The effect of reverberation time on cognitive load in speech communication

摘要

Research on the cognitive processing of speech indicates that the probability ofrncorrect identification of words is an insufficient indicator of how reverberation time (RT) affectsrnspeech communication. Speech communication under unfavorable reverberation conditions means thatrna larger part of the limited working memory resources must be allocated to the phonological coding ofrnthe speech. Less resources therefore remain for the further processing of speech: integration of currentrninformation with previously presented parts of the speech and with permanently stored informationrnand the more permanent storing of new information. Even if reverberation conditions allow thernidentification of almost all words they may therefore have the effect that the spoken message is lessrnwell understood and remembered. Effects of the RT on the listener’s cognitive load, fatigue andrnlearning are discussed from this perspective. It is argued that we need studies of reverberation effectsrnin realistic long-lasting speech communication situations to better understand the effect of RT onrnspeech communication.