TY - JOUR

T1 - Facilitating behavioral learning and habit change in voice therapy—theoretic premises and practical strategies

AU - Iwarsson, Jenny

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - A typical goal of voice therapy is a behavioral change in the patient’s everyday speech. The SLP’s plan for voice therapy should therefore optimally include strategies for automatization. The aim of the present study was to identify and describe factors that promote behavioral learning and habit change in voice behavior and have the potential to affect patient compliance and thus therapy outcome. Research literature from the areas of motor and behavioral learning, habit formation, and habit change was consulted. Also, specific elements from personal experience of clinical voice therapy are described and discussed from a learning theory perspective. Nine factors that seem to be relevant to facilitate behavioral learning and habit change in voice therapy are presented, together with related practical strategies and theoretical underpinnings. These are: 1) Cue-altering; 2) Attention exercises; 3) Repetition; 4) Cognitive activation; 5) Negative practice; 6) Inhibition through interruption; 7) Decomposing complex behavior; 8) The ‘each time–every time’ principle; and 9) Successive implementation of automaticity.

AB - A typical goal of voice therapy is a behavioral change in the patient’s everyday speech. The SLP’s plan for voice therapy should therefore optimally include strategies for automatization. The aim of the present study was to identify and describe factors that promote behavioral learning and habit change in voice behavior and have the potential to affect patient compliance and thus therapy outcome. Research literature from the areas of motor and behavioral learning, habit formation, and habit change was consulted. Also, specific elements from personal experience of clinical voice therapy are described and discussed from a learning theory perspective. Nine factors that seem to be relevant to facilitate behavioral learning and habit change in voice therapy are presented, together with related practical strategies and theoretical underpinnings. These are: 1) Cue-altering; 2) Attention exercises; 3) Repetition; 4) Cognitive activation; 5) Negative practice; 6) Inhibition through interruption; 7) Decomposing complex behavior; 8) The ‘each time–every time’ principle; and 9) Successive implementation of automaticity.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - behavioral learning

KW - habit change

KW - voice therapy

U2 - 10.3109/14015439.2014.936498

DO - 10.3109/14015439.2014.936498

M3 - Journal article

VL - Early Online

SP - 1

EP - 8

JO - Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology

JF - Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology

SN - 1401-5439

ER -