an action-recognition taskResultsNumber of action – recognition errors was associated with psychosis risk (OR linear trend over 3 levels: 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20) and differential error rate was associated with the degree of delusional ideation in a dose–response fashion (OR linear trend over 3 levels: 1.13, 95% CI 1.00–1.26)ConclusionsAlterations in self-monitoring are associated with psychosis with evidence of specificity for delusional ideation. In the risk state, this is expressed more as failure to recognise self-generated actions, whereas in illness failure to recognise alien sources come to the fore

Oddity and Discrimination Learning after Pretraining on a Nonrepeated Oddity Task

1983 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Sugimura
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Learning ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Oddity Task ◽  
Oddity Learning ◽  
High Level

128 kindergarten children learned an oddity task with no repeated stimuli until they reached one of the three criteria of 4/4, 8/8, and 8/8 + 20 correct responses, and then they were given either an oddity task with repeated stimuli or a discrimination task. With increasing numbers of pretraining trials, the repeated oddity learning became significantly easier but ease of the discrimination learning did not change significantly. These findings were interpreted as showing that attention to relational cues increased to a high level through learning the nonrepeated oddity task, whereas attention to absolute cues remained at almost the same level as in the control group with no pretraining.

scholarly journals P3 Cognitive Potential in Cochlear Implant Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 408-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Signe Grasel ◽  
Mario Greters ◽  
Maria Goffi-Gomez ◽  
Roseli Bittar ◽  
Raimar Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Evoked Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Central Auditory Processing ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Cortical Responses ◽  
Peripheral Auditory System

Introduction The P3 cognitive evoked potential is recorded when a subject correctly identifies, evaluates and processes two different auditory stimuli. Objective to evaluate the latency and amplitude of the P3 evoked potential in 26 cochlear implant users with post-lingual deafness with good or poor speech recognition scores as compared with normal hearing subjects matched for age and educational level. Methods In this prospective cohort study, auditory cortical responses were recorded from 26 post-lingual deaf adult cochlear implant users (19 with good and 7 with poor speech recognition scores) and 26 control subjects. Results There was a significant difference in the P3 latency between cochlear implant users with poor speech recognition scores (G-) and their control group (CG) (p = 0.04), and between G- and cochlear implant users with good speech discrimination (G+) (p = 0.01). We found no significant difference in the P3 latency between the CG and G+. In this study, all G- patients had deafness due to meningitis, which suggests that higher auditory function was impaired too. Conclusion Post-lingual deaf adult cochlear implant users in the G- group had prolonged P3 latencies as compared with the CG and the cochlear implant users in the G+ group. The amplitudes were similar between patients and controls. All G- subjects were deaf due to meningitis. These findings suggest that meningitis may have deleterious effects not only on the peripheral auditory system but on the central auditory processing as well.

Perception of Danger Signals: The Role of Control

2004 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Brandtstädter ◽  
Andreas Voss ◽  
Klaus Rothermund
Keyword(s):  
Response Bias ◽  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Perceptual System ◽  
Perceptual Sensitivity ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Experimental Procedure ◽  
Danger Signals ◽  
Experimental Game

Abstract. How does the perceptual system process stimuli that signal aversive outcomes or dangers? Considering the functional links between perception, attention, and action regulation, we posit that when people can avoid the aversive consequences, sensitivity of the perceptual system to danger signals should be enhanced, whereas it should be reduced when there is no such option. To test this prediction, we used a search task in which tachistoscopically presented conjunctions of features had to be detected. Parameters of sensitivity and response bias were analyzed drawing on procedures from signal detection theory. Although the experimental procedure rewarded correct responses, the predicted asymmetry emerged. For stimuli that were linked to a negative consequence (loss of points in the experimental game), perceptual sensitivity was enhanced when participants had the opportunity to neutralize the loss in a second task; an opposite pattern emerged when they had no such opportunity.

Nonvisual Motor Learning Improves Visual Motion Perception: Evidence From Violating the Two-Thirds Power Law

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 1612-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.A.M. Beets ◽  
F. Rösler ◽  
K. Fiehler
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Velocity Profile ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Visual Discrimination Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Training Groups

Few studies have reported direct effects of motor learning on visual perception, especially when using novel movements for the motor system. Atypical motor behaviors that violate movement constraints provide an excellent opportunity to study action-to-perception transfer. In our study, we passively trained blindfolded participants on movements violating the 2/3 power law. Before and after motor training, participants performed a visual discrimination task in which they decided whether two consecutive movements were same or different. For motor training, we randomly assigned the participants to two motor training groups or a control group. The motor training group experienced either a weak or a strong elliptic velocity profile on a circular trajectory that matched one of the visual test stimuli. The control group was presented with linear trajectories unrelated to the viewed movements. After each training session, participants actively reproduced the movement to assess motor learning. The group trained on the strong elliptic velocity profile reproduced movements with increasing elliptic velocity profiles while circular geometry remained constant. Furthermore, both training groups improved in visual discrimination ability for the learned movement as well as for highly similar movements. Participants in the control group, however, did not show any improvements in the visual discrimination task nor did participants who did not acquire the trained movement. The present results provide evidence for a transfer from action to perception which generalizes to highly related movements and depends on the success of motor learning. Moreover, under specific conditions, it seems to be possible to acquire movements deviating from the 2/3 power law.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document