Listening Rate Preference: Comparison of Two Time Alteration Techniques

Abstract

A paired comparison procedure was employed to compare listening-rate preferences of 40 adult female subjects. Recordings of a standard prose passage were time-altered to yield nine rates (100 to 300 words per minute). Two different time alteration techniques were employed. One technique (VOCOM-I) altered the passage by a selective vowel compression-pause deletion procedure, while the other technique (VARISPEECH-I) employed a systematic expansion/deletion process for alteration. Two separate master tapes were presented to the subjects. A comparison of the rank ordering of rates for the two tapes shows a similarity in over-all listening rate preferences. Differences in rate preference in past research may be related to the instrumental methods used to alter speech.