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Full-Text Articles in Other Rehabilitation and Therapy

Perceptual Correlates Of Acoustic Measures Of Vocal Variability, Bree Ann Cumbers Aug 2013

Perceptual Correlates Of Acoustic Measures Of Vocal Variability, Bree Ann Cumbers

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated relationships between acoustic measures of vocal variability (pitch sigma, SFF range) and perceptual ratings of vocal variability during a reading task. Fifteen male (19-30 years of age) and nineteen female speakers (20-30 years of age) who were recorded reading the Grandfather Passage provided the stimuli for the listening task. From these samples, 30 were selected as representing a continuum of degrees of vocal variability. Male (N = 15) and female (N = 15) samples were presented to listeners separately. Thirty graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders who had a course background in voice supplied the perceptual …


Acoustic Characteristics Of Tense And Lax Vowels Across Sentence Position In Clear Speech, Lindsay Kayne Roesler Aug 2013

Acoustic Characteristics Of Tense And Lax Vowels Across Sentence Position In Clear Speech, Lindsay Kayne Roesler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the acoustic characteristics of tense and lax vowels across sentence positions in clear speech. Recordings were made of 12 participants reading monosyllabic target words at varying positions within semantically meaningful sentences. Acoustic analysis was completed to determine the effects of Style (clear vs. conversational), Tenseness (tense vs. lax), and Position (sentence-medial vs. sentence-final) on vowel duration, vowel space area, vowel space dispersion, and vowel peripheralization. The results showed speakers had longer durations and expanded vowel spaces in clear speech for both tense and lax vowels. Importantly, the amount of increase was similar …


The Effects Of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training On Swallowing And Voice Measures In Healthy Older Adults, Adam Follmer Aug 2013

The Effects Of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training On Swallowing And Voice Measures In Healthy Older Adults, Adam Follmer

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of a four week expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) exercise program on healthy older adults (65-79 years). The investigators were interested in possible changes to the swallowing and voice production systems, both of which are in the scope of practice for a speech language pathologist. Specific voice variables included maximum phonation time, conversational intensity level, and upper and lower limits of available intensity range. Swallowing variables were related to tongue function and included maximum isometric pressure and mean swallowing pressure. Finally, maximum expiratory pressure was measured as a comparative value to other EMST studies. A …


Cepstral- And Spectral-Based Acoustic Measures Of Normal Voices, Rachel Garrett Aug 2013

Cepstral- And Spectral-Based Acoustic Measures Of Normal Voices, Rachel Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

A review of recent literature suggested that cepstral- and spectral-based acoustic measures showed good potential as objective measures of dysphonia for clinical application. However, the small numbers of normal subjects in previous research and wide age ranges prevent a good estimation of the performance of normal speakers of various ages on these measures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide normative data for Long-Term Average spectral- and cepstral-based measures for both men and women in two different age groups to aid clinicians with assessing and treating voice disorders. Sixty participants consisting of fifteen males and fifteen females, ages …