How does the performance-intensity (PI) function of spondees compare to that of monosyllabic PB words?

The performance-intensity (PI) function refers to the relationship between the intensity level of a stimulus (in this case, speech stimuli) and the performance or accuracy of recognizing that stimulus. Spondees are two-syllable words that are pronounced with equal stress, while monosyllabic Phonetically Balanced (PB) words consist of single-syllable words that represent a range of speech sounds.

When comparing the PI functions of these two types of words, the function for spondees is typically steeper. This means that as the intensity of the spondee presentations increases, there is a more pronounced increase in performance. The steeper PI function indicates that listeners may benefit from lower intensity levels when processing spondees because their inherent structure can be easier to identify, thus causing a more rapid improvement in recognition with added intensity.

On the other hand, monosyllabic PB words often show a more gradual increase from lower to higher intensity levels. Because they are single-syllable, they may sometimes require a higher intensity before significant performance gains are observed compared to spondees.

Understanding this difference is crucial for audiologists and speech-language pathologists when assessing auditory performance across various speech types and tailoring auditory rehabilitation strategies accordingly.