What is the purpose of Stage 4 in the expressive side of the communication chain?

Stage 4 in the expressive side of the communication chain pertains to the initiation of motor commands for speech output. This stage involves the transformation of previously generated ideas and organized thoughts into physical movements that produce speech. When an individual decides to speak, their brain sends signals to the muscles involved in articulation—such as the lips, tongue, and vocal cords—enabling the production of spoken language.

This step is crucial as it bridges the cognitive process of formulating messages with the physical act of communicating those messages vocally. The ability to generate motor commands is what ultimately allows for intelligible speech to be articulated, thus making it a fundamental component of effective communication. In contrast, generating vocabulary words, encoding auditory signals, and receiving and processing sounds relate to earlier stages in the communication process and are involved in comprehension, rather than expression.