The influence of physical context on speech perception

Speech perception is a complex process involving both the acoustic signal (i.e., bottom–up information) and a listener’s knowledge and experience (i.e., top–down information). Context is also critically important to speech perception—so important, in fact, that sounds, words, and phrases can morph in how they are perceived depending on the context in which they are heard (e.g., linguistic and social context). One understudied factor that likely impacts speech perception is physical context. Physical properties, including architectural factors including layout and materials and ecological variables such as noise, differ across spaces. Hospitals are distinct from classrooms which are distinct from cars. Because important verbal information is communicated in all these physical locations, it is critically important to understand how physical context impacts speech perception. In this presentation, we will discuss the basic properties of speech perception that make it especially susceptible to context effects. We will then focus on physical context effects on speech perception, including ongoing work on how hospital noise impacts speech perception. The relative dearth of work in this area suggests a need for researchers in architectural acoustics and speech communication to collaborate on future projects to determine how physical context impacts speech perception. [Work supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation.]