Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

The Effect Of Timbre And Vibrato On Vocal Pitch Matching Accuracy, Sirisha Duvvuru

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Research has shown that singers are better able to match pitch when the target stimulus has a timbre close to their own voice. This study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. Do classically trained female singers more accurately match pitch when the target stimulus is more similar to their own timbre? 2. Does the ability to match pitch vary with increasing pitch? 3. Does the ability to match pitch differ depending on whether the target stimulus is produced with or without vibrato? 4. Are mezzo sopranos less accurate than sopranos? Stimuli: Source signals were synthesized with a source slope …

Independent Component Analysis Of Event-Related Electroencephalography During Speech And Non-Speech Discrimination: : Implications For The Sensorimotor ∆∞ Rhythm In Speech Processing, Andrew Lee Bowers

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: The functional significance of sensorimotor integration in acoustic speech processing is unclear despite more than three decades of neuroimaging research. Constructivist theories have long speculated that listeners make predictions about articulatory goals functioning to weight sensory analysis toward expected acoustic features (e.g. analysis-by-synthesis; internal models). Direct-realist accounts posit that sensorimotor integration is achieved via a direct match between incoming acoustic cues and articulatory gestures. A method capable of favoring one account over the other requires an ongoing, high-temporal resolution measure of sensorimotor cortical activity prior to and following acoustic input. Although scalp-recorded electroencephalography (EEG) provides a measure of cortical …

Improving Literacy Through Instruction And Community Experiences: : The Effect Of A Summer Program On Literacy Outcomes Of Students From Low Ses Homes, Lisa Delozier Bowers

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Among the academic challenges faced by students from low socio-economic (SES) homes is the loss of academic skills during the summer months. Unfortunately, the public schools are often unable to provide summer learning opportunities because limited space, funding, and teacher availability. Established community organizations frequently provide summer programs, however, there is little research to indicate that they can be used to address summer learning loss.

A summer program was designed to improve oral and written narrative skills for students from low SES homes. This program was based in a local community ministry and was designed to use thematic units that …