bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perception of Speech Produced by Native and Nonnative Talkers by Listeners with Normal Hearing and Listeners with Cochlear Implants
Authors: Ji Caili , Galvin John J. , Chang Yi-ping , Xu Anting , Fu Qian-Jie 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the understanding of English sentences produced by native (English) and nonnative (Spanish) talkers by listeners with normal hearing (NH) and listeners with cochlear implants (CIs).

Method
Sentence recognition in noise was measured in adult subjects with CIs and subjects with NH, all of whom were native talkers of American English. Test sentences were from the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) database and were produced in English by four native and eight nonnative talkers. Subjects also rated the intelligibility and accent for each talker.

Results
The speech recognition thresholds in noise of subjects with CIs and subjects with NH were 4.23 dB and 1.32 dB poorer with nonnative talkers than with native talkers, respectively. Performance was significantly correlated with talker intelligibility and accent ratings for subjects with CIs but only correlated with talker intelligibility ratings for subjects with NH. For all subjects, performance with individual nonnative talkers was significantly correlated with talkers' number of years of residence in the United States.

Conclusion
CI users exhibited a larger deficit in speech understanding with nonnative talkers than did subjects with NH, relative to native talkers. Nonnative talkers' experience with native culture contributed strongly to speech understanding in noise, intelligibility ratings, and accent ratings of both listeners with NH and listeners with CIs.
A Demonstration of Improved Precision of Word Recognition Scores
Authors: Schlauch Robert S. , Anderson Elizabeth S. , Micheyl Christophe 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate improved precision of word recognition scores (WRSs) by increasing list length and analyzing phonemic errors.

Method
Pure-tone thresholds (frequencies between 0.25 and 8.0 kHz) and WRSs were measured in 3 levels of speech-shaped noise (50, 52, and 54 dB HL) for 24 listeners with normal hearing. WRSs were obtained for half-lists and full lists of Northwestern University Test No. 6 (Tillman & Carhart, 1966) words presented at 48 dB HL. A resampling procedure was used to derive dimensionless effect sizes for identifying a change in hearing using the data. This allowed the direct comparison of the magnitude of shifts in WRS (%) and in the average pure-tone threshold (dB), which provided a context for interpreting the WRS.

Results
WRSs based on a 50-word list analyzed by the percentage of correct phonemes were significantly more sensitive for identifying a change in hearing than the WRSs based on 25-word lists analyzed by percentage of correct words.

Conclusion
Increasing the number of items that contribute to a WRS significantly increased the test's ability to identify a change in hearing. Clinical and research applications could potentially benefit from a more precise word recognition test, the only basic audiologic measure that estimates directly the distortion component of hearing loss and its effect on communication.
Development of a Self-Report Tool to Evaluate Hearing Aid Outcomes Among Chinese Speakers
Authors: Wong Lena L. N. , Hang Na 
Published: April 2014

PurposeThis article reports on the development of a self-report tool—the Chinese Hearing Aid Outcomes Questionnaire (CHAOQ)—to evaluate hearing aid outcomes among Chinese speakers.MethodThere were 4 phases to construct the CHAOQ and evaluate its psychometric properties. First, items were selected to evaluate a range of culturally relevant outcomes. These procedures provided evidence for face and content validity. Second, items with inappropriate psychometric properties were eliminated. Items related to listening performance were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to identify the factor structure, which was later confirmed via a confirmatory factor analysis in Phase III. These procedures also ensured content and discriminant validity. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated, and normative data were obtained. Finally, test–retest reliability was evaluated, and construct validity was established by comparing results with corresponding items from the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids.ResultsThe final 26-item CHAOQ contains (a) 3 scales evaluating speech understanding in situations in which communication is relatively more difficult or easy or includes reduced listening cues; (b) a scale evaluating listening comfort; (c) a scale measuring negative responses; and (d) an item measuring overall satisfaction.ConclusionThe CHAOQ possesses good reliability and validity.
Gap Detection in School-Age Children and Adults: Effects of Inherent Envelope Modulation and the Availability of Cues Across Frequency
Authors: Buss Emily , Hall Joseph W. , Porter Heather , Grose John H. 
Published: April 2014

PurposeThe present study evaluated the effects of inherent envelope modulation and the availability of cues across frequency on behavioral gap detection with noise-band stimuli in school-age children.MethodListeners were 34 normal-hearing children (ages 5.2–15.6 years) and 12 normal-hearing adults (ages 18.5–28.8 years). Stimuli were continuous bands of noise centered on 2000 Hz, either 1000- or 25-Hz wide. In addition to Gaussian noise at these bandwidths, there were conditions using 25-Hz-wide noise bands modified to either accentuate or minimize inherent envelope modulation (staccato and low-fluctuation noise, respectively).ResultsWithin the 25-Hz-wide conditions, adults' gap detection thresholds were highest in the staccato, lower in the Gaussian, and lowest in the low-fluctuation noise. Similar trends were evident in children's thresholds, although inherent envelope modulation had a smaller effect on children than on adults. Whereas adults' thresholds were comparable for the 1000-Hz-wide Gaussian and 25-Hz-wide low-fluctuation stimulus, children's performance converged on adults' performance at a younger age for the 1000-Hz-wide Gaussian stimulus.ConclusionsResults are consistent with the idea that children are less susceptible to the disruptive effects of inherent envelope modulation than adults when detecting a gap in a narrow-band noise. Further, the ability to use spectrally distributed gap detection cues appears to mature relatively early in childhood.
Simulating the Effects of Common and Specific Abilities on Test Performance: An Evaluation of Factor Analysis
Authors: McFarland Dennis J. 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
Factor analysis is a useful technique to aid in organizing multivariate data characterizing speech, language, and auditory abilities. However, knowledge of the limitations of factor analysis is essential for proper interpretation of results. The present study used simulated test scores to illustrate some characteristics of factor analysis.

Method
Linear models were used to simulate test scores that were determined by multiple latent variables. These simulated test scores were evaluated with principal components analysis and, in certain cases, structural equation modeling. In addition, a subset of simulated individuals characterized by poor test performance was examined.

Results
The number of factors recovered and their identity do not necessarily correspond to the structure of the latent variables that generated the test scores. The first principal component may represent variance from multiple uncorrelated sources. Practices such as correction or control for general cognitive ability may produce misleading results.

Conclusions
Inferences from the results of factor analysis should be primarily about the structure of test batteries rather than the structure of human mental abilities. Researchers and clinicians should consider multiple sources of evidence to evaluate hypotheses about the processes generating test results.
Contributions of Children's Linguistic and Working Memory Proficiencies to Their Judgments of Grammaticality
Authors: Noonan Nicolette B. , Redmond Sean M. , Archibald Lisa M. D. 
Published: April 2014

PurposeThe authors explored the cognitive mechanisms involved in language processing by systematically examining the performance of children with deficits in the domains of working memory and language.MethodFrom a database of 370 school-age children who had completed a grammaticality judgment task, groups were identified with a co-occurring language and working memory impairment (LI–WMI;n= 18) or specific language impairment (SLI) with typical working memory skills (n= 60) and matched control groups. Correct and incorrect use of grammatical markers occurred either early or late in sentence stimuli, imposing a greater working memory load for late-marker sentences.ResultsChildren with SLI showed a lower preference for grammatical items than typically developing controls, regardless of error marker position. Children with LI–WMI demonstrated a performance pattern modulated by error marker position: Their preference for grammatical items was lower than typically developing controls for late but not early marker sentences.ConclusionThis pattern of results suggests that there are distinct and dissociable impacts of working memory and linguistic skills on metalinguistic functioning through a grammatical judgment task.
Effect of Phonotactic Probability and Neighborhood Density on Word-Learning Configuration by Preschoolers With Typical Development and Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Gray Shelley , Pittman Andrea , Weinhold Juliet 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
In this study, the authors assessed the effects of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density on word-learning configuration by preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) and typical language development (TD).

Method
One hundred thirty-one children participated: 48 with SLI, 44 with TD matched on age and gender, and 39 with TD matched on vocabulary and gender. Referent identification and naming were assessed in a computer-based learning context.

Results
For referent identification, preschoolers with TD benefited from high phonotactic probability, and the younger group also benefited from low neighborhood density. In contrast, the SLI group benefited only from high neighborhood density. For naming, older preschoolers with TD benefited most from low-density words, younger preschoolers with TD benefited most from words with high phonotactic probability, and the SLI group showed no advantage.

Conclusion
Phonotactic probability and neighborhood density had different effects on each group that may be related to children's ability to store well-specified word forms and to the size of their extant lexicon. The authors argue that cross-study comparisons of word learning are needed; therefore, researchers should describe word, referent, and learner characteristics and the learning context and should situate their studies in a triggering → configuration + engagement model of word learning.
Associations Between Toddler-Age Communication and Kindergarten-Age Self-Regulatory Skills
Authors: Aro Tuija , Laakso Marja-Leena , Määttä Sira , Tolvanen Asko , Poikkeus Anna-Maija 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
In this study, the authors aimed at gaining understanding on the associations of different types of early language and communication profiles with later self-regulation skills by using longitudinal data from toddler age to kindergarten age.

Method
Children with early language profiles representing expressive delay, broad delay (i.e., expressive, social, and/or symbolic), and typical language development were compared in domains of kindergarten-age executive and regulative skills (attentional/executive functions, regulation of emotions and behavioral activity, and social skills) assessed with parental questionnaires.

Results
Children with delay in toddler-age language development demonstrated poorer kindergarten-age self-regulation skills than children with typical early language development. Broad early language delays were associated with compromised social skills and attentional/executive functions, and early expressive delays were associated with a generally lower level of kindergarten-age executive and regulative skills. Regression analyses showed that both earlier and concurrent language had an effect especially on the attentional/executive functions.

Conclusions
The findings suggest that different aspects of toddler-age language have differential associations with later self-regulation. Possible mechanisms linking early language development to later self-regulative development are discussed.
Children With Differing Developmental Trajectories of Prelinguistic Communication Skills: Language and Working Memory at Age 5
Authors: Määttä Sira , Laakso Marja-Leena , Tolvanen Asko , Ahonen Timo , Aro Tuija 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
In this article, the authors examine the developmental continuity from prelinguistic communication to kindergarten age in language and working memory capacity.

Method
Following work outlining 6 groups of children with different trajectories of early communication development (ECD; Määttä, Laakso, Tolvanen, Ahonen, & Aro, 2012), the authors examined their later development by psychometric assessment. Ninety-one children first assessed at ages 12–21 months completed a battery of language and working memory tests at age 5;3 (years;months).

Results
Two of the ECD groups previously identified as being at risk for language difficulties continued to show weaker performance at follow-up. Seventy-nine percent of the children with compromised language skills at follow-up were identified on the basis of the ECD groups, but the number of false positives was high. The 2 at-risk groups also differed significantly from the typically developing groups in the measures tapping working memory capacity.

Conclusions
In line with the dimensional view of language impairment, the accumulation of early delays predicted the amount of later difficulties; however, at the individual level, the prediction had rather low specificity. The results imply a strong link between language and working memory and call for further studies examining the early developmental interaction between language and memory.
Triadic Gaze Intervention for Young Children With Physical Disabilities
Authors: Olswang Lesley B. , Dowden Patricia , Feuerstein Julie , Greenslade Kathryn , Pinder Gay Lloyd , Fleming Kandace 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
This randomized controlled study investigated whether a supplemental treatment designed to teach triadic gaze (TG) as a signal of coordinated joint attention would yield a significantly greater increase in TG in the experimental versus control group.

Method

Eighteen 10- to 24-month-old children with severe motor impairments were randomly assigned to an experimental (
n
= 9) or control group (
n
= 9). For approximately 29 sessions over 17 weeks, experimental participants received TG treatment twice weekly with a speech-language pathologist in addition to standard practice. Control participants received only standard practice from birth-to-three therapists. Coders who were masked to group assignment coded TG productions with an unfamiliar speech-language pathologist at baseline, every 3 weeks during the experimental phase, and at the final measurement session.

Results

TG increased across groups from baseline to final measurement, with the experimental group showing slightly greater change. Performance trends were examined using experimental phase moving averages. Comparisons revealed significant differences between groups at 2 time points (at 12 weeks,
r
= .30, a medium effect, and at the end of the phase,
r
= .50, a large effect).

Conclusion
The results suggest the promise of a short-term, focused treatment to teach TG as a behavioral manifestation of coordinated joint attention to children with severe physical disabilities.
A Comparison of Pragmatic Language in Boys With Autism and Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Klusek Jessica , Martin Gary E. , Losh Molly 
Published: April 2014

PurposeImpaired pragmatic language (i.e., language use for social interaction) is a hallmark feature of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known monogenic disorder associated with ASD. However, few cross-population comparisons of ASD and FXS have been conducted, and it is unclear whether pragmatic language profiles in these conditions overlap.MethodThe authors used seminaturalistic and standardized assessment methods to characterize pragmatic language abilities of 29 school-aged boys with idiopathic ASD, 38 with FXS and comorbid ASD, 16 with FXS without ASD, 20 with Down syndrome, and 20 with typical development.ResultsSimilar severity of pragmatic language deficits was observed in both of the groups with ASD (idiopathic and fragile X-associated). ASD comorbidity had a detrimental effect on the pragmatic language skills of the boys with FXS. Some different patterns emerged across the two pragmatic assessment tools, with more robust group differences observed in pragmatics assessed in a seminaturalistic conversational context.ConclusionThese findings have implications for pragmatic language assessment and intervention, as well as for understanding the potential role of the fragile X gene,Fragile X Mental Retardation-1, in the pragmatic language phenotype of ASD.
Test–Retest Stability of Word Retrieval in Aphasic Discourse
Authors: Boyle Mary 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
This study examined the test–retest stability of select word-retrieval measures in the discourses of people with aphasia who completed a 5-stimulus discourse task.

Method
Discourse samples across 3 sessions from 12 individuals with aphasia were analyzed for the stability of measures of informativeness, efficiency, main concepts, noun and verb retrieval, word-finding difficulty, and lexical diversity. Values for correlation coefficients and the minimal detectable change score were used to assess stability for research and clinical decision making.

Results
Measures stable enough to use in group research studies included the number of words; the number of correct information units (CIUs); the number of accurate-complete, accurate-incomplete, and absent main concepts; the percentage of T-units that had word-finding behaviors of any kind; the percentage of T-units that contained empty words; and a lexical diversity measure. Words per minute, CIUs per minute, and the percentage of T-units that contained time fillers or delays were sufficiently stable to use when making clinical decisions about an individual.

Conclusion
Although several of the measures demonstrated acceptable stability for group research studies, relatively few were sufficiently stable for making clinical decisions about individuals on the basis of a single administration.
The Filtered Words Test and the Influence of Lexicality
Authors: Arnott Wendy , Goli Tara , Bradley Andrew , Smith Andrew , Wilson Wayne 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
In the present study, the authors aimed to investigate the language confounds of filtered words tests by examining the repetition of real words versus nonsense words as a function of level of filtering.

Method
Fifty-five young, native-English-speaking women with normal hearing were required to repeat 80 real-word and 80 nonsense-word monosyllables that were matched for phonemic content and low-pass filtered. Thirty participants were tested using a harsher filter range of 2000 to 500 Hz, and 25 participants were tested using a milder filter range of 3000 to 1500 Hz.

Results

Paired-sample
t
tests compared accuracy (percentage of phonemes correct) for word and nonsense-word stimuli at each filter level. At filter levels between 3000 and 1750 Hz, performance for word stimuli was significantly better than for nonsense-word stimuli. Conversely, at filter levels between 500 and 1250 Hz, performance was significantly better for nonsense words.

Conclusions
The linguistic content of real-word stimuli benefits performance on low-pass filtered speech tests at filter levels above 1500 Hz. Caution must be taken when using real-word stimuli in low-pass filtered speech tests as part of an auditory processing diagnostic test battery, because language ability will impact on performance.
Preliminary Results on the Influence of Engineered Artificial Mucus Layer on Phonation
Authors: Döllinger Michael , Gröhn Franziska , Berry David A. , Eysholdt Ulrich , Luegmair Georg 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
Previous studies have confirmed the influence of dehydration and an altered mucus (e.g., due to pathologies) on phonation. However, the underlying reasons for these influences are not fully understood. This study was a preliminary inquiry into the influences of mucus architecture and concentration on vocal fold oscillation.

Method
Two excised human larynges were investigated in an in vitro setup. The oscillations of the vocal folds at various airflow volume rates were recorded through the use of high-speed imaging. Engineered mucus containing polymers (interconnected polymers and linear polymers) was applied to the vocal folds. From the high-speed footage, glottal parameters were extracted through the use of objective methods and were compared to a gold standard (physiological saline solution).

Results
Variations were found for all applications of mucus. Fundamental frequency dropped and the oscillatory behavior (speed quotient [SQ], closing quotient [CQ]) changed for both larynges. The 2 applied mucus architectures displayed different effects on the larynges. The interconnected polymer displayed clear low-pass filter characteristics not found for the linear polymer. Increase of polymer concentration affected parameters to a certain point.

Conclusion
The data confirm results found in previous studies. Furthermore, the different effects—comparing architecture and concentration—suggest that, in the future, synthetic mucus can be designed to improve phonation.
Characterizing Vibratory Kinematics in Children and Adults With High-Speed Digital Imaging
Authors: Patel Rita , Dubrovskiy Denis , Döllinger Michael 
Published: April 2014

Purpose
The aim of this study is to quantify and identify characteristic vibratory motion in typically developing prepubertal children and young adults using high-speed digital imaging.

Method
The vibrations of the vocal folds were recorded from 27 children (ages 5–9 years) and 35 adults (ages 21–45 years), with high speed at 4,000 frames per second for sustained phonation. Kinematic features of amplitude periodicity, time periodicity, phase asymmetry, spatial symmetry, and glottal gap index were analyzed from the glottal area waveform across mean and standard deviation (i.e., intercycle variability) for each measure.

Results
Children exhibited lower mean amplitude periodicity compared to men and women and lower time periodicity compared to men. Children and women exhibited greater variability in amplitude periodicity, time periodicity, phase asymmetry, and glottal gap index compared to men. Women had lower mean values of amplitude periodicity and time periodicity compared to men.

Conclusion
Children differed both spatially but more temporally in vocal fold motion, suggesting the need for the development of children-specific kinematic norms. Results suggest more uncontrolled vibratory motion in children, reflecting changes in the vocal fold layered structure and aero-acoustic source mechanisms.