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Kinematic And Acoustic Adaptation To A Bite Block During Syllable Production, Allison Marie Barney Apr 2020

Kinematic And Acoustic Adaptation To A Bite Block During Syllable Production, Allison Marie Barney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to gain a better understanding of speech adaptation by examining kinematic and acoustic adaptation to bite block perturbation over time. Fifteen native American English speakers (7 female, 8 male) with no history of speech, language, or hearing deficits participated in the study. Custom bite blocks were created for speakers which created a 10mm interincisal gap when inserted. Speakers produced five repetitions of the sentence, I say ahraw /ərɑ/ (as part of a larger set) prior to bite block insertion, immediately following bite block insertion, 2-mintues post insertion, 4-minutes post insertion, 6-minutes post insertion, …


Kinematic And Acoustic Vowel Changes In Adult Bite Block Speech, Tanner Keith Low Jun 2019

Kinematic And Acoustic Vowel Changes In Adult Bite Block Speech, Tanner Keith Low

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the lingual kinematic and acoustic effects of bite blocks on vowels in a sentence context. Twenty adult native English speakers (10 male, 10 female) with no speech, language, or hearing deficits participated in the study. The corner vowels found in the sentence, The blue spot is on the black key again (i.e., /u/, /É‘/, /æ/, /i/), were measured kinematically and acoustically immediately before and after bite block insertion. The participants' speech was audio-recorded and their lingual articulatory movements were measured with a Northern Digital Instruments Wave electromagnetic articulograph. The sensor coils were attached to three different …


Articulatory Kinematic Compensation For A Bite Block During Diphthong Production, Michelle Olson Richins Apr 2019

Articulatory Kinematic Compensation For A Bite Block During Diphthong Production, Michelle Olson Richins

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of bite blocks on articulatory kinematics when producing diphthongs /ɑɪ/ and /É‘ÊŠ/ within a phrase. Participants consisted of 20 young adults (10 males, 10 females) with no speech, language or hearing disorders. Participants produced the diphthongs in the carrier phrase Im an owl that hoots. A Northern Digital Instruments Wave electromagnetic articulograph measured the articulatory movements while the speaker produced the stimuli in two conditions (pre bite block insertion and post bite block insertion). Bilateral bite blocks were made using Express dental putty, which is a silicone impression material, in order to create a …


The Distinction Between Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of English Light And Dark [Ɫ]: A Precursor To Using Electropalatography In Second Language Instruction, Kallie Lynne Chaves Apr 2019

The Distinction Between Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of English Light And Dark [Ɫ]: A Precursor To Using Electropalatography In Second Language Instruction, Kallie Lynne Chaves

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) is a system designed to provide visual feedback of lingua-palatal contact via electrodes and computer software in real-time. Traditionally, EPG technology has been effective in the treatment of both developmental and acquired speech disorders. Little research, however, has been done to show the effectiveness of EPG feedback in second language instruction and foreign accent reduction. The present thesis is part of a larger project examining the utility of EPG technology as a potential tool for teaching English speakers learning German as a second language (L2). A common error that English speakers make in German pronunciation is the incorrect …


Acoustic Correlates Of Aging And Familial Relationship, Samantha Michelle Taylor Oct 2018

Acoustic Correlates Of Aging And Familial Relationship, Samantha Michelle Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential differences in selected acoustic measures of speech as a function of age, across sexes, and between families. The data used in this study were previously collected for a larger project on voice production at the University of Utah. Participants included 169 individuals, 79 men and 90 women, from 18 Utah families, ranging in age from 17 to 87 years. All participants had no history of articulation disorders, stroke or active neurologic disease, or severe-profound hearing loss. Participants were recorded reading two passages aloud in a sound booth. These two passages …


Articulatory Kinematic Differences During Adaptation To A Bite Block, Madison Ann Mchaley Jun 2018

Articulatory Kinematic Differences During Adaptation To A Bite Block, Madison Ann Mchaley

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of bite blocks on articulatory kinematics when producing /r/ within a phrase. Participants consisted of 20 young adults (10 males, 10 females) with no speech, language or hearing disorders. Participants produced the carrier phrase, I say __ with the nonsense words /əri/ (high front vowel), /əræ/ (low front vowel), /əru/ (high back vowel), /ərɑ/ (low back vowel). A Northern Digital Instruments Wave electromagnetic articulograph measured the articulatory movements while the speaker produced the stimuli in two conditions (Pre bite block and post bite block). Bilateral bite blocks were made using Express dental putty, which …


Native Mandarin Speakers' Production Of English Fricatives As A Function Of Linguistic Task Type And Word Position: A Spectral Moment Analysis, Lindsey Mccall Wing Mar 2018

Native Mandarin Speakers' Production Of English Fricatives As A Function Of Linguistic Task Type And Word Position: A Spectral Moment Analysis, Lindsey Mccall Wing

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the phonetic production of fricatives across differing word positions and task types. Further knowledge about the fricative production of second language learners of English would potentially improve the ability to teach correct pronunciation and improve the productivity of second language programs. All participants in this study were native speakers of Mandarin Chinese with English as their second language. A total of 12 subjects participated, all of whom had English proficiency ratings ranging from novice to advanced. The speakers were between 21-51 years of age, with each speaker having between 2 to 6 …


Quantifying Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of Fricative Productions By Non-Native Students Enrolled In A University German Language Course: An Electropalatography Study, Kate Erin Lester Jun 2017

Quantifying Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of Fricative Productions By Non-Native Students Enrolled In A University German Language Course: An Electropalatography Study, Kate Erin Lester

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) is a computer-based tracking system designed to provide real-time visual biofeedback of articulatory contacts occurring during speech production. Historically, EPG technology has proven functional within the treatment and assessment of speech disorders however, application of EPG technology to assist in second language learning has remained limited. The present thesis is part of a larger study examining the effectiveness of using EPG as an advanced instructional tool for assisting second language (L2) learners of German. Fricative productions ([ç], [x], /s/, and /∫/) within real words were gathered from 12 native English speakers enrolled in a second semester university level …


Perceptual Analysis Of Children's Adaptation To An Electropalatography Sensor, Kasey Marie Duffield Jun 2017

Perceptual Analysis Of Children's Adaptation To An Electropalatography Sensor, Kasey Marie Duffield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to observe childrens adaptation to an electropalatographic (EPG) sensor. Sound recordings of six children between the ages of 7;0 and 9;11 sampled at 30-minute intervals over a two-hour period of wearing an EPG sensor were perceptually evaluated to quantify the children's adaptation over time. Twenty native speakers of American English evaluated the pronunciation of a series of words with embedded stops and fricatives produced with and without an EPG sensor in place. When collapsed over speaker and stimulus type, listener ratings decreased significantly after inserting the EPG sensor. Ratings then increased significantly after the …


Perceptual Analysis Of Children's Adaptation To An Electropalatography Sensor, Kasey Marie Duffield Jun 2017

Perceptual Analysis Of Children's Adaptation To An Electropalatography Sensor, Kasey Marie Duffield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to observe childrens adaptation to an electropalatographic (EPG) sensor. Sound recordings of six children between the ages of 7;0 and 9;11 sampled at 30-minute intervals over a two-hour period of wearing an EPG sensor were perceptually evaluated to quantify the children's adaptation over time. Twenty native speakers of American English evaluated the pronunciation of a series of words with embedded stops and fricatives produced with and without an EPG sensor in place. When collapsed over speaker and stimulus type, listener ratings decreased significantly after inserting the EPG sensor. Ratings then increased significantly after the …


Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions Of End-Of-Life Care: Comparative 17-Year Data, Nicole Lamoreaux Jun 2016

Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions Of End-Of-Life Care: Comparative 17-Year Data, Nicole Lamoreaux

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently care for patients and their families at the end-of-life (EOL). Providing high quality EOL care is important for both patients and families, yet ICU nurses face many obstacles that hinder EOL care. Researchers have identified various ICU nurse-perceived obstacles, but no studies have been found addressing the progress that has been made over the last 17 years.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the most common and current obstacles in EOL care as perceived by ICU nurses and then to evaluate whether or not meaningful changes have occurred since data were first gathered in …


Speech Adaptation To Kinematic Recording Sensors, Elise Hansen Hunter Mar 2016

Speech Adaptation To Kinematic Recording Sensors, Elise Hansen Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the time course of speech adaptation prior to data collection when using an electromagnetic articulograph to measure speech articulator movements. The stimulus sentence and electromagnetic sensor placement were designed to be sensitive to changes in the fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/. Twenty native English speakers read aloud stimulus sentences before the attachment of six electromagnetic sensors, immediately after attachment, and again at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes after attachment. Participants read aloud continuously between recordings to encourage adaptation to the presence of the sensors. Audio recordings were rated by 20 native English listeners who were not part …


Establishing Normative Data For Contact Patterns Of Fricative Production By Native German Speakers: An Electropalatography Study, Lisa Diane Isaacson Jun 2015

Establishing Normative Data For Contact Patterns Of Fricative Production By Native German Speakers: An Electropalatography Study, Lisa Diane Isaacson

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) provides real-time visual biofeedback for linguapalatal contact during speech and swallowing. Historically, EPG has proved to be an effective tool for assessment and treatment of a variety of speech disorders across a wide age range. The present thesis is part of a larger study examining the effectiveness of using EPG in assisting second language (L2) learners to acquire the German fricatives , [x], and //. Real and nonsense word productions were collected from six native German speakers. Electrode activation levels were generally highest for and lowest for [x]. Even when considering the impact of vowel context, [x] consistently …


Children's Adaptation To Electropalatography: Evidence From Acoustic Analysis Of /T/ And /K/, Kara Brianne Knapp Jun 2014

Children's Adaptation To Electropalatography: Evidence From Acoustic Analysis Of /T/ And /K/, Kara Brianne Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) is a computer-based device that uses a fitted pseudopalate (similar to an orthodontic retainer) with embedded electrodes to track tongue-to-palate contact during speech for the purposes of providing treatment for a variety of communication disorders. This study evaluated six elementary school-aged children's ability to adapt their speech to the presence of the pseudopalate in their mouth. The participants' adaptation for the consonants /t/ and /k/ was examined over eight time intervals throughout a two and half hour time period. Adaptation was evaluated by measuring the duration, spectral mean, spectral variance, and relative intensity of the target sounds. The …


Speech Adaptation To Electropalatography In Children's Productions Of /S/ And /ʃ/, Marissa Celaya Jun 2014

Speech Adaptation To Electropalatography In Children's Productions Of /S/ And /ʃ/, Marissa Celaya

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has investigated adults' ability to adapt their speech when a electropalatographic (EPG) pseudopalate is placed in the oral cavity; however, less is known about how younger speakers who are continuing to develop their motor speech abilities might adapt their speech to the presence of the device. This study examined the effect of an EPG pseudopalate on elementary school-aged children's ability to produce the fricatives /s/ and /ƒ/. Audio recordings of six children were collected at eight time intervals including before placement of the pseudopalate, at 30-minute increments for two hours with the pseudopalate in place, immediately following removal …


A Boot Camp Approach To Remediating Interdental /S/ In A School-Aged Child, Melanie Ellen Peris Nov 2013

A Boot Camp Approach To Remediating Interdental /S/ In A School-Aged Child, Melanie Ellen Peris

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between speech articulation therapy dose (frequency, intensity, duration) and treatment outcomes are poorly understood. Identifying optimal therapy doses for specific articulation disorders is essential to providing efficient clinical care. Recent research indicates that intensive speech therapy doses-known as boot camps-may promote rapid improvement and generalization for certain speech disorders. Therefore the present investigation examined the effects of a boot camp speech therapy approach to remediate interdental /s/ production in an 8-year-old male. The boot camp included two days of speech therapy involving visual, tactile, and auditory feedback approaches. Therapy was administered 5.5 hours per day across morning and …


Maximization Of Hydraulic Flow Through Small Flexible Polymer Tubes By The Optimization Of Tubing Stiffness And Wall Thickness, Christopher L. Chipman Jul 2013

Maximization Of Hydraulic Flow Through Small Flexible Polymer Tubes By The Optimization Of Tubing Stiffness And Wall Thickness, Christopher L. Chipman

Theses and Dissertations

As illness becomes increasingly more common in the United States and across the globe, the need for better and faster medical treatment is greater than ever. The purpose of this work is to evaluate advanced polymers and polymer composites that will provide for increased fluid flow while maintaining outer dimensional, stiffness, and burst resistance characteristics when compared to a currently used material. A polymer configuration consisting of a proprietary formulation that has a durometer approximately 10% higher than the current material with an outer wall thickness of approximately .020" passed a series of tests involving tensile strength, stiffness, flexural fatigue …


The Effectiveness Of Using Electropalatography To Remediate A Developmental Speech Sound Disorder In A School-Aged Child With Hearing Impairment, Kristina Lynne Pickett Jun 2013

The Effectiveness Of Using Electropalatography To Remediate A Developmental Speech Sound Disorder In A School-Aged Child With Hearing Impairment, Kristina Lynne Pickett

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in instrumentation and computer technology such as electropalatography (EPG) have offered additional types of feedback to more traditional therapy for individuals with speech disorders, specifically those with hearing impairment. The purpose of this study was to document whether therapeutic integration of EPG visual feedback in combination with traditional articulation therapy for a school-aged child with an articulation disorder secondary to hearing impairment was more effective than traditional therapy alone. One participant received five sessions of each therapy approach. Six adult listeners rated the quality of the participant's production of /r/ in words recorded during the therapy sessions. The EPG …


The Correlation Between Spectral Moment Measures And Electropalatometric Contact Patterns For /T/ And /K/, Janelle Barrett Sep 2012

The Correlation Between Spectral Moment Measures And Electropalatometric Contact Patterns For /T/ And /K/, Janelle Barrett

Theses and Dissertations

Spectral moment analysis has helped further our understanding of the spectral properties of obstruent speech production; however, the physiologic correlates of these spectral measures are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible correlations between the linguapalatal contact patterns used to produce the stops /t/ and /k/ and the resulting spectral characteristics. Using spectral moment analysis and electropalatography, the real-word productions of eight speakers of American English were investigated. The spectral measures for the stop consonant tokens in the present study were found to be similar to data reported in previous research with adult …


The Correlation Between Spectral Moment Measures And Electropalatographic Contact Patterns For /S/ And /Ʃ/, Benjamin James Marshall Jun 2012

The Correlation Between Spectral Moment Measures And Electropalatographic Contact Patterns For /S/ And /Ʃ/, Benjamin James Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Spectral Moment Analysis has helped further our understanding of the spectral properties of obstruent speech production; however, the physiologic correlates of these spectral measures are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible correlations between the linguapalatal contact patterns used to produce the fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/ and the resulting spectral characteristics. Using spectral moment analysis and electropalatography (EPG), the real-word productions of eight speakers of American English were investigated. The spectral measures for the fricative tokens in the present study were found to be similar to data reported in previous research with adult …


Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Recognition Threshold Materials For Native Speakers Of Samoan, Jennifer Lane Newman Jul 2010

Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Recognition Threshold Materials For Native Speakers Of Samoan, Jennifer Lane Newman

Theses and Dissertations

The speech recognition threshold (SRT) is an important measure, as it validates the pure-tone average (PTA), assists in the diagnosis and prognosis of hearing impairments, and aids in the identification of non-organic hearing impairments. Research has shown that in order for SRT testing to yield valid and reliable measures, testing needs to be performed in the patient's native language. There are currently no published materials for SRT testing in the Samoan language. As a result, audiologists are testing patients with English materials or other materials not of the patient's native language. Results produced from this manner of testing are confounded …


Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Audiometry Materials For Testing Children In Mongolian, Meghan Elizabeth Caldwell Aug 2009

Development Of Psychometrically Equivalent Speech Audiometry Materials For Testing Children In Mongolian, Meghan Elizabeth Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and equate Mongolian monosyllabic and bisyllabic child-appropriate words which can be used in the measurement of word recognition scores and speech-reception threshold (SRT) in children who are native speakers of Mongolian. Based on data collected from a survey of Mongolian child language professionals, a subset of child-appropriate materials was adapted from a set of materials developed for Mongolian adults. Two lists of 50 monosyllabic words and four half-lists of 25 words each were developed for testing the word recognition abilities of Mongolian children. The developed lists and half-lists were …


A Perceptual Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Pseudopalate On Voiceless Obstruent Production And Motor Adaptation, Megan Ann Cannon Williams Jun 2009

A Perceptual Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Pseudopalate On Voiceless Obstruent Production And Motor Adaptation, Megan Ann Cannon Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) has proven to be a useful clinical and research tool for measuring tongue-to-palate contact. Research has shown sensorimotor adaptation to an EPG device may be possible following a short period of speech practice. This study was developed in order to better understand how a listeners' perception of speech clarity is effected by the presence of a relatively thin artificial pseudopalate in the speakers' oral cavity. Twenty listeners rated 220 speech stimuli on a visual analog scale ranging from normal to very distorted speech clarity. The stimuli included two different American English sentences. Speech clarity ratings were looked at …


Associations Between Linguapalatal Contact Patterns And Spectral Moments For /S/, Leslie Leatham Bennett Mar 2009

Associations Between Linguapalatal Contact Patterns And Spectral Moments For /S/, Leslie Leatham Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

Both acoustic and palatographic measures have proven to be useful in speech science research. However, it is not known how closely or consistently these two measures are associated with each other. Therefore, this study investigated the association between changes in tongue-to-palate contact patterns and simultaneous changes in acoustic spectral moments for the fricative /s/. Twenty adults were fitted with pseudopalates and repeated VCV nonsense syllables consisting of an initial schwa followed by the target consonant /s/ and ending with one of three corner vowels (/i, ɑ, u/). EPG (electropalatography) data were quantified using three custom numerical indices (s-narrow, s-wide, and …


The Effect Of A Pseudopalate On Voiceless Obstruent Production: A Spectral Evaluation Of Adaptation, Karie Lindsay Dean Jul 2008

The Effect Of A Pseudopalate On Voiceless Obstruent Production: A Spectral Evaluation Of Adaptation, Karie Lindsay Dean

Theses and Dissertations

Many studies in speech communication have provided valuable findings concerning the kinematic nature of speech articulation. This type of research often involves introducing an oral device to the vocal tract such as lingual pellets, magnets, and different forms of pseudopalates to track the movement and placement of the articulators. This study examined the effect of an electropalatography (EPG) pseudopalate on the production of five voiceless obstruents (/p, t, k, s/ and /sh/). Acoustic recordings from 20 adult speakers with typical speech production were made during three different speaking conditions: prior to pseudopalate placement, immediately after placement, and following 20 minutes …


Inter- And Intra-Subject Variability: A Palatometric Study, Marybeth Corey Sanders Oct 2007

Inter- And Intra-Subject Variability: A Palatometric Study, Marybeth Corey Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatometry (EPM) has proven to be a useful clinical and research tool for measuring tongue-to-palate contact. The goal of this study was to determine whether the development of a database of standardized palatometric articulation files is feasible by examining the variability which exists within and between speakers. Twenty standard American English dialect speakers were fitted with palatometer pseudopalates. Test stimuli were VCV nonsense words using a schwa in the initial position, the 15 palatal consonants, and three corner vowels, /a/, /i/, /u/. From these palatometric recordings a variability index was created to examine intra- and interspeaker variability. Different aspects of …


Neurophysiologic And Behavioral Measures Of Phonetic Perception In Adult Second Language Speakers Of Spanish, Jaden D. Hellewell Jan 2007

Neurophysiologic And Behavioral Measures Of Phonetic Perception In Adult Second Language Speakers Of Spanish, Jaden D. Hellewell

Theses and Dissertations

Infants 6-8 months old are able to identify nearly every speech sound contrast on which they have been tested, regardless of whether that contrast represents an across-category (two different phonemes) phonetic change in their native language or not. A child's ability to identify non-native consonant contrasts greatly diminishes by 11-12 months of age. The present study examined speech sound discrimination in three groups of listeners. Adult second language (L2) listeners of Spanish were compared with native English listeners with no knowledge of Spanish and native Mexican listeners to determine if they would show the ability to discriminate phonetic distinctions that …


Speech Reception Threshold Materials For Taiwan Mandarin, Katie Bedke Slade Jul 2006

Speech Reception Threshold Materials For Taiwan Mandarin, Katie Bedke Slade

Theses and Dissertations

Speech reception threshold (SRT) tools have been developed to assist in the evaluation of hearing. This study was performed to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and equate Taiwan Mandarin trisyllabic words which can be used to measure the SRT. Eighty-nine commonly used trisyllabic words were chosen and digitally recorded by native male and female speakers. The words were then presented to 20 normally hearing subjects at 14 intensity levels (-10 to 16 dB HL) with 2 dB increments. Psychometric function slopes were calculated using logistic regression. Twenty-eight words with steep psychometric function were selected and digitally adjusted to match the mean …


Hearing Health In Utah Special Olympics Athletes Compared To Special Olympics Athletes Worldwide: A Prevalence Study In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Lisa Moses Mullins May 2006

Hearing Health In Utah Special Olympics Athletes Compared To Special Olympics Athletes Worldwide: A Prevalence Study In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Lisa Moses Mullins

Theses and Dissertations

The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative promotes wellness of the athletes with intellectual disabilities and education for medical professionals. Healthy Athletes has created a hearing screening program, Healthy Hearing, to help athletes with intellectual disabilities get the otological and audiological care they need. This program promotes a healthy hearing lifestyle and educates medical professionals regarding the need of health care for the intellectually disabled population. The physiologic, otologic, and audiologic abnormalities often occurring in the intellectually disabled population bring special attention for the need to determine the prevalence rate of hearing loss among the athletes participating in Special Olympics events. …


The Effect Of A Lingual Magnet On Fricative Production: An Acoustic Evaluation Of Placement And Adaptation, Andrea Lynn Weaver Aug 2005

The Effect Of A Lingual Magnet On Fricative Production: An Acoustic Evaluation Of Placement And Adaptation, Andrea Lynn Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Much of speech kinematics research is conducted by attaching a device to the articulators. However very little research has been conducted to determine what influence these devices may have on the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of speech. This study examined the effect of placing a small magnet on the tongue of ten normal adult speakers while reading a sentence containing /s/ and "sh" in initial, medial and final position. Two different placements of 10 and 15 mm from the tip of the tongue were analyzed. Data were taken before magnet placement, immediately after magnet placement, after 5 minutes of conversation, …