Description and Evaluation of Theory and Research 
in Speech Understanding

(Directorate of Primary Education of Ioannina, Greece)

Abstract: This work explores the theory and research on speech comprehension, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing speech sounds from noise. It discusses the perceptual processing of speech sounds, including phonemes and their categorical perception, and how variability in speech sounds and segmentation challenges are addressed. It evaluates the impact of linguistic, speaker, and listener characteristics, as well as environmental factors, on speech comprehension. The paper reviews the TRACE model, which integrates bottom-up and top-down processes in word recognition, and the McGurk effect, demonstrating the integration of auditory and visual information. It concludes with the significance of understanding speech for effective communication and the role of poly-sensory integration in speech perception.

Key words: theory, speech comprehension