bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Acoustic Study of Normal, Esophageal, and Tracheoesophageal Speech Production
Authors: Robbins Joanne , Fisher Hilda B. , Blom Eric C. , Singer Mark I.
Published: July 2014

Acoustic characteristics of two types of alaryngeal speech were quantified and compared to normal speech production. High-quality audio recordings were obtained from 15 subjects who had undergone the tracheoesophageal puncture method of postlaryngectomy vocal rehabilitation (Singer & Blom, 1980), 15 esophageal speakers, and 15 laryngeal talkers as they sustained the vowel/a/and read a standard paragraph. Ten frequency, 7 intensity, and 13 duration variables were quantified. Central tendency and variability measures of frequency and duration for the three speaker groups indicated that tracheoesophageal speech is more similar to normal speech than is esophageal speech. Intensity measures indicated that tracheoesophageal speech is more intense than normal and esophageal speech.
Esophageal Insufflation Testing in Nonlaryngectomized Adults
Authors: McGarvey Susan D. , Weinberg Bernd
Published: July 2014

Esophageal insufflation testing has been advocated for laryngectomized patients considered for tracheoesophageal puncture. The present work was undertaken to document the degree to which nonlaryngectomized individuals were able to produce and sustain esophageal voice in association with esophageal insufflation testing. Fifteen young, healthy adults were tested in a uniform way. Results were interpreted to support the views that (a) normal function of the pharyngoesophageal segment represents an influence detrimental to the ultimate acquisition of functionally serviceable esophageal or tracheoesophageal speech and (b) laryngectomized patients having airtight closure of the pharyngoesophageal segment during insufflation testing exhibit a normal esophageal response. Implications for completing air insufflation testing and selective myotomy are discussed.
Comparisons of Speech Recognition in Noise by Mildly-to-Moderately Hearing-Impaired Children Using Hearing Aids and FM Systems
Authors: Hawkins David B.
Published: July 2014

Four hearing aid arrangements (monaural-omnidirectional, monaural-directional, binaural-omnidirectional, binaural-directional) and a number of FM system-personal hearing aid combinations (including direct input, neck loop, and silhouette inductor—monaural and binaural—and environmental microphone on and off) were evaluated in a school classroom on nine children with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing losses. Two measures of speech recognition in noise were employed. First, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) yielding 50% identification of spondees was determined using a simple up-down adaptive procedure. Second, word recognition scores were obtained for three amplification arrangements at two different S/Ns (+6 and + 15 dB). The average FM advantage over a personal hearing aid was equivalent to a 15-dB improvement in S/N. Activation of the hearing aid microphone caused most of the FM advantage to disappear. The benefit offered by the FM system decreased as the environmental S/N increased but remained significant even at +15 dB. Significant improvement also was found with the use of directional as compared to omnidirectional microphones, both in the hearing aids and FM teacher microphone.
Acoustic-Reflex Dynamics and the Loudness-Discomfort Level
Authors: Greenfield Donna G. , Wiley Terry L. , Block Michael G.
Published: July 2014

Acoustic-reflex growth functions and Loudness-Discomfort Level (LDL) measures were obtained for 15 normal-hearing subjects. The hypothesis that signals considered uncomfortably loud occur at intensity levels that produce proportionately equal acoustic-reflex magnitudes was evaluated. Individual reflex growth functions were measured as a function of activator SPL for a 1000-Hz tone, a 4000-Hz tone, and a broadband noise. These growth functions were measured within subjects (two trials) and across subjects in terms of (a) percentage acoustic-impedance change at LDL, (b) percentage acoustic-reactance change at LDL, (c) acoustic impedance at LDL, (d) relative change in acoustic impedance at LDL, and (e) ratio of static acoustic impedance to change in acoustic impedance at LDL. Although the loudness and acoustic-reflex measures demonstrated good reliability across trials, the data showed large variability across subjects and did not support the experimental hypothesis. It was concluded, therefore, that the use of acoustic-reflex measures in the estimation of an individual's LDL is unwarranted.
Effect of Syllable Stress and Serial Position on Error Variability in Polysyllabic Productions of Speech-Delayed Children
Authors: Klein Harriet B. , Spector Cecile C.
Published: July 2014

This study explored the effect of naturally occurring interactions of syllable stress and serial positions, found in polysyllabic words, on the variability of phonological performance of speech-delayed children. The subjects were 8 mild to moderately delayed children between the ages of 5:2 and 6:11 with a mean age of 6:0. Continuous speech samples and nonimitated productions of polysyllabic single-word utterances were recorded and analyzed for each child. Two phonological processes (syllable deletion and intervocalic consonant deletion) were related to specific syllable context conditions. Increased process use in syllables of reduced stress occurring early in a sequence was predicted by the production patterns of young children initially learning to say words. Syllables with reduced stress also were found to be associated frequently with atypical error productions.
Flexibility of Single-Subject Experimental Designs. Part II
Authors: Kearns Kevin P.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this paper is to present a taxonomy of single-subject experimental designs and discuss relevant examples that underscore the versatility and flexibility of this approach to clinical research. The proposed taxonomy serves as a heuristic model that may facilitate an understanding of single-subject experimental designs. Four general evaluation strategies employed in applied research—treatment-no treatment comparison, component assessment, treatment-treatment comparison, and successive level analysis—are discussed within this schema. Each of these evaluation strategies is related to commonly posed clinical research questions, and published examples of design options that address these questions are presented. Throughout the discussion basic considerations relating to appropriate design selection are reviewed.
An Evaluation of Several Rationales for Selecting Hearing Aid Gain
Authors: Humes Larry E.
Published: July 2014

The present study evaluates the rationales underlying several hearing aid selection procedures. The first portion of the evaluation confirms that the gain-selection rationales result in the selection of different hearing aids for a given patient. Nine different audiometric configurations representing varying degrees of fiat, sloping, and rising sensorineural hearing loss were considered. The second phase of the evaluation considered how well each procedure achieved the goal of maximizing speech recognition. This analysis made use of the Articulation Index and was applied to each of the nine audiometric configurations. The results of this analysis suggested that, given the ability to adjust the overall gain over a typical range available through most volume controls, any of the procedures could produce optimal aided speech recognition performance. The final portion of the evaluation examined the ability of each procedure to prescribe absolute gain and relative gain (frequency response) that corresponded to that preferred by hearing aid wearers. The data for preferred insertion gain came from a recent investigation by Leijon, Eriksson-Mangold, an d Beck-Karlsen (1984). The results of this evaluation suggested that some procedures prescribe gain values closer to those preferred by listeners than others. More data are needed on preferred gain values for a variety of configurations, however, before any one procedure can be recommended over another.
A Comparison of Microcomputer-Aided and Traditional Language Therapy for Developing Communication Skills in Nonoral Toddlers
Authors: O'Connor Lisa , Schery Teris K.
Published: July 2014

This investigation looked at the vocabulary learning and use, and social and communication growth of 8 severely handicapped toddlers under two different language conditions. A computer-based approach was compared to traditional intervention techniques. Treatment conditions were administered in randomized order by two graduate student clinicians. Communication growth was assessed by using a standard set of measures administered before the intervention, at midpoint between the two treatment conditions, and at the end. The results from this study indicated that the subjects made notable progress regardless of the treatment condition received.
Assessing Communicative Intents in Young Children
Authors: Coggins Truman E. , Olswang Lesley B. , Guthrie Janet
Published: July 2014

This longitudinal study examines the effectiveness of two different assessment methodologies, low structured observation and structured elicitation tasks, to obtain communicative intents from 35 sensorimotor children. The subjects, 9 months of age at the onset of the study, were observed under the two experimental conditions every 3 months, for a 15-month period. The results reveal differences between the two approaches that vary according to the age of the child and eliciting context. The implications of the findings are examined.
Experimental Analysis of Syntax Training in Broca's Aphasia
Authors: Doyle Patrick J. , Goldstein Howard , Bourgeois Michelle S.
Published: July 2014

A multiple baseline design across responses was used to examine the effect of syntax training on the sentence production of 4 individuals with Chronic Broca's aphasia. Subjects were trained to produce five exemplars of five sentence types from Helm's Elicited Language Program for Syntax Stimulation (Helm-Estabrooks, 1981). Generalization and maintenance of trained sentence types to novel exemplars and novel stimulus conditions served as dependent measures. In addition, five naive judges rated subjects' responses before and following the treatment in terms of their "adequacy."

Generalization to novel exemplars was demonstrated sequentially by 3 subjects (i.e., following the teaching of all five forms), and the remaining subject demonstrated generalization for three of five sentence types trained. Maintenance was variable across subjects and sentence types. Generalization across stimulus conditions was limited for all subjects Adequacy judgments revealed improved communication skills for wh-questions but limited changes in the perceived adequacy of subjects' declarative responses. These findings indicate that the effects of syntax training procedures are limited to those grammatical constructions taught, that generalization of learned forms to novel stimulus conditions is not an automatic consequence of acquisition, and that the effect of such training on the adequacy of subjects' responses may be limited.
Predictors of Phonologic Inadequacy in Young Children Prone to Otitis Media
Authors: Paden Elaine Pagel , Novak Michael A. , Beiter Anne L.
Published: July 2014

Children who have experienced recurrent or persistent otitis media with effusion (OME) at an early age often evidence deficient phonological skills in preschool that require remediation. If it were possible to identify these children before age 3, speech stimulation procedures and/or medical preventive measures might be considered. Forty children between the ages of 18 and 85 months who were scheduled for tympanostomy and tube placement were assessed audiologically and phonologically, data from their medical histories were tabulated, and parental educational and occupational status were determined. The subjects were reexamined at intervals of 3–4 months until their phonological performance reached a level indicating that broad phoneme-class or syllable-position remediation would not be necessary, or they had passed their third birthday. Discriminant analysis and multiple regression procedures indicated that certain measures or conditions, in combination, are good predictors of later phonologic inadequacy. Low age-weighted scores on production of velars, liquids, and postvocalic singleton obstruents, along with elevated thresholds at 500 Hz and a history of early onset and late remission from OME, were the most important variables characterizing children who did not catch up phonologically by age 3. Importantly, data from no one area alone could identify these children as reliably as combined data from the three areas.
Nasal Consonants in Esophageal Speech
Authors: Miller Wanda L. , Hamlet Sandra L.
Published: July 2014

Nasalization of nasal consonants was measured using the ratio of a nasal accelerometer signal amplitude to air-borne microphone signal amplitude. Utterances produced by 3 esophageal speakers were studied. Word position (and time following air injection) of the nasal consonants was varied. Degree of nasal resonance was dependent on word position, with significantly higher values for word-final than for word-initial position.
The Prevalence of Stuttering in the Hearing-Impaired School Age Population
Authors: Montgomery Brenda M. , Fitch James L.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of stuttering in the current hearing-impaired school age population. Backus (1938) and Harms and Malone (1939) found a low incidence of stuttering in the hearing-impaired population in surveys conducted almost 50 years ago. Those surveys asked for information only on speech disfluency and did not collect information on disfluency in manual communication. The present survey was sent to 150 regional, private, and state schools for the hearing impaired. Seventy-seven schools responded, representing a total of 9,930 students enrolled. Twelve hearing-impaired students were reported who stutter: 3 were reported to stutter in the oral mode only, 6 in manual communication only, and 3 in both modes. The results indicate that the prevalence of stuttering in the hearing-impaired population is 0.12% and that perceived manual disfluency is more prevalent than oral disfluency.
Normal Language Skills and Normal Intelligence in a Child with De Lange Syndrome
Authors: Cameron Thomas H. , Kelly Desmond P.
Published: July 2014

The subject of this case report is a 2-year, 7-month-old girl with de Lange syndrome, normal intelligence, and age-appropriate language skills. She demonstrated initial delays in gross motor skills and in receptive and expressive language but responded well to intensive speech and language intervention, as well as to physical therapy. This favorable outcome provides an important example of the beneficial effects of therapy, even for clients with conditions generally believed to have a poor prognosis.
Listeners' Perceptions of Consonants Produced by Esophageal and Tracheoesophageal Talkers
Authors: Doyle Philip C. , Danhauer Jeffrey L. , Reed Charles G.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the consonant intelligibility of 3 esophageal (E) and 3 tracheoesophageal(TE) talkers, and 1 dual-mode (DM) talker proficient in both E and TE speech modes. Audio recordings of 24 English consonants produced by each talker in a consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant (CVCVC) context were presented in the sound field to 15 normal-hearing, naïve, young adult listeners who phonetically transcribed their responses using an open-response paradigm. Listeners' pooled responses were converted to confusion matrices and analyzed for overall intelligibility, voicing and manner features, and consonant omissions. Ratings of speech proficiency were also obtained. Overall, the intelligibility of the TE talkers was significantly better than that of the E talkers. The DM talker was also more intelligible in the TE mode. Voiced consonants, plosives, fricatives, nasals, and liquid-glides were signifieantly more intelligible when produced by TE talkers. Affrieates were also more intelligible for the DM talker in his TE mode. The different patterns of intelligibi!ity observed between the E and TE talkers studied may be due to temporal speech distinctions evolving from the influence of dissimilar driving sources upon the vibratory characteristics of the pharyngoesophageal segment. Clinical implications are presented.
Acoustic Phonetic Effects of Two Types of Verbal Feedback in Dysarthric Subjects
Authors: Till James A. , Toye Andrea R.
Published: July 2014

The effects of two different forms of verbal feedback on speech production were studied in 7 dysarthric speakers. Both forms of verbal feedback signaled that the listener failed to understand the message. The more general form of feedback gave no specific cues regarding the reason the listener failed to understand. The more specific feedback indicated that a voiceless initial consonant was perceived as its voiced cognate. The subjects studied had inconsistent voicing errors. Voice onset times (VOTs) and syllabic intensity, duration, and rate were measured in the phrases produced prior to and after verbal feedback. The results showed a significant change in VOT after the specific feedback and no significant change in VOT after the more general feedback. The use of specific feedback to induce articulatory change during speech treatment is discussed.
Nonfluencies of Preschool Stutterers and Conversational Partners
Authors: Meyers Susan C.
Published: July 2014

Nonfluencies produced by 12 stutterers (2–6 years old) interacting in three dyadic sessions were analyzed. A stutterer played with his own mother, own father, and a familiar peer for 10 rain. Results indicated that the total frequencies and types of nonfluency observed were very similar in each of the play situations. Although stutterers exhibited more part-word repetitions and prolongations than any other type of nonfluency, they did not differ in the amount and type of nonfluency when talking to their three conversational partners. Because children have more breakdowns in fluency than adults, it was not surprising that peers were more nonfluent when talking to the stutterer than were the parents. Peers used significantly more part- and whole-word repetitions, tense pauses, and interjections than the parents did. The nonfluency levels of the parent partners were quite similar when talking to the stutterers.
Clinical Modification of the Tracheostoma Breathing Valve for Voice Restoration
Authors: Doyle Philip C. , Grantmyre Ann , Myers Candace
Published: July 2014

The development of the tracheostoma breathing valve and its use in conjunction with tracheoesophageal (TE) puncture prostheses has offered an important option to laryngectomized patients who undergo surgical-prosthetic voice restoration. Despite advantages that the tracheostoma breathing valve provides, some TE speakers are unable to utilize the device although they are successful users of the TE puncture voice prosthesis. This paper presents a safe, simple, and successful modification of the tracheostoma breathing valve in a single patient who demonstrated anatomical limitations for its use. Modification procedures are presented and clinical implications are discussed.
Home Treatment for Aphasic Patients by Trained Nonprofessionals
Authors: Marshall Robert C. , Wertz Robert T. , Weiss David G. , Aten James L. , Brookshire Robert H. , Garcia-Bunuel Luis , Holland Audrey L. , Kurtzke John F. , LaPointe Leonard L. , Milianti Franklin J. , Brannegan Richard , Greenbaum Howard , Vogel Deanie , Carter John , Barnes Norman S. , Goodman Roy
Published: July 2014

Thirty-seven aphasic men received 8–10 hr of individual treatment each week for 12 weeks from a home therapist (wife, friend, relative) who was trained and directed by a speech pathologist. Treatment was followed by 12 weeks of no treatment. Patients were evaluated at entry and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks after entry with a battery of speech and language measures. The group made substantial progress on all measures during the 12 weeks of treatment and ceased to progress when treatment was discontinued. Progress for the home treatment patients did not differ significantly from that of patients who received 12 weeks of individual treatment from speech pathologists or from that of patients for whom treatment was deferred for 12 weeks. Patient selection, training of the home therapists, and other methodological aspects are described to assist speech pathologists in making decisions about the use of trained volunteers in aphasia treatment.
Toward Phonetic Intelligibility Testing in Dysarthria
Authors: Kent Ray D. , Weismer Gary , Kent Jane F. , Rosenbek John C.
Published: July 2014

The measurement of intelligibility in dysarthric individuals is a major concern in clinical assessment and management and in research on dysarthria. The measurement objective is complicated by the fact that intelligibility is not an absolute quantity but rather a relative quantity that depends on variables such as test material, personnel, training, test procedures, and state of the speaker. This paper reviews sealing procedures and item identification tests as they have been applied to dysarthric speech. Based in part on previous studies of speech of the hearing impaired, a profile has been designed to direct research on the acoustic or physiologic correlates of dysarthric intelligibility impairment. In addition, a word intelligibility test is proposed for use with dysarthric speakers. This test is designed to examine 19 acoustic-phonetic contrasts that are likely to (a) be sensitive to dysarthric impairment and (b) contribute significantly to speech intelligibility. Preliminary data from a sample of subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are presented to illustrate the use of this test in the phonetic interpretation of intelligibility impairment.
Methodological Variables Affecting Phonational Frequency Range in Adults
Authors: Reich Alan R. , Frederickson Robert R. , Mason Julie A. , Schlauch Robert S.
Published: July 2014

This study examined the effects of selected elicitation variables on phonational frequency (F0) range in normal adults. Twenty men and 20 women responded to five audiotaped tone conditions: (a) discrete steps, (b) slow steps, (c) fast steps, (d) slow glissando, and (e) fast glissando. These stimuli were devised to elicit each person's maximal and minimal F0. All elicitation conditions evoked a significantly higher maximal F0and a significantly larger F0range (in both hertz and semitones) than did the discrete-steps condition. Fast steps produced a significantly higher minimal F0than did fast glissando. Both slow glissando and fast glissando yielded a significantly larger F0range in semitones than did fast steps. Finally, the women demonstrated a significantly larger F0range (in hertz but not semitones) than did the men.
Extended Communication Samples of Augmented Communicators I
Authors: Yorkston Kathryn M. , Smith Kathleen , Beukelman David
Published: July 2014

Vocabulary selection for linguistically intact augmented communicators is a growing clinical concern. The purpose of this study as to compare and contrast the relative benefits of word lists that were individualized for these augmented subjects to word lists selected from standard vocabulary sources. Communication samples were collected for 14 consecutive days from 10 subjects who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. These samples were analyzed to determine the frequency of single word occurrence, and the results were compared with those obtained from analysis of standard vocabulary lists. The conclusions of the study were (a) that when vocabulary lists are individually created, based on the frequency of word occurrence natural communication samples, relatively short lists can represent a large proportion of the total communication sample; (b) that individualized word lists are more efficient than standard vocabulary lists, if efficiency is defined as a large proportion of the total sample represented by a small list; and (c) that if used in their entirety, standard lists are not efficient because they contain large number of words that are rarely used.
Extended Communication Samples of Augmented Communicators II
Authors: Yorkston Kathryn M. , Beukelman David R. , Smith Kathleen , Tice Robert
Published: July 2014

The three primary purposes of this project are (a) to identify those word sequences that occur frequently across a group of 10 linguistically intact augmented communicators, (b) to determine the communality with which the various augmented communicators use specific word sequences, and (c) to evaluate the usefulness of word sequences in providing keystroke savings for users of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices as compared to letter-by-letter spelling or single-word retrieval. Communication samples were collected for 14 consecutive days from 10 subjects who used AAC devices. These samples were analyzed with custom software to determine the frequency of occurrence of one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-word sequences. The results revealed that three-, four-, and five-word sequences occurred very infrequently within and across communication samples. Two-word sequences occurred much more frequently than the longer sequences. The authors concluded that clinicians should continue to encourage linguistically intact clients to select long messages (three words or more) for their AAC devices based on message content and the urgency with which messages need to be delivered rather than relying exclusively on statistical analysis. However, statistically based multiword analysis should not be abandoned. Frequently occurring one- and two-word sequences may be an important source of messages that will increase communication efficiency when stored and retrieved in an AAC device.
Characterization of Tinnitus by Tinnitus Patients
Authors: Stouffer J. L. , Tyler Richard S.
Published: July 2014

A questionnaire was administered to 528 tinnitus patients to obtain data on their reactions to tinnitus. Results include a discussion of: (a) population characteristics, (b) perceptual characteristics, (c) the impact of tinnitus on daily life, and (d) etiology. Significant gender differences are also discussed.

Tinnitus was not an occasional phenomenon, but was present for more than 26 days per month in 74% of the patients. Other important findings about tinnitus include: (a) Hearing levels at 1000 and 4000 Hz were ≤ 25 dB HL for 18% of the tinnitus patients, which suggests that some patients had normal hearing or mild hearing losses; (b) the prevalence of tinnitus in patients with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) was 30% for males and only 3% for females; (c) about 25% of the patients reported tinnitus severity had increased since tinnitus onset; (d) the effects of tinnitus were more severe in patients who reported tinnitus as their primary complaint and in patients diagnosed as having Meniere's syndrome tinnitus; and (e) some patients reported that noise exacerbated their tinnitus, whereas others reported that a quiet background exacerbated their tinnitus.
Video Narration as a Language Sampling Context
Authors: Dollaghan Christine A. , Campbell Thomas F. , Tomlin Russell
Published: July 2014

Video narration is a context for samping spontaneous expressive language in which the subject produces an on-line description of the events he or she observes on videotape. Video narration offers a means of reducing the variability among language samples from different speakers, or from the same speaker over time, because the number and complexity of events to be coded linguistically is known and constant. This increased consistency facilitates comparisons among samples, as well as enabling certain analyses requiring a transparent relationship between utterances and events. Advantages and limitations of video narration as an adjunct to conversational sampling are described, and comparisons between longitudinal video narration and conversational samples obtained from brain-injured children and their matched normal controls are presented.
Facilitating Changes in Supervisees' Clinical Behaviors
Authors: Gillam Ronald B. , Roussos Christine Strike , Anderson Jean L.
Published: July 2014

This research was conducted to determine whether supervisees altered their clinical behaviors as a consequence of a joint data-analysis method of clinical supervision. Four beginning graduate student clinicians assigned to articulation clients were supervised in accordance with tenets of Cogan's Clinical Supervision Model and Anderson's Continuum of Supervision. Supervision focused on the targeted dependent variables of clinician "explanations," "informative feedback," and "directive responses to off-task utterances." Visual inspection of multiple baseline data indicated that target behaviors improved after they became the focus of supervision. The supervisory procedures implemented in this study effected positive changes in the supervisees' clinical behaviors. Qualitative discoveries that relate to the practicalities of daily supervision are discussed.
Word Length, Frequency and Similarity in the Discrimination Behavior of Aphasics
Authors: Filby Yasuko , Edwards Allan E. , Seacat George F.
Published: July 2014

Ten aphasics were compared with ten control subjects on their ability to discriminate between visually-presented words. Three variables were systematically varied: (1) word length, (2) word frequency, and (3) word similarity. The task was a simple ‘matching-to-sample’ experimental situation, where Ss were required to push one of two buttons. A special pre-training procedure was employed which made it possible to include even very severely impaired aphasics who would normally be excluded from such experiments due to their inability to follow procedural instructions. The two dependent variables were (1) errors, and (2) response latency. The two groups did not show a significant difference on number of errors, but were significantly different on response latency.
Intensity Generalization in EDR Audiometry
Authors: Giolas Marilyn H. , Epstein Aubrey
Published: July 2014

Two groups of 15 normally hearing adults were conditioned on EDR audiometry to a 1 000 cps tone, one group at 60 dB hearing level and the other at 20 dB hearing level. All subjects were then given 25 extinction trials at 10 dB hearing level. The purpose of the study was to examine resistance to extinction when conditioning is accomplished at a level close to that of the test tone and at a level considerably higher. The EDR was measured using an amplifier which enabled interpretation of an EDR in terms of amplitude. Results indicate that conditioning which is established at an intensity close to that of the test tone results in greater resistance to extinction than conditioning established at an intensity farther away from the test zone. This is true whether amplitude or number of responses is used as the measure of strength of conditioning.
Comparison of Grammar of Children with Functionally Deviant and Normal Speech
Authors: Menyuk Paula
Published: July 2014

A generative model of grammar was used to compare the grammar of 10 children diagnosed as using infantile speech with that of 10 matched children using normal speech to attempt to formalize the description of language simply characterized as infantile. The language of one child was periodically sampled from age two to three. A language sample from each child was analyzed and the syntactic structures used were postulated. A number of children in each group were asked to repeat a list of sentences containing syntactic structures found in children’s grammar.

The term infantile seemed to be a misnomer since at no age level did the grammatical production of a child with deviant speech match or closely match that of a child with normal speech. It was hypothesized that the differences found in the use and repetition of syntactic structures between the two groups might be due to differences in the use of the coding processes for the perception and production of language. The children with deviant speech, in the terms of the model of grammar used for analysis, formulated their sentences with the most general rules whereas children with normal speech used increasingly differentiating rules for different structures as they matured.
Auditory Behavior in the Human Neonate: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Eisenberg Rita B. , Griffin Elizabeth J. , Coursin David Baird , Hunter Mary Alice
Published: July 2014

This report of a pilot study with 170 unselected neonates considers the effects of signal variables and certain random factors upon auditory behavior. Signal variables differentially affect the incidence of response (response-ratio), the kinds of behavior elicited during response (response-pattern), and the strength of response. Complexity is the prime determinant of response-ratio; response-pattern is affected by frequency and perhaps by duration (below 300 msec). High frequency stimulation elicits behavior which is unique in many ways, and certain aspects of behavior vary systematically with age. All aspects of auditory behavior are modified by activity state, which in turn is systematically altered by repeated stimulation, hunger, and other factors: the response-ratio function resembles adult “cue function” while systematic changes in response-pattern support the “law of initial values” and an “awake-alert-aware” continuum which has been postulated for the ascending reticular formation.
Changes in Bone-Conduction Thresholds Produced by Masking in the Non-Test Ear
Authors: Dirks Donald , Malmquist Carolyn
Published: July 2014

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of central masking on both air and bone-conduction thresholds. In the first investigation, 10 normal listeners were tested by air conduction and by bone conduction via the mastoid process and the frontal bone as various levels of narrow-band noise were presented to the contralateral ear. Generally, as the noise level increased, there was a small but gradual increase in the threshold on the test ear. However, the threshold shift for frontal bone measurements was always greater than comparable air-conduction or bone-conduction thresholds from the mastoid process.

The additional shift in threshold for frontal bone measurements may have been the result of changing from binaural stimulation in quiet to monaural stimulation during the masking conditions. This proposition was investigated in Experiment II. The test ears of 6 subjects were occluded with plugs which induced an appreciable increase in bone-conduction sensitivity. Thus, the frontal bone threshold as well as the mastoid threshold was monaural, even in the quiet condition. If the above proposition were correct, it was predicted that identical shifts in threshold due to central masking would be found for frontal bone measurements as for mastoid measurements. The threshold shifts for air conduction and bone conduction via mastoid or frontal bone vibrator placements were found to be similar.
Intelligibility Measures of Dysarthric Speech
Authors: Tikofsky Ronald S. , Tikofsky Rita P.
Published: July 2014

Ten dysarthric and 10 matched normal speakers recorded three word lists (50 CNC’s, 60 Clusters, and 50 Spondees). Intelligibility scores were obtained for lists, order of presentation, list by order of presentation, and lists and order of presentation combined.

Results indicate that intelligibility testing can be employed to evaluate dysarthric speech. It was possible to differentiate among dysarthrics in terms of intelligibility based on listener judgments. The rank of the dysarthrics remained relatively stable across the intelligibility measures. No significant differences between lists or order of presentation were obtained. Significant differences for dysarthrics and the dysarthric by list, and dysarthric by order interactions were obtained. The intelligibility scores for dysarthrics and normals were markedly different.
Cranio-Oropharyngeal Motor Patterns in Dysarthria Associated with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Sheppard Justine Joan
Published: July 2014

Fifty-one cerebral palsied individuals were tested for a complex of primitive cranio-oropharyngeal motor patterns. This study explored the incidence of these patterns and their relationship to age, feeding competence, speech intelligibility, and speech therapy progress. The patterns were often present in CP individuals in all age groups examined but, generally, were less numerous and of longer latency as age increased. Adequacy of speech, speech therapy progress, and feeding were found to decrease as the number of patterns shown increased and as the latency of pattern response decreased.
Speech and Aural Comprehension of Foreign Students
Authors: Black John W. , Singh Sadanand , Tosi Oscar , Takefuta Yukio , Jancosek Elizabeth
Published: July 2014

Each of three groups of university students for whom English was a second language, 24 Japanese-, 24 Hindi-, and 24 Spanish-speaking students, was divided into subgroups on the basis of efficiency in aural comprehension. All of the students recorded lists from an English-language intelligibility test and short segments of English prose. Three sets of measures were obtained: (a) intelligibility scores, (b) ratings of foreignism in speech, and (c) the amount of vocalized time in a set reading task. The object of the study lay in relating aural comprehension to other manifestations of speech behavior, not in comparing the three groups of students. Relative skill in aural comprehension was found to differentiate each language group in intelligibility, in degree of foreignism, and in vocalized time as well.
Critical Evaluation of SAL Audiometry
Authors: Jerger James , Jerger Susan
Published: July 2014

A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effects of certain procedural variables on SAL audiometry and to compare SAL and BC threshold hearing levels in subjects with both conductive and sensori-neural hearing loss.

Procedural variables included the force of application of the bone vibrator, the duration of bone-conducted noise exposure, the direction of frequency change of the Bekesy audiometer, the linearity of masking functions for air-conducted tones in bone-conducted noise, the masking level difference phenomenon, the acoustic reflex, and the effect of occlusion.

SAL and BC threshold hearing levels were then compared in 10 subjects with asymmetrical conductive loss and 10 subjects with asymmetrical sensori-neural loss. In all subjects the presence of a severe or total sensori-neural loss on the non-test ear permitted the valid measurement of bone-conduction thresholds without the use of masking on the non-test ear.
Experimental Modification of Disfluency in Normal Speakers
Authors: Siegel Gerald M. , Martin Richard R.
Published: July 2014

The effects of contingent shock, threat of shock, and random shock on the disfluencies of 36 normal readers were variously explored in three experiments. When shock was made contingent upon specific disfluencies, a punishment effect was evidenced and disfluencies decreased. During noncontingent presentations the effects of shock were less consistent. The results indicate that disfluencies are manipulable responses that, like other verbal behaviors, can be conditioned.
Comparison of Some Speech Intelligibility Tests in the Evaluation of Hearing Aid Performance
Authors: Jerger James , Malmquist Carolyn , Speaks Charles
Published: July 2014

A sentence intelligibility test and three monosyllabic word intelligibility tests, recorded through three hearing aids, were presented to 36 subjects with diverse types of hearing loss. Although hearing aids were rank ordered meaningfully on the sentence intelligibility test-in inverse proportion to the harmonic distortion-performance differences were not systematically reflected in the monosyllabic word test results.
The Development of Rotational Cinefluorography and its Application to Speech Research
Authors: Massengill Raymond , Quinn Galen , Barry William F. , Pickrell Kenneth
Published: July 2014

The development and application of a new type of research technique and diagnostic instrument is reviewed. The technique is likened to a stereoscopic effect since a depth of perception on a single plane of the image is being attempted. The unit allows separation of right and left pharyngeal structures. It provides a way in which cine-fluorographic analysis of parts of the speech mechanism can be obtained from different angles of horizontal rotation as well as different vertical angles during the same phonation or during connected speech.
An Effect of Delayed Auditory Feedback on Speech in American and Foreign Students
Authors: Rouse Richard O. , Tucker G. Richard
Published: July 2014

Prose passages were read aloud under simultaneous and delayed feedback conditions by three groups of students, consisting of: group A, the control group, 15 Americans speaking English; group B, 13 foreign students speaking English; and group C, 13 Americans speaking French.

Results showed that there was less disturbance with DAF in groups B and C where the subjects were not speaking their native languages. Analysis showed that the over-all difference between group A and groups B and C was caused by the difference in number of word errors.
Comfort Level and Loudness Matching for Continuous and Interrupted Signals
Authors: Melnick William
Published: July 2014

A series of studies was conducted to investigate previously reported intensity differences found between interrupted and continuous tonal signals when normal listeners tracked loudness on a Bekesy-type audiometer. Loudness tracking was investigated for test signals fixed at a single frequency and varied continuously over a frequency range of two decades. Listeners used two different criteria: (1) most-comfortable-loudness level; (2) loudness of a Standard signal intensity. When the test frequency was fixed or when the Standard signal was presented at frequent intervals during the loudness-matching procedure, differences between the interrupted and continuous signal were predictable from temporal integration or summation data. Greater differences were observed only when the listener was instructed to use a comfortable-loudness criterion for a continuously changing test frequency. These large differences between levels for the interrupted and continuous signals are explained in terms of subjectively inadequate definition of the Standard loudness and the effect of auditory events immediately preceding a loudness judgment.
Peak Intraoral Air Pressures During Speech
Authors: Arkebauer Herbert J. , Hixon Thomas J. , Hardy James C.
Published: July 2014

Peak intraoral air pressures were recorded during speech acts of ten children and ten adults by use of a polyethylene tube positioned in the oral-pharyngeal cavity. These pressures were measured during selected consonants spoken under a variety of conditions. Air pressures for voiceless consonants were found to be significantly higher than for voiced consonants, and higher peak intraoral air pressures were associated with stop consonants than with continuant consonants. For adults, successively higher magnitudes of peak intraoral air pressures were found at progressively higher levels of speech intensity. For the children, higher pressures were associated with consonants in the intervocalic context than in pre- and postvocalic contexts.
Flutter Perception in Normal Listeners
Authors: Gerber Sanford E.
Published: July 2014

A total of 150 normal, adult males classified into five age groups was tested for the auditory flutter frequency threshold by a method of limits. The five variables employed in the study were: age, ear, psychophysical method, sound pressure level, and sound-time ratio. The following conclusions were derived: (a) the auditory flutter frequency threshold varies with psychophysical method and sound-time ratio; and (b) the auditory flutter frequency threshold does not vary with age, ear, and sound intensity.
High-Speed Photography in Speech Research
Authors: Soron Henry I.
Published: July 2014

A system for the study of phonation by high-speed photography is described. The data were extracted from the film by tracing the glottal areas and waveform amplitudes with a pantograph, which entered the data into a computer. The temperature rise produced by the intense illumination required for the photography was found to be moderate and safe.
Pitch Discrimination and Tonal Memory Abilities in Adult Voice Patients
Authors: Davis Demaris S. , Boone Daniel R.
Published: July 2014

Measures of pitch discrimination and tonal memory, subtests of the Seashore Measures of Musical Talents, were administered to 30 adult patients with hyper-functional voice disorders and to 30 matched adult control subjects. No significant differences were found between the two matched groups on either the pitch discrimination or the tonal memory subtests. It does appear, however, that some individual voice patients, similar to individuals in the normal population, demonstrate severe difficulty in making a pitch discrimination or remembering a tonal sequence.
The Effects of Verbal Stimuli on Disfluencies During Spontaneous Speech
Authors: Siegel Gerald M. , Martin Richard R.
Published: July 2014

A total of 104 normal college adults were divided among four speech conditions. In the 100% condition, subjects heard “wrong” after each disfluency (interjection or repetition). Subjects in the 25% condition were presented “wrong” after every fourth disfluency. Instruction condition subjects were simply urged to speak without disfluencies. In the Instr.+100% condition, the last two treatments were combined. Sessions were 50 minutes, divided into a baseline, two treatment, and two recovery segments. With the exception of the Instr.+100% group, low level subjects were unaffected by the procedures. Among the high level subjects, there were significant reductions in disfluencies between baseline and treatment segments for the 100%, Instr., and Instr.+100% groups. No effects were obtained for the 25% subjects. Recovery effects were not obtained for any group.
The Effects of Variable-Interval and Fixed-Interval Signal Presentation Schedules on the Auditory Evoked Response
Authors: Nelson David A. , Lassman Frank M. , Hoel Richard L.
Published: July 2014

Averaged auditory evoked responses to 1000-Hz 20-msec tone bursts were obtained from normal-hearing adults under two different intersignal interval schedules: (1) a fixed-interval schedule with 2-sec intersignal intervals, and (2) a variable-interval schedule of intersignal intervals ranging randomly from 1.0 sec to 4.5 sec with a mean of 2 sec. Peak-to-peak amplitudes (N
1
— P
2
) as well as latencies of components P
1
, N
1
, P
2
, and N
2
were compared under the two different conditions of intersignal interval. No consistent or significant differences between variable- and fixed-interval schedules were found in the averaged responses to signals of either 20 dB SL or 50 dB SL. Neither were there significant schedule differences when 35 or 70 epochs were averaged per response. There were, however, significant effects due to signal amplitude and to the number of epochs averaged per response. Response amplitude increased and response latency decreased with sensation level of the tone burst.
Factors Affecting Speech Discrimination Test Difficulty
Authors: Kreul E. James , Bell Donald W. , Nixon James C.
Published: July 2014

Changes in item and overall test difficulty of speech discrimination and intelligibility tests were examined as a function of: carrier phrase, talker, reutterances by a talker, and level of accompanying noise. The results indicate that all of these variables must be considered in test development. Only the actual recordings of the spoken lists of words can be considered to be the test material; the word lists, in and of themselves, should not be thought of as test material.