Generalization of tactile perceptual skills to new context following tactile-alone word recognition training with the Tickle Talker (TM)

The Tickle Talker(TM) is an electrotactile speech perception device. Subjec ts were evaluated using the device in various tactile-alone and tactile-vis ual contexts to assess the generalization to other contexts of tactile-alon e perceptual skills. The subjects were from a group of six normally hearing subjects who had previously received 12 to 33 h of tactile-alone word reco gnition training and had learned an average vocabulary of 50 words [Galvin ct al., J. Acoust. Sec. Am. 106, 1084-1089 (1999)]. The tactile-alone evalu ation contexts were sentences, unfamiliar talkers, and untrained words. The tactile-visual evaluation contexts were closed-set words, open-set words, and open-set sentences. Tactile-alone perceptual skills were generalized to unfamiliar speakers, sentences, and untrained words, though scores indicat ed that generalization was not complete. In contrast, the generalization of skills to tactile-visual contexts was minimal or absent. The potential val ue of tactile-alone training for hearing-impaired users of the Tickle Talke r(TM) is discussed. (C) 2000 Acoustical Society of America. [S0001-4966(00) 00612-3].