How interactive tasks change how people hear speech from people with ALS.
Official title: Assessing Perceptual Effects of Interactive Tasks
Run by Penn State University · NCT06828523 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We will test whether people without speech disorders hear speech from people with ALS differently when the speech comes from interactive versus non-interactive tasks.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 1300 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Penn State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (University Park, Pennsylvania) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 17, 2025 |
| Main results expected | February 28, 2029 |
| Study ends | February 28, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | February 12, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06828523 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are native monolingual American English speakers aged 18–65 who pass the remote hearing screen, report no speech/language/neurological disorders, have no prior experience with dysarthria, and have access to a computer and headphones.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are non-native English speakers, outside the 18–65 age range, have hearing or speech-language disorders, or lack reliable internet or appropriate audio equipment are unlikely to benefit from participating.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Remote naive listeners recruited via Prolific will listen to recorded vowels and consonants produced by people with ALS and age-matched control speakers in both interactive and non-interactive tasks. Listeners will indicate what they heard after passing a remote hearing screen; eligible participants are native monolingual American English speakers aged 18–65 with no reported speech, language, or neurological disorders and no prior experience communicating with people with dysarthria. The study plans to enroll 1,300 listeners to achieve 80% power and will analyze perceptual judgments using generalized mixed-effects regression to compare effects of context and speaker group. Participation is asynchronous and completed on each listener's own computer with headphones.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could help clinicians and communication partners tailor strategies to make speech from people with ALS easier to understand in everyday conversational settings.
How similar studies have gone: Previous perceptual studies have documented context and listener effects for dysarthric speech, but comparing interactive versus non-interactive contexts with a large remote sample is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * passing the remote hearing screening * having no known speech, language or neurological disorders per self-report * being a native monolingual speaker of American English * having no experience communicating with people with dysarthria * being between the ages of 18 and 65. Exclusion Criteria: * None - if volunteer meets the inclusion criteria, then they will be enrolled
Where it's running
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Speech Core, Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jimin Lee, Ph.D. — The Pennsylvania State University
- Study coordinator: Anne Olmstead, Ph.D.
- Email: ajo150@psu.edu
- Phone: 814-867-3373
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.