Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

American And British Speech Differences In Low Socioeconomic Status Homes, Jennifer Markfeld

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Background: Infants living in low socioeconomic status (SES) homes display lower developmental functioning by 12 months than mid- and high-SES infants, and speak fewer words on average as they grow older. Maternal speech is especially important for language development and has been found to be the largest predictor of SES-related differences in children’s vocabulary. Although there are documented differences between British and American infant language development, for example American infant lexicons are typically larger than age matched British infants, there is little research looking at caregiver speech across these countries in low SES groups.

Method: This retrospective study compared 10 …

Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials (Cvemps): "Differentiation Of Inter-Neck Emg Symmetry Between Children And Adults", Ellen Jones

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential (cVEMP) is one of the few objective vestibular diagnostic tests available for pediatric populations. This test evaluates the functionality of the saccule end organ through an inhibitory reflex on the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle that inhibits the level of electromyographic (EMG) activity (Wiener-Vacher, 2013). Because the saccule response is measured as an inhibition of EMG in the SCM, it is imperative that the SCM have a tonic contraction prior to eliciting the response and that the contraction of the SCM is equal on the right and left sides. It is generally accepted that young, healthy adults …

The Feasibility Of Standardized Cognitive Assessments For Vestibular Patients, Brynn Morales

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Vestibular dysfunction, or impairments in the inner ear and/or brain structures that process sensory information and help control balance, has a high correlation with cognitive deficits, or problems with mental processes. This relationship negatively affects daily activities and quality of life in persons that live with vestibular dysfunction. Though there is sufficient research proving the relationship, few studies have applied that information in ways to better help the population with vestibular dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a cognitive assessment battery (a set of correlated assessments delivered in one session) tailored to measuring performance …

Speech Characteristics Of Conversational Speech Tasks, Ashley Cox

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Conversational speech tasks are utilized in research and clinical practice of speech and hearing sciences. Nonetheless, conversational speech is often defined and implemented differently across contexts, which poses a challenge for the interpretation and comparison of data gathered. The purpose of this pilot study is to compare speech characteristics elicited with different speech tasks that have been adopted to elicit conversational speech. Specifically, speech produced during an interview, a topic-driven free conversation, and a Diapix is compared. An interview is a task where one individual (the researcher) leads the conversation by asking the other individual questions. A topic-driven …