Speech errors across the lifespan

Janet I. Vousden, Elizabeth A. Maylor

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Dell, Burger, and Svec (1997) proposed that the proportion of speech errors classified as anticipations (e.g., "moot and mouth") can be predicted solely from the overall error rate, such that the greater the error rate, the lower the anticipatory proportion (AP) of errors. We report a study examining whether this effect applies to changes in error rates that occur developmentally and as a result of ageing. Speech errors were elicited from 8- and 11-year-old children, young adults, and older adults. The error rate decreased and the AP increased from children to young adults, but neither error rate nor AP differed significantly between young and older adults. In cases where fast speech resulted in a higher error rate than slow speech, the AP was lower. Thus, there was overall support for Dell et al.'s prediction from speech error data across the lifespan.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-77
Number of pages30
JournalLanguage and Cognitive Processes
Volume21
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2006
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Linguistics and Language
  • Neuroscience(all)
  • Psychology(all)
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Speech errors across the lifespan'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this