How 'Um' Helps Us Understand Words
Author Information
Author(s): Martin Corley, Robert J. Hartsuiker
Primary Institution: University of Edinburgh
Hypothesis
Does the presence of filled pauses like 'um' help with auditory word recognition by delaying the onset of upcoming words?
Conclusion
Delays of any kind, whether filled with 'um', silence, or artificial tones, help improve word recognition.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants were faster to respond to words that followed a delay, regardless of whether the delay was filled with 'um', silence, or a tone.
- The study found consistent results across three experiments, indicating that any type of delay aids word recognition.
- The findings suggest that listeners do not need to interpret fillers as signals to benefit from them.
Takeaway
When people hear a pause before a word, like 'um', it can actually help them understand what comes next better.
Methodology
Three experiments were conducted where participants responded to images based on auditory instructions that included delays before the target words.
Limitations
The study used fixed auditory stimuli which may not reflect natural listening conditions.
Participant Demographics
Participants were students from the University of Edinburgh.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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