Memory for Voices: The Role of Attention

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Romi Zäske
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology ; Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 387517162

• Final Report Year: 2022

Final Report Abstract

Human voices are not only transmitters of speech, but also convey important nonlinguistic vocal cues to speaker attributes, such as identity, gender, or age. Current models on voice processing focus on the recognition of voice identity from familiar speakers, but fail to explain (i) how representations of familiar voices are acquired during learning, (ii) how non-linguistic cues to other speaker attributes such as speaker gender, are represented in memory, and (iii) how attentional processes modulate human voice processing. To address these shortcomings, I proposed two strands of research with two experiments each (E1 to E4). Building upon our seminal findings on electrophysiological correlates of voice learning, Strand One aimed to uncover behavioural and electroencephalographic (EEG) markers of voice learning and recognition. E1 compared incidental vs. intentional voice learning in healthy listeners and was published in Brain Research. Afterwards, instead of looking at effects of visual task load on voice learning (E2), we responded to the increasing demand for standardized tools to assess individual differences in voice memory in RE2 (replacing E2): In collaboration with Prof. Dr. A. Mayer (University of Bielefeld, Germany), an expert for item-response-theory (IRT), we created the Jena Voice Learning and Recognition Test (JVLMT). Strand Two investigated effects of spatial selective attention on voice memory in patients with impaired focus of spatial attention: to this end we assessed effects of perceptual adaptation on the processing of voice gender in patients with spatial hemineglect (E3) and monaural tinnitus (E4).

Publications

• Perceiving Speaker Identity from the Voice. The Oxford Handbook of Voice Perception, 538-560. Oxford University Press.
  Schweinberger, Stefan R. & Zäske, Romi
  
• Perceptual Correlates and Cerebral Representation of Voices—Identity, Gender, and Age. The Oxford Handbook of Voice Perception, 560-584. Oxford University Press.
  Latinus, Marianne & Zäske, Romi
  
• Voices to remember: Comparing neural signatures of intentional and non-intentional voice learning and recognition. Brain Research, 1711, 214-225.
  Humble, Denise; Schweinberger, Stefan R.; Dobel, Christian & Zäske, Romi
  
• Phonetic perception but not perception of speaker gender is impaired in chronic tinnitus. Progress in Brain Research, 397-422. Elsevier.
  Zäske, R.; Frisius, N.; Ivansic, D.; Schweinberger, S. R.; Guntinas-Lichius, O. & Dobel, C.
  
• The Jena Voice Learning and Memory Test (JVLMT): A standardized tool for assessing the ability to learn and recognize voices. Behavior Research Methods, 55(3), 1352-1371.
  Humble, Denise; Schweinberger, Stefan R.; Mayer, Axel; Jesgarzewsky, Tim L.; Dobel, Christian & Zäske, Romi