A continuous-flow model for phonatory reaction time.

The purpose of this study was to validate a proposed continuous-flow model of phonatory reaction time by investigating the temporal order of selected laryngeal and neurophysiological events involved in a phonatory reaction time task. Ten normal speakers participated in a phonatory reaction time task. Laryngeal positioning movements prior to vocal fold closure (laryngeal shift) and onset of vocal fold vibration (acoustic onset) were recorded with an electroglottograph. P300 brain potentials were collected simultaneously, and they served as an index of a central process underlying reaction time. The obtained temporal ordering of laryngeal shift, P300, and acoustic onset supported a continuous-flow model of phonatory reaction time. Use of this model might yield information that is more accurate in explaining physiological function and more precise in describing temporal patterning than the serial model.