Effect of low frame-rate video on intelligibility of speech

Video communication is not a kind of half-way stage between traditional aud io communication like the telephone, and the even more traditional face-to- face communication. It has its own characteristics, and evokes unexpected b ehaviour from the participants. Many studies investigate the influence that video mediation has on the process of communication. In this paper we look at a little-studied effect, on speech production. We show that when speake rs can see each other on a low frame-rate video screen, they articulate mor e clearly than the case where they cannot see each other and are communicat ing only over an audio link. This is unexpected, because when speakers can see each other face-to-face, their speech is less clear. A video image enco urages speech that is more clearly articulated, and this paper will argue t hat video images can be a distraction rather than a help. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.