Prof Patti Adank

Research summary

My research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the robustness and flexibility of human spoken language The acoustic speech signal is inherently variable, for instance due to background noise, differences in speakers’ anatomy and physiology, speaking style, regional or socio-economic background, or language background. Yet speech perception remains remarkably stable, and listeners are even able to quickly adapt to novel variation sources of the acoustic signal, such as a speaker’s foreign or regional accent.

I combine behavioural and neuroimaging research. My behavioural research consists of studies on speech perception and production  and my neuroimaging research focuses on the neural bases of on-line adaptation in spoken language comprehension and production. Past neuroimaging studies have reported the involvement of neural bases for speech production in speech comprehension tasks. However, this involvement is only present under adverse listening conditions, such as speech in noise, or when the signal has been distorted, for instance by time-compressing it. In my research I test the possibility that this involvement of production regions is specific to on-line adaptation and learning and underlies the robustness of human speech comprehension. My present and future research uses traditional psycholinguistic paradigms, and functional neuroimaging methods such as fMRI, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Recently, I got interested in the role of vocal imitation in speech and am exploring the possibility that both overt and covert imitation may optimises speech perception.

Education

Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen

Other higher degree, Master of Science | 2005

Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen

Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy | 2003

Universiteit Utrecht

Other higher degree, Master of Arts | 1997

Publications

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