bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of Terminal Fall Contours in Speech Produced by Deaf Persons
Authors: Rubin-Spitz Judith , McGarr Nancy S.
Published: July 2014

Eight deaf children produced each of nine sentences. F
0
measures were obtained at several locations within each utterance (starting F
0
, peak F
0
, peak F
0
in the final syllable, and final F
0
). The relative timing of each F
0
measure (ms from onset of the utterance) was also determined. In addition, several difference measures were derived. Listeners experienced with the speech of the deaf were asked to judge whether they heard a terminal fall, rise, or a flat final intonation contour in each utterance. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine if any combination of the acoustic measures could predict listeners’ responses. The only variable that made a significant contribution to the regression function was the temporal interval between the terminal peak F
0
and the final F
0
. That is, the more slowly the contour fell the more likely listeners were to perceive the contour as flat, regardless of the amount (in Hz or percentage F
0
) by which it fell. The regression equation accounted for a statistically significant but not large proportion of the total variance. This suggests that other variables, not measured in this study, play an important role in the perception of utterance final intonation contours in the speech of the deaf.
Frequency, Intensity, and Target Matching Effects on Photoglottographic Measures of Open Quotient and Speed Quotient
Authors: Hanson David G. , Gerratt Bruce R. , Berke Gerald S.
Published: July 2014

Measurements of Open Quotient (OQ) and Speed Quotient (SQ) were made from photoglottographic signals of normal male subjects during phonation. Samples were obtained at spontaneous levels of fundamental frequency and intensity, and at nine specified frequency/intensity combinations. OQ increased with fundamental frequency. OQ change was not significant for change in intensity and there was no significant interaction between frequency and intensity. Changes in SQ with variations of frequency and intensity were not significant. However, SQ did increase significantly when spontaneous phonation was compared to target matching phonation at similar frequency/intensity. Changes in both OQ and SQ across comfortable frequency and intensity ranges were relatively small in comparison to changes in OQ and SQ reported for pathological phonation.
Frequency Selectivity and Comodulation Masking Release in Adults and in 6-Year-Old Children
Authors: Veloso Kathleen , Hall Joseph W. , Grose John H.
Published: July 2014

Frequency selectivity and comodulation masking release (CMR) for a 1000-Hz signal frequency were examined in 6-year-old children and adults. An abbreviated measure of frequency selectivity was also conducted for a 500-Hz signal. Frequency selectivity was measured using a notched-noise masking method, and CMR was measured using narrow bands of noise whose amplitude envelopes were either uncorrelated or correlated. There were 6 listeners in each age group. No differences were observed between the adults and children for either auditory measure. Similarly, no differences were observed in the ability to detect a pure-tone signal in a relatively wideband noise masker. When the masking noise was narrowband, however, the masked thresholds of the children were higher than those of the adults. Two characteristics that distinguish narrowband noise from wideband noise are: (1) narrowband noise has a pitch quality corresponding to its center frequency, whereas wideband noise does not have a definite pitch; (2) the intensity fluctuations are relatively greater in narrowband noise than in wideband noise. This may suggest that 6-year-old children have a reduced ability to detect signals in noise backgrounds where the signal has perceptual qualities similar to the noise, or in noise backgrounds having a high degree of fluctuation.
The Relationship Between Phoneme Discrimination, Speech Production, and Language Comprehension in Cerebral-Palsied Individuals
Authors: Bishop D. V. M. , Brown B. Byers , Robson J.
Published: July 2014

Twenty-four individuals with impaired speech (anarthria or dysarthria) were compared on tests of receptive language to a control group with normal speech. All subjects were cerebral-palsied and groups were matched on age and nonverbal ability. The speech-impaired subjects performed less well than controls on a phoneme discrimination task in which they were required to judge whether pairs of nonwords were the same or different. They were also impaired relative to controls on a receptive vocabulary test, but not in understanding of grammatical structure. One year later, phoneme discrimination skills were reassessed in this sample, using another same-different task, plus a new task in which subjects were required to judge if the name of a picture was spoken correctly or altered by one sound. Speech-impaired subjects performed as well as controls on the word judgment task, indicating that they can discriminate phoneme contrasts adequately. However, the same-different task again resulted in highly significant differences between speech-impaired and control groups. It is concluded that poor performance on the same-different task reflects weak memory for novel phonological strings, rather than impaired phoneme perception. It is proposed that retention of unfamiliar words is facilitated by overt or covert repetition, so individuals who cannot speak fluently have difficulty remembering nonwords. This explanation can account both for the poor performance of speech-impaired subjects on the same-different task, and for their selective deficit in vocabulary acquisition.
Short-Term Stability Measures for the Evaluation of Vocal Quality
Authors: Feijoo S. , Hernández C.
Published: July 2014

The vocal quality of 64 normal subjects and 57 subjects suffering various degrees of glottal cancer was investigated using acoustic measures of six different aspects of the voice signal: tone period perturbation, amplitude perturbation, waveform perturbation, vocal noise, spectral periodicity and spectral distortion. The measures were estimated taking the glottal cycle as temporal reference unit to make the influence of the differences in tone period from one person to another as low as possible. The measures were evaluated with regard to (a) their ability to discriminate between healthy and sick subjects, and (b) their correlation with the perceptual evaluation of four trained listeners. The results suggest that signal processing techniques are unsatisfactory for clinical diagnoses but useful for monitoring voice quality.
Speech Analysis Systems
Authors: Read Charles , Buder Eugene H. , Kent Raymond D.
Published: July 2014

Recently developed, relatively inexpensive systems make digital speech analysis available to many teachers, clinicians, and researchers who have not had access to previous systems. Addressing these prospective users, we survey five microcomputer programs and two dedicated devices for recording, editing, and analyzing speech. We review the capabilities, requirements, and user interface of each system. We recommend considerations for prospective users and for developers of the next generation of such programs and devices. Finally, we briefly survey seven additional systems.
Complex and Pure-Tone Signals in the Evaluation of Hearing-Aid Characteristics
Authors: Stelmachowicz Patricia G. , Lewis Dawna E. , Seewald Richard C. , Hawkins David B.
Published: July 2014

In recent years, a number of commercially available systems have been developed to analyze the electroacoustic characteristics of hearing aids. In addition to pure-tone signals, these systems often use a wide variety of complex signals such as broadband noise, clicks, and multitonal complexes. In this paper, a number of practical and theoretical issues concerning the use of pure-tone and complex signals in the evaluation of hearing-aid characteristics are described. The circumstances under which discrepancies in estimated gain and maximum output might occur using these two types of signals are described and the clinical implications of these differences are discussed.
Simple Triangular Approximations of Auditory Filter Shapes
Authors: Formby C.
Published: July 2014

At present, the most popular auditory filter shape model is one with a rounded peak and exponentially decaying filter skirts (Patterson & Moore, 1986). Unfortunately, the complex nature of this “roex” filter model may, in some instances, have hindered the application of the auditory filter shape in clinical measurements of frequency selectivity. Moreover, some of the assumptions of the roex filter model may be violated at high sound-pressure levels (SPLs) and this limitation has also been a factor when considering the roex auditory filter shape in the clinic. Our purpose is to introduce a simplified method that is adequate for obtaining clinically useful estimates of triangular-shaped auditory filters. Although the triangular-shaped filter model faces the same problems as the roex model at high SPLs, the calculations and assumptions underlying the former are far less complicated. The triangular filter model also retains many of the qualitative properties and advantages afforded by roex-fitted auditory filter shapes. In this report, we review the basic concepts underlying auditory filter shape estimates and describe our methods for measuring and fitting the triangular-shaped filter model. We then present normative triangular filter shapes and compare these estimates with auditory filter shapes fitted by other means. Finally, we present selected examples of triangular filter shapes fitted to the masked thresholds of hearing-impaired patients. For the most part, the triangular-shaped filter model offers the clinician a satisfactory compromise for obtaining estimates of auditory filter shape and frequency selectivity at moderately intense and high SPLs.
The Comparative Translucency of Initial Lexical Items Represented in Five Graphic Symbol Systems and Sets
Authors: Bloomberg Karen , Karlan George R. , Lloyd Lyle L.
Published: July 2014

The comparative translucency within and across five aided augmentative and alternative symbol systems or sets (Blissymbols, Picsyms, PIC, PCS, and Rebus) for symbols representing three parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and modifiers) was investigated. A sample of 41 items representing an initial lexicon was rated by undergraduate college students on a 7-point scale of iconicity. Results indicate that translucency varies among systems or sets and among parts of speech. Rebus and PCS were the most translucent overall; however, a number of Blissymbolics, Picsyms, and PIC symbols were also rated as highly translucent. Caution is indicated in extrapolating results to young or retarded learners because of the influence of normal adult knowledge and experience on translucency ratings. Care must also be taken in extrapolating to more advanced lexicons containing larger, more developmentally advanced vocabularies.
Speech-Recognition Difficulties of the Hearing-Impaired Elderly
Authors: Humes Larry E. , Roberts Lisa
Published: July 2014

The role that sensorineural hearing loss plays in the speech-recognition difficulties of the hearing-impaired elderly is examined. One approach to this issue was to make between-group comparisons of performance for three groups of subjects: (a) young normal-hearing adults; (b) elderly hearing-impaired adults; and (c) young normal-hearing adults with simulated sensorineural hearing loss equivalent to that of the elderly subjects produced by a spectrally shaped masking noise. Another approach to this issue employed correlational analyses to examine the relation between audibility and speech recognition within the group of elderly hearing-impaired subjects. An additional approach was pursued in which an acoustical index incorporating adjustments for threshold elevation was used to examine the role audibility played in the speech-recognition performance of the hearing-impaired elderly. A wide range of listening conditions was sampled in this experiment. The conclusion was that the primary determiner of speech-recognition performance in the elderly hearing-impaired subjects was their threshold elevation.
Acoustic Measurements of Objective Tinnitus
Authors: Champlin Craig A. , Muller Stephen P. , Mitchell Stephen A.
Published: July 2014

Ear canal sound pressure levels were measured from a 38-year-old woman who had experienced objective tinnitus in her right ear for approximately 2 years. The tinnitus sounded like a series of “sighs” that were synchronous with her pulse rate. Because the level of the tinnitus fluctuated in a pulsing manner, it appeared to be of vascular origin. Psychoacoustically, the tinnitus behaved like a low-pass masker (cutoff frequency = 1.5 kHz) of about 40 dB SPL. This masking effect was manifested as a low-frequency hearing loss in the subject’s right ear. A miniature microphone system was used to monitor the tinnitus before, during, and after a jugular-vein ligation. Because the cause of the tinnitus was only generally known, acoustically monitoring the sound as the jugular vein and/or its tributaries were systematically clamped and then released enabled the site of generation to be known exactly. By monitoring the tinnitus during surgery, the effectiveness of the corrective procedure could be immediately evaluated. Hearing sensitivity in the affected ear returned to normal limits following the elimination of the tinnitus. One year after the surgery, the tinnitus was barely audible to the woman, but only when she positioned her head a specific way. The level of the tinnitus measured in this head-turned condition was markedly lower than the level obtained preoperatively.
Family History as a Basis for Subgrouping People Who Stutter
Authors: Poulos Marie G. , Webster William G.
Published: July 2014

Of a clinical population of 169 adult and adolescent stutterers, 112 members (66%) reported a family history of stuttering. Only 3 (2.4%) of these reported any birth or early childhood factors or events that were thought to be associated with stuttering onset or that potentially might have precipitated stuttering. In contrast, 21 (37%) of the 57 members without a family history of stuttering reported such a factor or event. On the basis of this retrospective investigation of family history, the stutterers could be segregated in ways that may be informative relative to etiology and underlying mechanisms despite being apparently similar with respect to time of stuttering onset, dysfluency characteristics, and emotional concomitants. It is suggested that these data are consistent with a hypothesis that within the clinical population of adults presenting as developmental stutterers there are really two subgroups. One subgroup is thought to consist of individuals with a genetically inherited predisposition for stuttering, and the second of individuals without such a predisposition but who may have sustained some form of early brain damage. The incidence of false negatives in the 36 individuals classified as having no family history and no known early physical trauma remains to be ascertained. Implications for research on both brain mechanisms of stuttering and responsiveness to clinical treatment and fluency maintenance are discussed.
A Preliminary Investigation Concerning the Use of Nasometry in Identifying Patients With Hyponasality and/or Nasal Airway Impairment
Authors: Dalston Rodger M. , Warren Donald W. , Dalston Eileen T.
Published: July 2014

A series of 76 patients referred for evaluation at the Oral-Facial and Communicative Disorders Program was studied in an attempt to determine the extent to which acoustic assessments of speech, made utilizing a Kay Elemetrics Nasometer, corresponded with clinical judgments of hyponasality and aerodynamic measurements of nasal cross-sectional area. Among the 38 adults, the sensitivity of Nasometer ratings in correctly identifying adult subjects with moderate to severe nasal airway impairment was 0.38, whereas the specificity was 0.92. Comparable analyses for the group of 38 children were not possible because of the extent to which nasal airway size varies up to the age of 15 years. Among the entire group of patients, the sensitivity and specificity of nasometry in correctly identifying the presence or absence of hyponasality was 0.48 and 0.79, respectively. However, when patients with audible nasal emission were eliminated from analysis, the sensitivity rose to 1.0 and the specificity rose to 0.85. Possible reasons for the findings obtained and their clinical significance are discussed.
The Language-Reading Relationship in Normal and Reading-Disabled Children
Authors: Snyder Lynn S. , Downey Doris M.
Published: July 2014

In this study, the word retrieval, phonological awareness, sentence completion, and narrative discourse processing skills of 93 reading-disabled and 93 normally achieving subjects from 8 to 14 years of age were compared. The subjects were matched for age, sex, and neighborhood. Results revealed that the two groups differed significantly on the time and accuracy of word retrieval, their ability to produce a syntactically appropriate structure in a sentence completion task, their retelling of stories that had been read to them, their answers to questions about the stories, and their inferences. Further analysis revealed that the variance in the younger reading-disabled children’s reading comprehension scores was best accounted for by their performance on the sentence completion and word retrieval measures; the inferencing skills of the older reading-disabled children best accounted for the variance in their reading comprehension. By contrast, the younger normally achieving children’s reading comprehension scores were best accounted for by their sentence completion, the proportion of the stories that they retold, and word retrieval scores. The proportion of stories retold and the phonological awareness score of the older normally achieving children best accounted for the variance in their reading scores. These findings suggest that the oral language skills of normally achieving and reading-disabled children may relate differently to their reading comprehension at different age levels.
Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire
Authors: Wilson Peter H. , Henry Jane , Bowen Maitland , Haralambous George
Published: July 2014

The development of the Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ), a scale designed to assess the psychological distress associated with tinnitus, is described. Psychometric analyses of the TRQ are examined with a total of 156 subjects in three separate samples. The results indicate very good test-retest reliability (
r
= .88) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha= .96). Factor analysis yielded four factors that were interpreted as General Distress, Interference, Severity, and Avoidance. Moderate to high correlations were found between the TRQ and clinician ratings (
r
= .67) and self-report measures of anxiety and depression (
r
= .58–.87), but a low correlation was found with neuroticism (
r
= .27). It is concluded that the TRQ provides a useful index of distress related to tinnitus for subject selection and clinical assessment and has potential as a measure of change in coping ability.
Modification of Context-Specific Nasal Emission
Authors: Ruscello Dennis M. , Shuster Linda I. , Sandwisch Annette
Published: July 2014

An adult patient with context-specific nasal emission was enrolled in a treatment program that attempted to modify the problem through a combination of biofeedback and articulation training. Prior to, during, and at the termination of treatment, perceptual, acoustic, and physiologic measures were obtained. The data indicate that the articulatory pattern was modified and that such patterns are subject to change through speech treatment.
High-Level Psychophysical Tuning Curves
Authors: Nelson David A. , Fortune Todd W.
Published: July 2014

Simultaneous-masked psychophysical tuning curves were obtained from normal-hearing listeners using low-level (20–25 dB SPL) probe tones in quiet and high-level (60 dB SPL) probe tones, both in quiet and in the presence of a broad-band background noise. The background noise was introduced to eliminate combination tones or combination bands and other off-frequency listening cues that exist at high levels. Tuning curves were obtained using pure-tone maskers and 100-Hz-wide narrow-band noise maskers for probe tones at 1000 and 4000 Hz. High-level tuning curves for pure-tone maskers demonstrated large discontinuities or “notches” on the low-frequency sides of the tuning curves. Broad-band background noise eliminated those notches, indicating that the notches were due to the detection of off-frequency listening cues at combination-tone frequencies. High-level tuning curves for 100-Hz-wide narrow-band maskers also demonstrated notches on the low-frequency sides. Those notches were eliminated with broad-band background noise, which indicates that combination bands strongly influenced the shapes of high-level tuning curves obtained with narrow-band maskers. The influence of combination bands was dependent upon test frequency. At 1000 Hz, combination bands had very little influence on the shapes of high-level tuning curves. At 4000 Hz, where the masker bandwidth was substantially less than the critical bandwidth, combination bands strongly affected the low-frequency sides of the tuning curves. In 2 subjects tested at a probe frequency of 2000 Hz with 100-Hz-wide masking bands, combination bands also influenced the lowfrequency sides of high-level tuning curves. The presence of combination-tone or combination-band cues essentially steepened the low-frequency slopes of tuning curves, resulting in sharper estimates of tuning. Comparisons of tuning curves obtained with pure-tone maskers and narrow-band maskers, in the same listeners, revealed that pure-tone maskers were more effective than narrow-band maskers when the masker frequencies were in the tail region of the tuning curve. The results of these experiments support the notion that tuning in the normal auditory system broadens notably with stimulus level, once off-frequency listening cues such as combination tones or combination bands are eliminated. The low-level simultaneously masked tuning curve demonstrates a sharp bandpass tuning characteristic, whereas the high-level simultaneously masked tuning curve in background noise demonstrates a broad low-pass tuning characteristic. It is argued that comparisons of tuning in impaired ears with tuning in normal ears should be made using estimates of tuning in normal ears that are not influenced by combination-tone or combination-band detection cues.
The Establishment of Open Articulatory Postures by Deaf and Hearing Talkers
Authors: Tye-Murray Nancy
Published: July 2014

Previous researchers have proposed that prelingually deafened talkers do not displace the tongue body to establish vowel steady-state postures and displace the jaw excessively. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the opening gesture lingual displacement patterns of three deaf and two hearing adult talkers. Cinefluorography and x-ray microbeam data indicated that the deaf subjects displaced their tongue bodies during the opening gestures. However, their glossal movement trajectories were qualitatively dissimilar to those of the hearing subjects. Whereas the hearing subjects moved the tongue differently for different vowel contexts, the deaf subjects had similar trajectories for all contexts. The common trajectories suggest that some deaf talkers contract their tongue muscles such that the tongue body moves similarly for all vowels. The deaf subjects also appeared to have a less flexible tongue body during speech production than the hearing subjects. Means for quantifying and comparing the lingual behaviors of deaf and hearing talkers are considered.
Changes in Speech Breathing Following Cochlear Implant in Postlingually Deafened Adults
Authors: Lane Harlan , Perkell Joseph , Svirsky Mario , Webster Jane
Published: July 2014

Three postlingually deafened adults who received cochlear implants read passages before and after their prostheses were activated while their lung volumes were measured with an Inductive plethysmograph that transduced the cross-sectional areas of the speaker’s chest and abdomen. Lung volumes at the initiation and termination of the speakers’ expiratory limbs, their average air flow, and the volume of air they expended per syllable were derived from tracings of calibrated lung volume displayed by computer. The activation of the speakers’ cochlear prostheses was followed in every case by a significant change in average airflow, which rose for two subjects with initially low flow rates and fell for one subject who had a much higher average preimplant flow rate. These changes in average flow rate were accompanied by corresponding changes in volume of air expended per syllable, statistically reliable in two of the three cases. There were no significant changes in the levels at which speakers initiated their expiratory limbs, but one speaker, after his prosthesis was activated, reliably increased the level of air in his lungs at the end of expiratory limbs to an average value that no longer required him to draw on expiratory reserve volume.
Laryngeal Perturbation Analysis
Authors: Karnell Michael P.
Published: July 2014

Laryngeal perturbation measures have been applied to the analysis of cycle-to-cycle changes in periodicity and amplitude of the acoustic voice signal for more than 25 years. Although such measures enjoy widespread clinical application, there is little agreement about basic methodology, including the length of signal to be analyzed. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in laryngeal perturbation measures as a function of length of signal analyzed in 18 subjects who complained of symptoms of possible laryngeal dysfunction. The results showed that as many as 190 cycles may be necessary before jitter asymptotes and as many as 130 cycles may be necessary before shimmer asymptotes. Pathological voices may require a longer analysis window for perturbation analysis than do nonpathological voices.
Closed-Head-Injured Children’s Performance on Narrative Tasks
Authors: Jordan Faye M. , Murdoch Bruce E. , Buttsworth Debbie L.
Published: July 2014

Stories were elicited from a group of 20 closed-head-injured children. Story grammar and intersentential cohesion were examined. Performance of the head-injured children was compared to that of a group of nonneurologically impaired accident victims matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. No significant differences were found between the performance of the closed-head-injured children and the matched controls on any of the measures of narrative ability applied to the elicited narratives.
Syllabic Stress and the Occurrence of Stuttering
Authors: Prins David , Hubbard Carol P. , Krause Michelle
Published: July 2014

The occurrence of stuttering on stress-peak and unstressed syllables in connected speech was studied in 10 young adult stutterers. Results showed a significant coincidence of stutter events and syllabic stress peaks, particularly in polysyllabic words. Stuttering on the first three words of principal clauses, however, appeared independent of syllabic stress. Similarities between the loci of stutter events and segmental errors of speech are considered in relation to explanations that regard stuttering as evidence of failure in normal speech production processes.
Language Skills of Children and Adolescents With Down Syndrome
Authors: Chapman Robin S. , Schwartz Scott E. , Bird Elizabeth Kay-Raining
Published: July 2014

This study investigates the development of vocabulary and syntax comprehension skills cross-sectionally in 48 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), aged 5–20 years, in comparison to 48 control children aged 2–6 years matched statistically for nonverbal mental age and mother’s years of education. Age-equivalent scores on vocabulary (PPVT-R) and syntax (TACL-R) comprehension tests differed in the Down syndrome group but not the control group; vocabulary comprehension was relatively more advanced than syntax Ageequivalent scores on nonverbal cognitive subtests of pattern analysis and short-term memory for bead arrangements (Stanford-Binet, 4th ed.) also differed for the Down syndrome group but not the control group, indicating an unusual pattern of nonverbal cognitive function in the Down syndrome group. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that chronological age and ean mental age, collectively, accounted for 78% of the variability in vocabulary comprehension and 80% of the variability in syntax comprehension in the Down syndrome group, with total passes on a hearing screening accounting for an additional 4% in each case Implications for research are discussed
Otitis Media in Early Childhood and Later Language
Authors: Roberts Joanne E. , Burchinal Margaret R. , Davis Brenda P. , Collier Albert M. , Henderson Frederick W.
Published: July 2014

The relationship between early otitis media with effusion (OME) experience and later language development was examined in a prospective cohort study of 30 children from middle-class families and 33 children from low-income families. Ear status was monitored using otoscopy and tympanometry during wellness and illness periods between birth and 3 years of age. Language was assessed using standardized tests and a language sample between 4 1/2 and 6 years Findings suggested no reliable relationship between early OME experience and later language development.
Test-Retest Reliability in Tympanometry
Authors: Wiley Terry L. , Barrett Kathryn A.
Published: July 2014

Test-retest reliability for tympanometric measures was evaluated across five sessions in 20 subjects with normal hearing and normal middle-ear function. Tympanograms were obtained on each ear for probe frequencies of 226, 678, and 1000 Hz using both ascending and descending directions of pressure change. Across all conditions, the tympanometric measure that consistently demonstrated the highest test-retest reliability was compensated static acoustic admittance. Test-retest correlations for peak compensated static acoustic admittance measures were higher than those for ambient measures across all probe frequencies and both directions of pressure change; the differences in correlations for peak and ambient measures, however, reached significance only for 226-Hz conditions. Across-session correlations for tympanogram width did not differ significantly for measures referenced to the lowest tympanogram tail and those referenced to +200 daPa.
Speech Perception in Adult Subjects With Familial Dyslexia
Authors: Steffens Michele L. , Eilers Rebecca E. , Gross-Glenn Karen , Jallad Bonnie
Published: July 2014

Speech perception was investigated in a carefully selected group of adult subjects with familial dyslexia. Perception of three synthetic speech continua was studied: /a/-//, in which steady-state spectral cues distinguished the vowel stimuli; /ba/-/da/, in which rapidly changing spectral cues were varied; and /sta/-/sa/, in which a temporal cue, silence duration, was systematically varied. These three continua, which differed with respect to the nature of the acoustic cues discriminating between pairs, were used to assess subjects’ abilities to use steady state, dynamic, and temporal cues. Dyslexic and normal readers participated in one identification and two discrimination tasks for each continuum. Results suggest that dyslexic readers required greater silence duration than normal readers to shift their perception from /sa/ to /sta/. In addition, although the dyslexic subjects were able to label and discriminate the synthetic speech continua, they did not necessarily use the acoustic cues in the same manner as normal readers, and their overall performance was generally less accurate.
Effects of Aging on Time-Gated Isolated Word-Recognition Performance
Authors: Craig Chie H.
Published: July 2014

This investigation was designed to study real-time isolated monosyllabic word-recognition performance and the feasibility of applying time-gated NU-6 word-recognition test materials for real-time assessment of older listeners. Methods and materials developed in a previous investigation were used to obtain time-gated performance measures from 37 older listeners (mean age=69 years). The older listener performance measures were compared with extant data from 20 normally hearing young adult listeners (mean age=22 years). Specifically, listener confidence and accuracy by gate as well as listener isolation point, confidence at the isolation point, and total acceptance point measures were evaluated. The results show that major events in the real-time understanding process occur at a slower pace among older listeners. The data indicate that the time-gating method has excellent potential for future research among elderly listeners.
Acoustic Integrity of Speech Production in Children With Moderate and Severe Hearing Impairment
Authors: Ryalls John , Larouche Annie
Published: July 2014

Ten normally hearing and 10 age-matched subjects with moderate-to-severe hearing impairment were recorded producing a protocol of 18 basic syllables [/pi/,/pa/,/pu/; /bi/,/ba/,/bu/; /ti/,/ta/,/tu/; /di/,/da/,/du/; /ki/,/ka/,/ku/; /gi/,/ga/,/gu/] repeated five times. The resulting 90 syllables were digitized and measured for (a) total duration; (b) voice-onset time (VOT) of the initial consonant; (c) fundamental frequency (F
0
) at midpoint of vowel; and (d) formant frequencies (F
1
, F
2
, F
3
), also measured at midpoint of vowel. Statistical comparisons were conducted on (a) average values for each syllable, and (b) standard deviations. Although there were numerical differences between normally hearing and hearing-impaired groups, few differences were statistically significant.
Speech Naturalness and Prolonged-Speech Treatments for Stuttering
Authors: Onslow Mark , Hayes Brett , Hutchins Leanne , Newman Denis
Published: July 2014

It is well known that unusual speech quality may result from stuttering treatments that are based on prolonged speech. However, empirical information concerning the speech quality associated with those treatments is lacking. The present study was designed to contribute such empirical information. Results indicated that speech quality assessments of posttreatment clients, using Martin, Haroldson, and Triden's (1984) speech naturalness scale, gave similar results regardless of whether they were based on monologues or conversations. The speech quality of those clients remained stable at the conclusion of their treatment program. Further, there was a significant, positive correlation between pretreatment speech measures and measures of speech naturalness made after the establishment of stutter-free speech. The subjects whose pretreatment stuttering was the most severe had posttreatment speech naturalness scores that were more than two scale values worse than the subjects whose pretreatment stuttering was the least severe. Speech naturalness scale scores are presented for nonstutterers and posttreatment stutterers and these data are compared with existing findings.
Cochlear Implants in Children, Adolescents, and Prelinguistically Deafened Adults
Authors: Dawson Pam W. , Blamey Peter J. , Rowland Louise C. , Dettman Shani J. , Clark Graeme M. , Busby Peter A. , Brown Alison M. , Dowell Richard C. , Rickards Field W.
Published: July 2014

A group of 10 children, adolescents, and prelinguistically deafened adults were implanted with the 22-electrode cochlear implant (Cochlear Pty Ltd) at the University of Melbourne Cochlear Implant Clinic and have used the prosthesis for periods from 12 to 65 months. Postoperative performance on the majority of closed-set speech perception tests was significantly greater than chance, and significantly better than preoperative performance for all of the patients. Five of the children have achieved substantial scores on open-set speech tests using hearing without lipreading. Phoneme scores in monosyllabic words ranged from 30% to 72%; word scores in sentences ranged from 26% to 74%. Four of these 5 children were implanted during preadolescence (aged 5:5 to 10:2 years) and the fifth, who had a progressive loss, was implanted during adolescence (aged 14:8 years). The duration of profound deafness before implantation varied from 2 to 8 years. Improvements were also noted over postoperative data collection times for the younger children. The remaining 5 patients who did not demonstrate open-set recognition were implanted after a longer duration of profound deafness (aged 13:11 to 20:1 years). The results are discussed with reference to variables that may affect implant performance, such as age at onset of loss, duration of profound loss, age at implantation, and duration of implantation. They are compared with results for similar groups of children using hearing aids and cochlear implants.
The Effects of Input-Output Configuration in Syllabic Compression on Speech Perception
Authors: Maré Marcel J. , Dreschler Wouter A. , Verschuure Hans
Published: July 2014

Speech perception was tested through a broad-band syllabic compressor with four different static input-output configurations. All other parameters of the compressor were held constant. The compressor was implemented digitally and incorporated a delay to reduce overshoot. We studied four different input-output configurations, including a linear reference condition. Normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects participated in the experiments testing perception of meaningful sentences as well as nonsense CVCs in carrier phrases. The speech materials were presented in quiet and in noise. The results from the CVCs were analyzed quantitatively in terms of scores and qualitatively in terms of phoneme confusions. Differences in speech perception due to the different input-output configurations were small. The input-output configuration with the highest amplification of low amplitude sounds yielded the best results. Detailed analysis of the results included a correlational analysis with a number of auditory functions characterizing the ears tested. The pure-tone audiogram provided parameters of auditory sensitivity: average audiometric loss and audiometric slope. Psychophysical tests provided parameters of temporal resolution and frequency selectivity: the temporal resolution factor, temporal gap detection, and auditory filter shape. The correlational analysis showed that the subjects with better temporal acuity obtained better results.
Message-Encoding Techniques for Augmentative Communication Systems
Authors: Light Janice , Lindsay Peter
Published: July 2014

This study investigated the cognitive and linguistic processing demands of message-encoding techniques used to retrieve prestored messages from computer-based augmentative communication systems. Twelve physically disabled adults with severe speech impairments participated in six counterbalanced experimental conditions, consisting of three encoding techniques (salient letter, letter category, and iconic codes), each in a personalized condition in which subjects selected their own codes and in a nonpersonalized condition in which codes were preselected by a clinician. In each of the experimental conditions, the subjects participated in five learning and testing sessions. During these sessions, the subjects learned the codes for lists of 80 messages, half of which involved concrete referents and half abstract concepts. Results indicated that the subjects were more accurate in recalling the codes to retrieve preprogrammed messages when using the two letter encoding techniques than when using the iconic technique. No reliable differences were found between recall performances with personalized codes and with nonpersonalized ones for any of the three encoding techniques. Code recall improved consistently across the series of learning sessions; there were no significant differences in the rates of learning across the encoding techniques. Subjects were found to be more accurate at recalling the codes to retrieve concrete messages than those to retrieve abstract messages.
Instructing Facilitators to Support the Communication of People Who Use Augmentative Communication Systems
Authors: Light Janice , Dattilo John , English Jane , Gutierrez Lisa , Hartz Jane
Published: July 2014

A single-subject multiple-baseline design, replicated across three dyads, was used to examine the efficacy of instructing facilitators (i.e., significant others) to promote communication with people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Facilitators were instructed in four 1-hour sessions to decrease their conversational control and provide more opportunities for the participants using AAC systems to communicate. Following instruction, facilitators decreased their rates of turn-taking and initiations and increased the proportion of turns that were responsive. Participants using AAC systems increased the frequency of their initiations. Following intervention, turn-taking and initiation patterns in the dyads were more reciprocal. Generalization occurred to the natural environment. Results suggest that facilitator instruction is an effective and efficient means of promoting greater participation in daily interactions by people who use AAC systems.
Masking of Tinnitus Induced by Sound
Authors: Kemp Simon , George Richard N.
Published: July 2014

Two experiments were performed in which 8 listeners used external sound to mask the tinnitus induced by a 95-dB SPL tone presented for 1 min. Wider bandwidth noises were more effective maskers than noises of critical bandwidth, which, in turn, were more effective than tonal maskers. Contralateral maskers were often effective, but less so than ipsilateral maskers. Tuning curves showed some degree of frequency specificity that was not related to the frequency of the tinnitus-inducing tone. There were consistent and pronounced differences between individual listeners. Overall, our results indicate both similarities and differences between the masking of induced tinnitus and the masking of pathological tinnitus.
Speech Perception and Production Skills of Students With Impaired Hearing From Oral and Total Communication Education Settings
Authors: Geers Ann E. , Moog Jean S.
Published: July 2014

This study examined the degree to which students with profoundly impaired hearing who had been educated in oral and total communication (TC) environments developed auditory and speech skills. The sample consisted of 227 16- and 17-year-old students with profoundly impaired hearing: 127 from TC programs (63 with normal-hearing parents and 64 with deaf parents) and 100 from oral programs. Subject groups were matched in terms of age, unaided residual hearing, and IQ. On average, students from oral programs acquired more intelligible speech and made significantly better use of their limited residual hearing than did the TC students. This finding held for all TC students—those with deaf parents as well as those with normal-hearing parents. Although results of this study indicate that auditory and speech production skills are comparatively well developed in students who have consistently used spoken language throughout the day as the primary means of communicating, other factors associated with this oral sample, such as early amplification, consistent hearing aid use, early education, and parental support, may also be necessary for the development of good spoken language skills.
Real Ear to 6-cm
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Coupler Differences in Young Children
Authors: Lewis Dawna E. , Stelmachowicz Patricia G.
Published: July 2014

Real-ear sound pressure levels under supra-aural earphones were measured for a group of young children (9 months to 7 years) and adults. Pure-tone signals were presented at nine test frequencies from 250 to 6000 Hz, and real ear to 6-cm
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coupler differences were computed for each frequency. Results suggest that, by 2 years of age, average real ear to 6-cm
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coupler differences are similar for adults and children. The intersubject variability for all groups supports the need for real-ear threshold measures on an individual basis in cases where the ability to amplify the speech spectrum to a level that is audible across the frequency range is in question.
Speech Production Changes Under Fluency-Evoking Conditions in Nonstuttering Speakers
Authors: Stager Sheila V. , Ludlow Christy L.
Published: July 2014

Changes in airflow and intraoral pressure between baseline and four fluency-evoking Conditions—choral reading (CR), metronome pacing (MET), delayed auditory feedback (DAF), and masking noise (NOISE)—were studied in 12 American English nonstuttering speakers. The duration, amplitude, and velocity of airflow and intraoral pressure development during the initial plosive and the duration and intensity of the following vowel were measured in eight target CVC words. Speech rate was computed for each sentence. Comparisons between baseline and the corresponding production in each condition revealed significant changes in peak flow, pressure rise time, peak instantaneous pressure velocity, speech rate, intensity, and vowel duration. Vowel duration increased under DAF, MET, and NOISE conditions. Peak pressure and pressure velocity decreased during CR and MET and increased during NOISE, but did not change during DAF. Subjects were consistent in the variables they modified across conditions. Changes in the aerodynamic variables were not related to intensity or rate changes. Thus, nonstuttering speakers modify intraoral pressure and flow under fluency-evoking conditions.
Visuomotor Tracking Ability of Young Adult Speakers
Authors: Moon Jerald B. , Zebrowski Patricia , Robin Donald A. , Folkins John W.
Published: July 2014

This study was conducted to (a) study the ability of young adult subjects to track target signals with the lower lip, jaw, or larynx, (b) examine subjects’ abilities to track different sinusoidal frequencies and unpredictable target signals, and (c) test notions of response mode and predictive mode tracking reported for nonspeech structures by previous authors (e.g., Noble, Fitts, & Warren, 1955; Flowers, 1978). Twenty-five normal speakers tracked sinusoidal and unpredictable target signals using lower lip and jaw movement and fundamental frequency modulation. Tracking accuracy varied as a function of target frequency and articulator used to track. The results quantify the visuomotor tracking abilities of normal speakers using speech musculature and show the potential of visuomotor tracking tasks in the assessment of speech articulatory control.
The Grammatical Morphology of Hebrew-Speaking Children With Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Dromi Esther , Leonard Laurence B. , Shteiman Michal
Published: July 2014

Many English-speaking children with specific language impairment have unusual difficulty with grammatical morphemes such as past tense and third-person singular verb inflections and function words such as articles. Unfortunately, the source of this difficulty is not yet clear, in part because some of the possible contributing factors are confounded in English. In the present study, alternative accounts of grammatical morpheme difficulties were evaluated using children with specific language impairment who were acquiring Hebrew. We examined the grammatical morpheme production and comprehension of 15 Hebrew-speaking children with specific language impairment, 15 normally developing compatriots matched for age and 15 normally developing children matched for mean length of utterance in words. The results provided tentative support for the notion that grammatical morphemes are less difficult for children with specific language impairment if they take the form of stressed and/or lengthened syllables and if they appear in a language in which nouns, verbs, and adjectives must be inflected. The possibility that features such as person, number, and gender are missing from the underlying grammars of these children seems less likely.