bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Previous Experience as a Confounding Factor in Comparing Cochlear-Implant Processing Schemes
Authors: Tyler Richard S. , Preece John P. , Gantz Bruce J. , Otto Steven R. , Lansing Charissa R.
Published: July 2014

It is of great importance to compare the relative merits of different cochlear-implant speech-processing strategies. Some groups have compared different strategies within single subjects, but usually the subject has prior experience with one strategy, and no allowance is made for this prior experience. We show in the present study that this is inappropriate. We tested one subject using the Melbourne (Cochlear Corp.) multichannel implant with the device set to process sounds in two different ways. In the first processing scheme, the device functioned normally, extracting information about voicing frequency, amplitude and second-formant frequency. This information activated the 21-channel device, determining pulse rate, pulse amplitude and electrode position (respectively). In the second processing scheme, a single electrode (with the largest dynamic range) was activated. This electrode coded overall amplitude and voicing frequency. The subject was tested on an audiovisual test of a 14-choice consonant recognition in the form/iCi/ over a period of over 4 months. During this time the subject used the 21-channel processor outside of the laboratory. Upon initial connection, there was little difference between the results obtained with the two schemes when tested in sound alone or in sound plus vision. However, after about 4 months, scores obtained with the 21-channel processor in sound plus vigion were superior to the scores obtained with the one channel. This advantage came from a superiority in the features of voicing and nasality, but not place. Scores for sound-alone conditions between the two processing schemes remained similar for the 4-month period. Studies investigating the relative merits of speech processing systems (including tactile and conventional hearing aids) must consider previous experience as an important factor.
Modulation Detection by Patients with Eighth-Nerve Tumors
Authors: Formby C.
Published: July 2014

Detection thresholds for sinusoidally amplitude-modulated broad-band noise were measured as a function of modulation frequency for 4 normally hearing listeners and for 6 patients suffering eighth-nerve tumors. Measurements were obtained using a method-of-adjustment (MOA) procedure. On average, the threshold values revealed that more modulation was needed across all modulation frequencies for the patients' affected ears relative to either the normally hearing listeners or the patients' better ears. The cutoff frequency derived from the average modulation-threshold function (MTF) for the affected ears was about half the normal value. For a simple lowpass-filter model of the process, the latter result suggested a doubling of the auditory time constant in the affected ears. These patients, on average, exhibited the characteristic high-frequency audiometric hearing loss most often associated with eighth-nerve tumors. Their MTFs closely resembled MTFs described previously for high-frequency and simulated high-frequency audiometric hearing loss. The results of statistical analyses suggested that high-frequency audiometric hearing loss, irrespective of other influences, is the most parsimonious explanation for the increased modulation thresholds measured for the eighth-nerve tumor patients.
Episode Organization and Cohesive Conjunctives in Narratives of Children with and without Language Disorder
Authors: Liles Betty Z.
Published: July 2014

Language-disordered children (chronological ages [CA] 7:6 [years:months] to 10:6) were compared with children who have normal language skills in their ability to cohere episode units in verbally produced narratives following a movie viewing. Cohesion across the episode boundaries was measured by judging the accuracy of conjunctives used to conjoin sentences. Each story was presented twice, once to an adult who had shared the movie viewing with the child, and once to an adult who had not seen the movie. Results indicated that (a) age correlated with the frequency of complete episodes in both groups of children, (b) only the children with normal language skills changed the number of complete episodes as a function of the listener's shared information, (c) neither group altered the accuracy of conjunctive use as a function of the listener, and (d) both groups used a higher frequency of accurate conjunctives to conjoin sentences within an episode than to conjoin sentences across episodes. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of age, language disorder, and listener context on the varying levels of narrative organization.
An Investigation of Emphatic Stress Comprehension in Adult Aphasia
Authors: Kimelman Mikael D. Z. , Mcneil Malcolm R.
Published: July 2014

The differential effects of normal and emphatic stress on the auditory comprehension performance of 9 aphasic and 5 normal adults were assessed. As a partial replication of Pashek and Brookshire (1982), four paragraph-length stimuli were used from the original study. Each paragraph was presented twice. One version was recorded with one fact per sentence receiving normal stress, the second version with emphatic stress. Following each paragraph, subjects answered 16 "yes/no" questions about the eight target facts in each paragraph. This procedure allowed for direct comparison of performance across conditions on the same paragraph rather than on different paragraphs as in the original study. Analysis of the results revealed that the aphasic subjects demonstrated significantly better performance for stimuli presented with emphatic stress. In addition, no significant learning effect was observed over two repetitions of each paragraph. These data are interpreted as successfully replicating the findings of Pashek and Brookshire. The results suggest that emphatic stress plays an important role in auditory comprehension. However, the observed effect of emphatic stress should not be attributed solely to changes incumbent upon the stress bearing word. Alternative explanations are discussed.
The Dissociation of SOAEs and Tinnitus
Authors: Penner M. J. , Burns E. M.
Published: July 2014

Spontaneous oto-acoustic emissions (SOAEs) were detected in 1O of 29 subjects with tinnitus. Because measures of the pitch of tinnitus are highly variable, the relation between the frequency composition of the tinnitus and the frequencies of SOAEs can not be known precisely. This raises the question of whether an observed SOAE could be proven to be the physical basis of an audible tinnitus of unspecified composition. To examine this question, subjects with both SOAEs and tinnitus participated in two demonstrations. First, while the tinnitus was reportedly masked by a high-frequency tone, the SOAE was unchanged. Second, while the SOAE was suppressed, the tinnitus was reportedly audible. Although masking and suppression are not equivalent operations, these findings make it likely that the SOAE and the tinnitus are independent phenomena, at least for these subjects. Additional evidence of the dissociation of SOAEs and tinnitus in these subjects is provided by data showing that suppression tuning curves for SOAEs are frequency-specific, whereas tones at any frequency are equally effective in masking the tinnitus.
Babble and Random-Noise Masking of Speech in High and Low Context Cue Conditions
Authors: Lewis H. Donell , Benignus Vernon A. , Muller Keith E. , Malott Carolin M. , Barton Curtis N.
Published: July 2014

"Perceptual" masking of speech by multitalker speech (babble) has been widely reported but poorly quantified. Furthermore, the validity of the construct of perceptual masking is questionable. This report describes an experiment using a newly standardized test of speech perception in noise (SPIN) with both babble and spectrally matched random-noise maskers. Classical psychophysieal ogive curves were used to model speech recognition as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). The two maskers yielded speech recognition functions of the same steepness but different locations on the S/N axis. The high-context items of SPIN yielded speech recognition curves with steeper slope and different locations on the S/N axis than the low-context items. These data are used to argue that perceptual masking was not documented (under certain assumptions) and that the superior masking of babble may be explained in purely acoustical terms. Speculations are offered about the possible acoustical differences that could be responsible for the differences in masking effect.
Language and Gesture in Late Talkers
Authors: Thal Donna , Bates Elizabeth
Published: July 2014

The relationship between language and symbolic gesture was studied in a group of young children who were in the lowest 10% for language production for their age based on information obtained from language inventories filled out by their parents. On a single scheme imitation task, designed to be a gestural analog of lexical production, subjects performed like controls matched for language production. On a multischeme imitation task, designed to be a gestural analog of syntax, subjects performed like age-matched controls, and significantly better than langnage-matched controls. Potential reasons for this dissociation are discussed in the context of predictors of early language success or impairment.
Evaluation of the National Acoustic Laboratories' New Hearing Aid Selection Procedure
Authors: Byrne Denis , Cotton Sue
Published: July 2014

This study evaluated the National Acoustic Laboratories' (NAL) new formula for prescribing the gain and frequency response of a hearing aid. The frequency response prescribed for 44 clients (67 fitted ears) was compared with a series of variations having increased or decreased low-frequency and/or high-frequency emphasis. The evaluations consisted of paired-comparison judgments of the intelligibility of speech in quiet and the pleasantness of speech in noise. There were only 4 ears (6%) where a comparison response was more intelligible than the NAL response, but there were 16 ears (24%) where one of the comparison responses was more pleasant. On the average, hearing aid gain that was used by each subject agreed closely with prescribed gain. These trends were not affected by audiogram configuration, experience in aid usage, or type of aid limiting. The formula was found to be highly effective, but there were some cases where a change in aid prescription was indicated. A simple evaluation procedure using paired-comparison judgments is proposed for detecting such cases.
Volumes and Breathing Patterns during Speech in Healthy and Asthmatic Subjects
Authors: Loudon Robert G. , Lee Linda , Holcomb Barbara J.
Published: July 2014

The lung volumes and ventilatory patterns used by 10 healthy subjects and 14 patients with varying degrees of asthma were studied. The protocol included conversation, monologue, and counting at two loudness levels. Lung-volume changes were measured with a Respitrace and recorded with associated speech sounds. Volumes, durations, and flows were analyzed for sequences of respiratory cycles. Asthmatics used a greater percentage of their reduced vital capacity. Their inspiratory flow rates were slower, and expiratory rates faster. Asthmatics spent a greater proportion of the total respiratory cycle time on inspiration, and expired a greater volume of gas without sound. Patterns of ventilation suggested that asthmatics favored respiratory over communication needs to a greater extent than healthy subjects. Activities that forced priority to communication needs (counting to a metronome) were inadequate for gas exchange in asthmatics and could be sustained for only a limited period of time.
Evaluation of Two Speech Enhancement Techniques to Improve Intelligibility for Hearing-Impaired Adults
Authors: Montgomery Allen A. , Edge Rodney A.
Published: July 2014

This study reports the effects on speech intelligibility of two types of digital speech processing: amplitude enhancement of consonants to produce near-zero consonant/vowel intensity ratios and increased duration of consonants to provide an additional 30 ms of sound. Compensatory vowel shortening accompanied duration increases to maintain original overall duration. One hundred Words from the California Consonant Test (CCT) list were recorded. The target consonant in each word was processed in four ways to produce tape recordings of(a) unenhanced speech, (b) speech with increased consonant amplitude, (c) speech with increased consonant duration, and (d) speech with increased consonant amplitude and duration. The tapes were played to a group of 20 listeners with moderate sensorineural hearing loss at 65 dB SPL and to another group of 10 such listeners at 95 dB SPL. Results indicated that amplitude processing was associated with 10% to 12% improvement in intelligibility at the lower level but failed to yield any significant effect at the high level of presentation. Increasing consonant duration, by contrast, provided no benefit at the low level but gave modest benefit (5%) at 95 dB. Further development of the speech-processing techniques is necessary before they can be incorporated into a useful hearing aid.
Mandible and Hyoid Bone Movements during Speech
Authors: Westbury John R.
Published: July 2014

Relatively little is known about the extent to which speech-related movements of the mandible and hyoid bone involve rotation and translation. Data were derived from an existing high-speed cineradiograph of 27 disyllables produced by a single adult male speaker of English to address this issue. Time histories of relative locations of both bony components of the mandibular system expressed in terms equivalent to the sagittal-plane coordinates of two landmarks on each, were analyzed to determine (a) their respective ranges of position and orientation, (b) associations between selected segmental and suprasegmental variables, and subregions of those ranges, and (c) interdependencies between articulator rotation and landmark displacement. In general, data from this speaker, for the mandible and hyoid bone, are consistent with previous reports for the mandible alone, all of which suggest that rotational and translational components of their motions are sufficiently independent to warrant kinematic descriptions that treat both structures as rigid bodies moving in a plane.
Infant Thresholds with Enhanced Attention to the Signal in Visual Reinforcement Audiometry
Authors: Primus Michael A.
Published: July 2014

Experimental data show a discrepancy between adult auditory thresholds and best estimates of infant thresholds. The source of the discrepancy has not been determined. Attentional differences between infants and adults and procedural differences to accommodate infant attentional behavior may account at least in part for the discrepancy. A standard operant procedure, Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA), was modified to enhance infant attention to impending auditory signals. Results on 16 infants evaluated with conventional VRA and modified VRA revealed an average 5.5 dB improvement in threshold with the modified technique. Correction for adult performance in similar tasks indicated a 3.3 dB attentional effect between infant and adult thresholds. The shift in threshold reflects on the adequacy Of VRA as a threshold procedure.
A Comparison of Photodetector and Endoscopic Evaluations of Velopharyngeal Function
Authors: Karnell Michael P. , Seaver Earl J. , Dalston Rodger M.
Published: July 2014

Simultaneous videoendoscopic and photodetection analyses were made of specific onset and offset times of velopharyngeal opening and closing in two normal speaking subjects. Both procedures were found to have acceptable measurement repeatability and to agree with each other when used to determine movement changes. It is felt that when used together, these techniques contribute to improved understanding of velopharyngeal activity during speech.
Government-Binding Theory and Some of Its Applications
Authors: Leonard Laurence B. , Loeb Diane Frome
Published: July 2014

Government-Binding Theory is the dominant theory of grammar in present-day linguistics, and is receiving increasing attention from investigators of normal and disordered language behavior. This paper serves as a general introduction to the theory and provides a number of examples of its application.
Prediction of Individual Loudness Exponents from Cross-Modality Matching
Authors: Hellman Rhona P. , Meiselman Carol H.
Published: July 2014

An investigation of the relation among individual power-function exponents for 51 adults with normal hearing was undertaken. Three different psychophysical procedures were employed: absolute magnitude estimation (AME), absolute magnitude production (AMP), and cross-modality matching (CMM) between loudness and perceived length. From these procedures, loudness exponents obtained directly from measurements of AME and AMP of loudness were compared to exponents predicted from CMM and AME of perceived length. The means of the distributions of measured and predicted exponents were found to have an identical value of 0.56. Moreover, more than half of the differences between the predicted and measured exponents ranged from -.07 to +.09, giving measured deviations that extend from - 12.5 to 16%. The close agreement between the measured and predicted means, ranges, and distributions of exponent values implies that CMM combined with line-length information can be used with success to determine an individual's rate of loudness growth.
Measures of Signal Processing in Persons with Sensorineural Hearing Loss below 6 kHz
Authors: Long Glenis R. , Cullen John K.
Published: July 2014

Estimates of threshold, wide- and narrow-band noise masking, frequency and amplitude modulation detection, gap detection, and rate discrimination were obtained from 10 subjects with near-normal hearing at frequencies above 6 kHz, but severe-to-profound hearing losses at lower frequencies. The same measures were obtained from 10 young control subjects with normal hearing sensitivity for all frequencies up to 16 kHz. The hearing-impaired subjects were able to process sounds in the region of near-normal hearing sensitivity as well as the unimpaired control subjects. Performance in the low-frequency, impaired region depended on the lowest frequency of near-normal hearing sensitivity.
Reverberation, Masking, Filtering, and Level Effects on Speech Recognition Performance
Authors: Loven Faith C. , Collins M. Jane
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the interactive effects of four signal modifications typically encountered in everyday communication settings. These modifications included reverberation, masking, filtering, and fluctuation in speech intensity. The relationship between recognition performance and spectral changes to the speech signal due to the presence of these signal alterations was also studied. The interactive effects of these modifications were evaluated by obtaining indices of nonsense syllable recognition ability from normally hearing listeners for systematically varied combinations of the four signal parameters. The results of this study were in agreement with previous studies concerned with the effect of these variables in isolation on speech recognition ability. When present in combination, the direction of each variable's effect on recognition performance is maintained; however, the magnitude of the effect increases. The results of this investigation are reasonably accounted for by a spectral theory of speech recognition.
Fine-Grained Auditory Discrimination in Normal Children and Children with Language-Learning Problems
Authors: Elliott Lois L. , Hammer Michael A. , Scholl Margo E.
Published: July 2014

Two large groups of children—one progressing normally in school and the other exhibiting language-learning problems—were tested on a set of fine-grained auditory discrimination tasks that required responding to small acoustic differences. Discriminant analysis procedures, using only results for the auditory tasks, correctly classified nearly 80% of the 6- and 7-year-olds and nearly 65% of the 8- to ll-year-olds according to their school placements. Percentages of correct classifications increased to 87% and 75% when measures of receptive vocabulary (PPVT-R), receptive language (the Token Test for Children), and the Digit Span, Coding, and Block Design subtests of the WISC-R were also included in the discriminant functions. Results suggested that fine-grained auditory discrimination makes a major contribution to language learning, particularly in the early elementary school years.
Effects of Age on Comprehension of Complex Sentences in Adulthood
Authors: Davis G. Albyn , Ball Hillary E.
Published: July 2014

This study was designed to determine effects of aging on comprehension of complex sentences. In particular, we were interested in whether normal aging modifies a subsystem of comprehension (i.e., syntactic or semantic) or places unusual demand on working memory related to the distance between constituents that must be integrated. Five age-defined groups of healthy adults were asked questions about thematic roles of nouns in sentences with center-embedded or right-branching subordinate clauses. Results indicated that comprehension accuracy declines after age 60. Although aging did not affect the semantic component, it did affect the syntactic component when evaluated with sentences representing implausible events. There appeared to be an effect of distance between constituents in the 70s decade that was not related solely to embedding of a subordinate clause. Instead of affecting a single component of the language system, normal aging may have an impact on interactions between components.
Synthetic and Natural Speech Preferences of Male and Female Listeners in Four Age Groups
Authors: Mirenda Pat , Eicher Douglas , Beukelman David R.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the preferences of listeners of both sexes in four age groups with regard to natural and computer-generated synthetic speech in six different contexts. The subjects (listeners) for this study included 5 males and 5 females in each of four age groups (6–8 year olds, 10–12 year olds, adolescents, and adults). The listeners rated their preferences for 11 different voices (four natural and seven synthetic) on a 5-point Likert scale. Their preferences were rated for six communication contexts dependent on the potential user of the voice (adult male, adult female, child male, child female, computer, and self). The data were analyzed separately for each of the six communication contexts. In general, female listeners across the age range indicated that only natural female voices (adult or child) were acceptable alternatives to their own speech, thus rejecting the natural male voices as well as the synthetic voices. Male listeners appeared to be somewhat more flexible in terms of gender-appropriateness for themselves and other adult men, but selected female-sounding voices for women and female children. Children preferred to have computers produce synthesized speech, while adults preferred computers with more natural-sounding voices. The results of this investigation raise a number of issues related to the combined effects of age and gender-appropriateness of natural and synthetic speech. These are discussed in terms of their implications for the future development of synthetic speech technology used in communication devices.
Auditory Brainstem Responses from Children Three Months to Three Years of Age
Authors: Gorga Michael P. , Kaminski Jan R. , Beauchaine Kathryn L. , Jesteadt Walt , Neely Stephen T.
Published: July 2014

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were measured in 535 children from 3 months to 3 years of age. The latencies reported in this paper should be unaffected by peripheral hearing loss because each child had bilateral wave V responses at 20 dB HL
n
. Wave V latencies decreased as age increased, at least to 18 months of age, while little or no change was noted in wave I latencies over the same age range. Thus, interpeak latency differences followed the same developmental time course as wave V. The shapes of wave V latency-level functions were comparable across age groups. These results suggest that changes in wave V latency with age are due to central (neural) factors and that age-appropriate norms should be used in evaluations of ABR latencies in children. Interaural differences in absolute wave V latencies and interpeak latency differences were similar to those observed in infants and adults, indicating that response symmetry is independent of age. Statistical analyses suggested that the distributions of absolute and relative latency measurements are normal, making it possible to describe norms in terms of means and standard deviations. A simple model is described that accounts accurately for changes in mean wave V latencies as function of age from preterm through the first three years of life.
The Interrelationship of Measures Related to Vocal Function, Speech Rate, and Laryngeal Appearance in Elderly Women
Authors: Linville Sue Ellen , Skarin Brenda D. , Fornatto Elio
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the interrelationship of various measures related to vocal function, speech rate, and laryngeal appearance in elderly women. Speakers were 20 women ranging in age from 67 to 86 years. An indirect laryngoscopic examination that included judgments on glottal closure and vocal fold appearance was performed on each speaker. Eight measures related to vocal performance (the production capabilities of the mechanism with regard to pitch range, intensity range, and phonation time) were collected on each speaker. Further, acoustic measures of intensity and fundamental frequency stability were made from sustained vowels, and a reading passage was analyzed for reading rate and intensity level. Factor analysis procedures revealed an association of maximum phonation time with measures of vocal intensity, as well as with pitch range measures. Surprisingly, reading rate was grouped with measures of F
o
stability as well as with maximum vocal intensity. Although laryngoscopic findings are in general agreement with those reported previously in elderly women (Honjo & Isshiki, 1980), inadequate glottal closure was observed more frequently, and vocal cord edema less frequently, in these women.
Adaptation and the Masking of Tinnitus
Authors: Penner M. J. , Bilger Robert C.
Published: July 2014

The effect of adaptation on the masking of tinnitus was investigated. Six patients with tinnitus performed two 5-min tracking tasks, each replicated six times. The first task examined the masking of tinnitus by tracking the intensity of a pure tone required to mask the tinnitus. The second task examined adaptation of a suprathreshold tone by tracking the intensity of a pure tone required for constant loudness. For 3 patients, the change required for constant loudness did not differ from the change required for constant maskability. For 3 patients, however, these two changes were different. Possible implications of these results for determining the locus of tinnitus and for the use of tinnitus maskers are discussed.
Objective Assessment of Vocal Hyperfunction
Authors: Hillman Robert E. , Holmberg Eva B. , Perkell Joseph S. , Walsh Michael , Vaughan Charles
Published: July 2014

This report describes the experimental design and initial results of an ongoing clinical investigation of voice disorders. Its major focus is the development and use of quantitative measures to provide objective descriptions of conditions referred to as "vocal hyperfunction." The experimental design for this project is based on a descriptive theoretical framework, which holds that there are different types and stages of hyperfunctionally related voice disorders. Data consist of indirect measures derived from noninvasive aerodynamic and acoustic recordings including (a) parameters derived from inverse filtered approximations of the glottal air flow waveform; (b) estimates of transglottal pressure, average glottal air flow, glottal resistance and vocal efficiency; and (c) measures of vocal intensity and fundamental frequency. Initial results (based on comparisons among 15 voice patients and 45 normal speakers) support major assumptions that underlie the theoretical framework, and indicate that the measurement approach being utilized is capable of differentiating hyperfunctional from normal voices and hyperfunctional conditions from one another. Organic manifestations of vocal hyperfunction (nodules, polyps, contact ulcers) are accompanied by abnormally high values for the glottal waveform parameters of AC flow and maximum flow declination rate, suggesting increased potential for vocal fold trauma due to high vocal fold closure velocities and collision forces. In contrast, nonorganic manifestations of hyperfunction (functional disorders) tend to be associated with abnormally high levels of unmodulated DC flow, without high values for AC flow and maximum flow declination rate, suggesting reduced potential for vocal fold trauma. Measures also suggest different underlying mechanisms for nodules and polyps as compared to contact ulcers. Results are discussed relative to predictions based on the theoretical framework for vocal hyperfunction.
A Voice Accumulator—Validation and Application
Authors: Ohlsson Ann-Christine , Brink Olle , Lofqvist Anders
Published: July 2014

Studies of vocal behavior under natural conditions require suitable techniques for obtaining records of voice use. We describe the operation of a newly designed voice accumulator that allows registration of fundamental frequency and phonation time during a 12-hour period. The device is based on microprocessors and allows accumulation of the voice fundamental frequency within 60–600 Hz. The voice signal is picked up by a contact microphone attached to the front part of the neck. Analysis of fundamental frequency distribution and phonation time is made on a personal computer. Validation of the device shows it to provide accurate measurements of fundamental frequency, although it tends to underestimate phonation time. In a field test, the accumulator was used to analyze vocal behavior during two work-days in a group of nurses and a group of speech pathologists. Overall, the speech pathologists had a lower fundamental frequency level and higher values of phonation time than the nurses. These field results confirm the validation of the voice accumulator.
Comprehension of Lexical Subcategory Distinctions by Aphasic Patients
Authors: Shapiro Lewis P. , Zurif Edgar , Carey Susan , Grossman Murray
Published: July 2014

Previous research has found that agrammatic Broca aphasic patients have particular difficulty using determiners like "a" and "the" for the purposes of sentence comprehension. In this study, we test whether or not such difficulty extends to the level where lexical subcategories are distinguished by these articles. The absence or presence of a determiner distinguishes proper from common nouns (e.g., "ROSE vs. "A ROSE"), and mass from count nouns (e.g., "GLASS" vs. "A GLASS"). Groups of agrammatic Broca and fluent aphasic subjects were required to point to one of two pictures in response to a sentence such as "Point to the picture of rose" or "Point to the picture of a rose". Sentences were presented in either printed or spoken form. Results indicated that for the agrammatic Broca patients, printed presentation yielded significant improvement over spoken presentation only for the proper noun/common noun distinction. Performance was significantly poorer for the mass noun/count noun distinction as compared to the proper/common distinction for these patients, and mass nouns proved particularly difficult. Interpretable patterns were not observed on either subcategory distinction for the fluent aphasic subjects. Current theories of agrammatism cannot fully explain these data. An independent explanation is offered that suggests proper noun/common noun is a universal semantic distinction. On the other hand, the mass noun/count noun distinction is more purely syntactic, and thus is particularly difficult for agrammatic Broca patients.
Lip Movement in Apraxia of Speech
Authors: Robin Donald A. , Bean Carolyn , Folkins John W.
Published: July 2014

Peak articulatory velocity of the lower lip and temporal coordination between the upper and lower lips were studied in 5 neurologically impaired subjects with speech behaviors consistent with a diagnosis of apraxia of speech. Differences in velocity and the timing between the movement onset of the two lips were compared for accurate and inaccurate productions of words. Peak articulatory velocity also was measured during the production of the syllable [pæ] and during a nonverbal movement. There were no systematic differences across accurate and inaccurate productions of words in peak articulatory velocity or movement onsets of the two lips. Furthermore, there were no systematic changes in movement velocity related to speech rate. We conclude that some apraxic speakers do not have a defect in the ability to produce high movement velocities.
Judgments of Disfluency by Mothers of Stuttering and Normally Fluent Children
Authors: Zebrowski Patricia M. , Conture Edward G.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between selected aspects of speech disfluency and perceptual judgments of these events by mothers of young stutterers and mothers of age- and sex-matched normally fluent children. Each mother independently listened to and judged as either "stuttered" or "not stuttered" recorded examples of a young stutterer's imitated productions of: (a) five different types of speech disfluency, (b) sound prolongations, and (c) sound/syllable repetitions of five different durations each, along with a comparable number of fluent utterances. Results indicated that although some between-group differences in judgments were observed, both groups most frequently judged sound/syllable repetitions to be stuttered, followed by whole-word repetitions and broken words. Fluent utterances, interjections, and sound prolongations were most frequently judged to be not stuttered by all mothers. Both groups judged sound prolongations averaging 258 ms in duration to be stuttered an average of 25% of the time, increasing to 68% for sound prolongations averaging 1254 ms; however, both groups of mothers judged sound/syllable repetitions of two or more iterations to be stuttered an average of 93% of the time. Findings suggest that there are not appreciable differences between mothers of stuttering and normally fluent children regarding their perceptual judgments of speech disfluencies, but each group might more frequently judge as stuttered those types of speech disfluencies characteristic of their own children's speech.
Static Acoustic-Admittance Measures in Normal Ears
Authors: Wiley Terry L.
Published: July 2014

A preliminary database of acoustic-immittance measures in normal adults was provided in an earlier publication (Wiley, Oviatt, & Block, 1987). Here, an additional analysis of static acoustic-admittance measures, based on the original database, is provided. Specifically, compensated static acoustic-admittance data for a 220-Hz probe signal are provided for 239 ears including those that did (N = 55) and did not (N = 184) demonstrate tympanometric notching for a 660-Hz probe signal.
Palatometric Specification of Stop, Affricate, and Sibilant Sounds
Authors: Fletcher Samuel G.
Published: July 2014

This investigation used palatometry to study stops, sibilants, and affricates in CV syllables (C = t,d,k,g,t∫,d; V = i,) spoken by nine normal 6- to 14-year-old children. The measures focused on place, manner, timing, and area of linguapalatal contact. Similarities and differences between the sound classes, actions across segments of the articulatory gestures, and age effects were identified and described. The affricates were observed to have stop and sibilant portions demarcated by a partial plateau in the linguapalatal contact releasing gesture. The sibilant portion was formed in the same place and with the same groove dimensions as /∫,/. The older subjects reached initial articulatory positions faster, produced the consonant sounds more quickly, generated vowels with shorter durations, and articulated more posteriorly than did younger ones.
Electrical Activity from the Superior Pharyngeal Constrictor During Reflexive and Nonreflexive Tasks
Authors: Perlman Adrienne L. , Luschei Erich S. , Du Mond Charles E.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this investigation was to determine, in a quantitative manner, which, if any, nonswallowing tasks produce significant levels of activation in the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle of normal human subjects. Bipolar hooked wire electrodes were inserted in the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle of 15 healthy subjects. Electrode placement was controlled. Each subject performed two reflexive tasks, six voluntary tasks requiring phonation, and four nonspeech voluntary tasks. The electromyogram (EMG) was rectified and integrated. The resulting number was then transformed by taking its natural logarithm. An ANOVA was performed and a linear model was estimated. The magnitude of the EMG activity was related to the location of the electrodes. The largest values were recorded in the lateral-superior placement, followed by the lateral-inferior, medial-inferior and medial-superior. The superior pharyngeal contrictor was found to be a muscle activated primarily during reflexive activity. There was a general trend in the amplitude of EMG activity in relationship to task. Swallowing produced the greatest amount of activity and a gag produced about 60% of the activity produced by the swallow. Two tasks, production of the work /hk/ in which the phoneme /k/ was stressed, and a "modified Valsalva," which was actually a hard /k/ held for several seconds, produced the next greatest level of EMG.
Analysis of Language-Speech Samples with Salt and Pepper
Authors: Weston Audrey D. , Shriberg Lawrence D. , Miller Jon F.
Published: July 2014

Microcomputer-aided analysis of spontaneous language-speech samples offers researchers an efficient means of analyzing large amounts of data. It may be necessary, however, to format samples for more than one software program in order to obtain comprehensive morpho-syntactic and phonetic/phonologic analyses. This paper suggests a procedure for the combined use of SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts, Miller & Chapman, 1985) and PEPPER (Programs to Examine Phonetic and Phonologic Evaluation Records, Shriberg, 1986) that is designed to minimize the duplication of effort involved in following two different formatting procedures. Results of a study undertaken to explore methodological issues in the combined use of SALT and PEPPER generally support the validity, reliability, and efficiency of the procedure. Results also raise some issues concerning the use of narrow phonetic transcription as opposed to standard orthographic transcription of continuous language-speech samples.
Frequency Modulation Characteristics of Sustained // Sung in Vocal Vibrato
Authors: Horii Yoshiyuki
Published: July 2014

Frequency modulation characteristics of sustained vowel phonations in vocal vibrato were investigated. Eight male singers produced sustained // in vibrato at low-, middle-, and high-pitch levels with comfortable loudness. The recorded voice samples were digitized and analyzed by a program yielding a plot of fundamental frequencies (F
0
) of individual fundamental cycles. Modulation frequency, extent, rates of F
0
increase and decrease, and modulation jitter and modulation shimmer were measured for individual modulation cycles. Central tendency and variability of these measures, intercorrelations among these measures, and temporal patterns of frequency modulations were investigated. Results indicated (1) significant effects of pitch levels on modulation frequency, (2) more regularity in modulation frequency than extent, (3) predominantly linear temporal patterns of frequency modulation, and (4) faster F
0
increase than decrease. Implications of these findings for the nature of underlying mechanisms of frequency control in vocal vibrato are discussed.
Rapid Manual Abilities in Spasmodic Dysphonic and Normal Female Subjects
Authors: Cannito Michael P. , Kondraske George V.
Published: July 2014

This study quantitatively examined upper extremity motor performance in 18 spasmodic dysphonic females, in comparison to matched normal controls, across variables of finger lift reaction time, index finger tapping speed, and peg placing (Purdue Pegboard) speed. Significant differences were noted for both upper extremities on the finger tapping and pegboard tasks, with better performance by the controls. A linear combination of these manual variables was able to discriminate the spasmodic dysphonic from matched normal subjects with 78% accuracy. Motor performance was uncorrelated with psychometric measures of anxiety and depression in both groups. The dysphonic subjects exhibited a significant correlation between nondominant finger tapping speed and severity ratings of motor speech impairment. Possible localizing significance of these findings is discussed.
Speech Reception in Reverberation Related to Temporal Resolution
Authors: Dreschler Wouter A. , Leeuw A. Rens
Published: July 2014

In this study, the influence of temporal properties of the auditory system on speech recognition, either in noise or in both noise and reverberation, has been investigated. Temporal resolution parameters consisted of both the temporal resolution factor (TRF) and the minimum detectable gap (MDG). TRFs were measured for probe-tone frequencies of 500, 1000, and 3000 Hz; MDGs were measured for octave-band noises centered at 500, 1000, and 3000 Hz and for a wideband noise. TRF and MDG proved to be rather independent parameters of temporal resolution. For both temporal-resolution parameters, there was considerable overlap between the performance of the normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. A correlation analysis shows that MDG for wideband noise is related to speech recognition in reverberation. However, there is a mutual dependence of speech recognition and MDG on the pure-tone audiogram.
Speech Perception with a Single-Channel Cochlear Implant
Authors: Carney Arlene Earley , Kienle Marjorie , Miyamoto Richard T.
Published: July 2014

Suprasegmental and segmental speech perception tasks were administered to 8 patients with single-channel cochlear implants. Suprasegmental tasks included the recognition of syllable number, syllabic stress, and intonation. Segmental tasks included the recognition of vowels and consonants in three modalities: visual only, implant only, and visual + implant. Results were compared to those obtained from artificially deafened adults using a single-channel vibrotactile device (Carney, 1988; Carney & Beachler, 1986). The patterns of responses for both suprasegmental and segmental tasks were highly similar for both groups of subjects, despite differences between the characteristics of the subject samples. These results suggest that single-channel sensory devices, whether they be cochlear implants or vibrotactile aids, produce similar patterns of speech perception errors, even when differences are observed in overall performance level.
Electroglottography and Vocal Fold Physiology
Authors: Childers D. G. , Hicks D. M. , Moore G. P. , Eskenazi L. , Lalwani A. L.
Published: July 2014

The electroglottogram (EGG) is known to be related to vocal fold motion. A major hypothesis undergoing examination in several research centers is that the EGG is related to the area of contact of the vocal folds. This hypothesis is difficult to substantiate with direct measurements using human subjects. However, other supporting evidence can be offered. For this study we made measurements from synchronized ultra high-speed laryngeal films and from EGG waveforms collected from subjects with normal larynges and patients with vocal disorders. We compare certain features of the EGG waveform to (a) the instant of the opening of the glottis, (b) the instant of the closing of the glottis, and (c) the instant of the maximum opening of the glottis. In addition, we compare both the open quotient and the relative average perturbation measured from the glottal area to that estimated from the EGG. All of these comparisons indicate that vocal fold vibratory characteristics are reflected by features of the EGG waveform. This makes the EGG useful for speech analysis and synthesis as well as for modeling laryngeal behavior. The limitations of the EGG are discussed.
Speech Perception in Low-Pass Filtered Noise for Normal and Hearing-Impaired Listeners
Authors: Stelmachowicz Patricia G. , Lewis Dawna E. , Kelly William J. , Jesteadt Walt
Published: July 2014

Two experiments were conducted concerning speech perception in noise. In Experiment 1, a comparison was made between adaptive and fixed-level procedures to estimate the S/N ratio at which 50% correct performance occurred for nonsense syllables for normal-hearing listeners. The two methods yield similar S/N ratio estimates, but the consonant confusions found with the fixed-level method could not be predicted accurately from the adaptive procedure. In Experiment 2, the adaptive procedure was used to estimate the S/N ratio for a 50% performance level in low-pass filtered noise with a range of cutoff frequencies. Data were obtained from 5 normal-hearing listeners at two speech levels (50 and 75 dB SPL) and 4 hearing-impaired listeners at one speech level (75 dB SPL). The hearing-impaired listeners required a better S/N ratio than the normal listeners at either presentation level for all except the widest bandwidth, where their S/N ratios began to converge with the normal values. In addition, the S/N ratios for the hearing-impaired listeners plateaued at relatively narrow bandwidths (0.75 to 2.5 kHz) compared to the normal-hearing group (3.0 to 5.0 kHz). That is, the addition of high-frequency components to the noise did not alter performance. These findings suggest that the hearing-impaired listeners may have relied upon either low-frequency cues or prosodic cues in the perception of these test items.
Knowledge and Strategies for Processing Lexical Metaphor after Right or Left Hemisphere Brain Damage
Authors: Tompkins Connie A.
Published: July 2014

This study was designed to assess how unilateral right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) affects the knowledge and processing of metaphoric aspects of word meaning. Ambiguous adjectives that could convey either a metaphoric or a literal meaning were used as target words in auditory lexical decision tasks. Targets were preceded by primes that were valid (related to the target’s metaphoric or literal meaning), neutral, or unrelated. Prime-target pairs were presented in two attention conditions, designed to favor either relatively automatic or relatively effortful mental processing, and reaction time data were gathered. RHD stroke patients performed similarly to left-brain-damaged and normal control subjects in the automatic condition, and when provided with specific processing strategies, indicating that they retained some knowledge of metaphoric word meanings. When left to glean strategies for themselves, however, both brain-damaged groups had difficulty. These results and others from the RHD literature are discussed in terms of attentional resource capacity and attentional allocation models.