Schreiblatenz

Schreiblatenz is a term used in psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience to describe the latency between the onset of a loud vocal stimulus, typically a scream or alarm, and the initiation of a human speaker’s own vocal response. The concept focuses on how quickly a person begins to vocalize after being exposed to an aversive or emotionally arousing auditory event, reflecting auditory-motor integration and reflexive speech planning under high arousal.

The word combines Schreien, to scream, and Latenz, latency, and the term is mainly found in German-language literature. It is not universally standardized and is often discussed alongside other measures of vocal or motor response to loud sounds, such as startle-induced vocalization latency or general reaction time tasks. Researchers use Schreiblatenz to explore how emotional intensity, attention, and context influence immediate speech-related motor processes.

Measurement typically involves presenting participants with a sudden scream or other loud auditory cue while they perform a simple vocal task, such as repeating a neutral syllable or phrase. The latency is quantified as the time from stimulus onset to the beginning of the participant’s voiced response, often using acoustic analysis or laryngeal EMG to pinpoint the moment of voice onset. Experimental conditions may vary in arousal level, predictability of the cue, and linguistic demands.

Applications of Schreiblatenz research include evaluating communication efficiency in high-stress environments, designing effective alert and emergency signaling systems, and informing clinical assessments of auditory-motor integration. Critics note that the term is not uniformly adopted, and that variability in task design, language, and individual baseline vocal speed can confound measurements. See also: startle response, reaction time, voice onset time.