Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Age And The Comprehension Of Spatial Adjectives, Barbara Ann Cassidy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of chronological age on the comprehension of spatial adjectives in children. Specifically, the investigation set out to determine the age levels at which children comprehend the polar forms of various spatial adjectives and to determine the difference in age levels of comprehension of unmarked versus marked adjective forms. Seventy children between the ages of two years, +/-2 months and eight years, + 2 months, selected on the basis of chronological age, normal receptive vocabulary recognition and normal hearing, participated as subjects.

A Survey Of Carryover Practices Of Public School Clinicians In Oregon, Joan Marie Cranmer Polson

Dissertations and Theses

Clinicians report that carryover management is one of the most difficult and time consuming problems they face (Johnson, 1972) yet the literature offers little data to assist clinicians in determining what methodologies should be used and which are effective in facilitating carryover. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the type of methodologies utilized by public school clinicians in Oregon to facilitate carryover with clients originally diagnosed as having articulation disorders. A secondary question dealt with the perceived effectiveness of these methodologies.

Normative Data On The Auditory Memory Test Battery, Mary Clare Mountain

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the means and standard deviations for the Auditory Memory Test Battery (Burford, 1976) using a sample of normal second, third, and fourth grade children. The study also compared span and sequence scores, low and high SES scores, and an individual's test scores with teacher judgment of intelligence group. A brief examination of the AMTB as used with LD children was also performed but not included in the statistical analysis.

The Status In 1980 Of The Toulmin Model Of Argument In The Area Of Speech Communication, Jeffrey Robert Sweeney

Dissertations and Theses

In 1958 Stephen E. Toulmin wrote of inadequacies of formal logic and proposed a new field-dependent approach to the analysis of arguments. Despite a generally negative response to his proposal from formal logicians, Toulmin's model for the laying out of arguments for analysis was subsequently appropriated by several speech communication textbook writers. In some textbooks, the Toulmin model has become successor to the syllogism as the paradigm of logical argument. Yet, perhaps due to their seemingly uncritical acceptance of Toulmin's approach there appears to be serious disagreement and confusion among speech communication professionals about the nature and applications of the …

Central Auditory Processing In Children With A History Of Chronic Middle Ear Problems, Beverly S. Schnabel

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the central auditory processing of children who had sustained chronic middle ear problems during their early language-learning years. A 60% compressed recording of the NU-6 speech discrimination word lists was administered to twenty eight and nine year old normal hearing public school children, reported by their parents to have had repeated middle ear problems during their early years, and to twenty control subjects matched for age from the same public school classes. Differences in compressed and uncompressed word discrimination scores between the experimental and control groups were not found to be statistically …

An Electromyographic Comparison Of Muscle Action Potentials Of Adult Stutterers During Signalled Expectancy And Non-Expectancy To Stutter, Catherine Ann Miller

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship (if any) exists between signalled expectancy to stutter and a significant increase in muscle action potential in adults as measured by electromyography (EMG).

A Comparison Of Dramatic Storytelling And Puppet Storytelling As A Means Of Teaching Selected Nutritional Concepts, Edith M. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The present study investigated the basic question: Will preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students have a greater increase in knowledge of selected nutritional concepts as a result of viewing a puppet story than a similar composite will have when the same material is presented via dramatic storytelling?

The Effects Of Three Stress Modes On Error Productions Of Children With Developmental Apraxia Of Speech, Alan R. Horowitz

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of three modes of stress on error productions of children with developmental apraxia of speech during a sentence repetition task. The study was designed to answer the question: Will there be a significant difference in the number of errors for each mode when: a) training to distinguish among the stress modes is not provided? b) training to distinguish among the stress modes is provided?

The Clinical Application And Practical Limitations Of Bone Conducted Speech, Terry Scott Cochrane

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increased intensity on the bone conducted speech discrimination ability of normal listeners utilizing standard audiological equipment. The NU-6 word lists were utilized to test the bone conducted speech discrimination skills of ten normal hearing subjects, 21 to 30 years of age, on standard clinical equipment. Both the hearing levels (dB HL) and the sensation levels (dB SL) of the test administration were considered. In general, it was recommended that 100 dB Hl is the most appropriate dial setting for the administration of bone conducted speech discrimination tests even though …

A Comparison Of Maternal Remarks To Normal And Language Delayed Children, Vanessa Jow Bunker

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation compared maternal remarks to language delayed offspring and maternal remarks to normal language developing offspring in an attempt to determine if and where differences occurred. The following questions were asked:

1) Do mothers of language delayed children present their children with a significantly different percentage of verbal constraints (commands and question) than do mothers of normal language developing children in a play situation?

2) Do mothers of language delayed children present their children with an equal number of utterances as mothers of normal language developing children in a play situation?

3) Is the maternal mean length of response …

The Effects Of Morning And Afternoon Scheduling On The Clinical Performance Of Severe Aphasic Adults, Judith Ann Fisher

Dissertations and Theses

Concern regarding variables which influence the performance of aphasic adults has been demonstrated in the literature. Marshall et al. (1978) found that one such variable, scheduling of intervention, influenced significantly the test performance of their subjects. They determined that the aphasic subjects performed better in the morning than in the afternoon. The purpose of the present study was to determine if performance of severe aphasic adults on easy and difficult, single-word picture-identification tasks, presented in a clinically reinforcing manner, is differentially affected by morning and afternoon scheduling.

The questions posed in this investigation were: 1) Does morning versus afternoon scheduling …

An Investigation Of The Consistency Of Stimulus Overselection Of Autistic Children, Patricia O'Meara Walker

Dissertations and Theses

A review of the literature indicated that not all of the research in the area of overselectivity of autistic children has been in agreement. It does seem evident that some autistic children overselect. This could be the result of an attentional factor or a modality preference. This has important implications for the education of autistic children. In the light of the inconsistency of autistic children's reactions to sensory stimuli this investigator believed there was a need to determine if overselection is consistent before referring to the overselected modality as a preferred modality or comparing overselected modalities with the child's mode …

An Investigation Of Client Fluency Maintenance Between 1972-1977 At Portland State University, Pricilla Lynn Ginter

Dissertations and Theses

The use of so many different therapeutic approaches to stuttering raises frequent questions about methodology and treatment. Confidence in a methodology and treatment approach depends upon follow-up research conducted with systemic analysis of the individuals prior to treatment and following treatment.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a follow-up evaluation on R.L. Casteel's Four Stage Stuttering Program at Portland State University and to examine the degree of maintained fluency in relation to entering baseline, time in program, and exit stage.

A Study Of The Relationship Between Visual Short Term Memory And Speechreading In Hearing Impaired Geriatrics, Catherine Hollevoet

Dissertations and Theses

The relationship between visual short term memory (as measured by the Memory for Designs Test) and speechreading ability (as measured by the Barley Speechreading Test) was investigated in a sample of twenty-seven hearing impaired geriatrics. Correlation analysis verified a statistically significant relationship between Memory for Designs Test scores and Barley Speechreading Test scores. Partial correlation revealed the relationship between speechreading scores and short term memory scores was rot influenced significantly by variance in chronological age or speech discrimination ability. Memory for Designs Test scores were shown to be accurate predictors of scores achieved on the Barley Speechreading Test.

Results of …

Variability In Test-Retest Of Maximum Duration Of Sustained /A/ In Children, Elena Diane Norwood

Dissertations and Theses

Maximum phonation time has been widely utilized as a simple clinical evaluation of the vocal function. Its importance has been emphasized by Van Riper (1954), Westlake and Rutherford (1961), Boone (1971), and other authors. A review of the literature revealed three trials of sustained phonation have been utilized by most researchers to determine maximum duration of phonation. Additionally, the review revealed a lack of test-retest reliability in maximum phonation time in children.

The present study was designed to determine the variability in test-retest of maximum duration of· sustained /a/ among prepubescent male and female children. Eighty subjects, twenty at each …

Progressive Relaxation Training : Effects On The Communicative Ability Of Aphasic Adults, Mary T. Watts Withers

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of progressive relaxation training on the verbal ability of adult aphasics. Sixteen adult aphasics (15 males and 1 female) were administered a battery of four, 16 item verbal tests (VTB) following a period of relaxation training and a control period. The tasks of the VTB paralleled the four verbal subtests of the PICA (Porch, 1967). Subjects were required to give the function of 15 common objects, to name each object, to produce the name of each object after hearing a carrier phrase and to repeat the name of each object. …

A Comparison Of The Articulatory Proficiency Between Stutterers And Nonstutterers While In A State Of Oral Sensory Deprivation, Clifford Saul Goldman

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if stutterers monitor speech production differently than nonstutterers while in a state of oral sensory deprivation. The specific questions asked were:

1. Does an imposed oral somesthetic feedback deficit hinder articulation proficiency more in a nonstuttering sample than in a stuttering sample?
2. If the articulation proficiency is deficient in both samples, does the nature of the errors differ between the two samples?

A Comparative Study Of Language Deficits Of Reservation And Urban Indian Children, Lezlie Kaye Pearce

Dissertations and Theses

This study sought to determine if there are any differences in an analysis of language samples between urban Indian, reservation Indian, and urban White first-grade children. The Mean Length of Response (MLR), Developmental Sentence Score (DSS), and individual DSS items were used to analyze language used by the three groups of children. The study involved thirty-nine children, thirteen children in each group, between the ages of six years, six months, and seven years, four months. All subjects were screened to determine grade, residency, Indian blood, speech, language, hearing, and physical status. Testing for hearing vocabulary was performed at the beginning …

An Analysis Of Staggered Spondaic Word Test Performances Of Dyslexic Children And Their Parents, Nancy Jane Maxwell

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of a familial lineage for dyslexia by analyzing certain auditory processing characteristics of dyslexic children and their parents. The Staggered Spondaic Word test was administered to twenty-one dyslexic children, eight to thirteen years of age, their natural parents and normal reading siblings.

The experimental test data were tabulated and analyzed according to listening condition for each of the four groups: dyslexic children, normal reading siblings, affected parents and non-affected parents. A statistical analysis of the experimental data revealed significantly poorer Staggered Spondaic Word test performances for dyslexic children and their …

A Comparative Study Of The Short-Term Auditory Memory Span And Sequence Of Language/Learning Disabled Children And Normal Children, Kathleen M. Mccausland

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation compared the auditory memory span and sequence of language/learning disabled children with that of normal children to determine if there was a difference between the two groups on short-term auditory memory, ordering of stimulus type difficulty and performance on subtests using various stimulus types. Fifteen LD subjects were matched with fifteen normal subjects for mental age as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. The Auditory Memory Test Battery (AMTB) was administered to each subject. The AMTB consists of five tape recorded subtests of recall for sentences, digits, related words, unrelated words, and nonsense words. Each subject responded …

A Comparative Study Of Perceptual Ratings And Fundamental Frequency In Female And Male Esophageal Voices, Anne Terese Heinrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study proposed to determine if male and female esophageal voices were rated in the same manner by naïve listeners. Answers to the following questions were sought:

1. Is there a difference in the social acceptability ratings given to female esophageal voices compared to male esophageal voices, when the speakers are matched for speaking ability?
2. Does a relationship exist between the fundamental frequencies of female esophageal voices and ratings of social acceptability given by naïve listeners?
3. Does a relationship exist between the fundamental frequencies of male esophageal voices and ratings of social acceptability given by naïve listeners?
4. Do male and female …

The Effect Of Background Noise On Children's Selective Listening Behavior, Cathryn A. Chartier

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of distracting linguistic background noise on children's ability to perform three-part commands. A total of twelve first grade subjects, six "normal" and six reading delayed, were individually administered a series of twenty, three-part commands. Each child performed once in quiet and once in a noise environment, and the performances in those two conditions were compared.

A Comparative Study Of The Expressive Preposition Usage Of Educable Mentally Retarded Children And Normals, Marie Deon Shope

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate which of 26 prepositions are acquired expressively by educable mentally retarded children. This study was designed to determine if there was a significant difference between the number of prepositions expressed by an EMR sample and those expressed by normals of similar mental age, and if the same prepositions were used by the two groups at given mental ages. The correlation between chronological age and the number of prepositions expressed by the EMR population was also investigated.

Development And Use Of A Phonological Recoding Strategy For A Short-Term Memory Task By Normal And Mentally Retarded Subjects, Mary Jo Bartels

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence or absence of a phonological recoding strategy in the mentally retarded population by using a memory matching exercise with visual stimuli. Pictures of common objects were divided into eight pictures with names that sound alike (homophonous) and eight with names that do not sound alike (non-homophonous). The null hypothesis tested was:

No statistically significant difference will be found between mentally retarded and normal subjects in the development and use of a phonological recoding strategy for a short-term memory task, when the subjects are matched for receptive vocabulary age.

Relationship Of Auditory Short-Term Memory And Articulation Ability Of Eight-Year-Olds, Winona Eugenia Hoffinger

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationship of auditory short-term memory and articulation ability of eight-year-old children to determine if a relationship existed between auditory short-term memory ability and articulation ability. The specific question posed was: Is there a statistically significant difference in the auditory short-term memory ability of eight-year-olds with three or more phoneme errors and eight-year-olds with no phoneme errors?

A Study Of The Perceptual Parameters Of Voice In Aging Females, Barbara Ann Mathers

Dissertations and Theses

An interest in understanding the aging processes, as they relate to voice, has prompted research investigating physiological, acoustical, and perceptual attributes of the aging vocal mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that perceptual parameters, in older male voices, differentiate speakers according to age estimations, as determined by a group of listeners.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptual characteristics of the female voice which are associated with perceived age, as contrasted to chronological age.

An Investigation Of The Consistency Of Judgments Regarding Successive Approximations Of /R/, Scott Robert Lane

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation sought to determine the accuracy and consistency of judgements made by three groups of judges, relative to successive approximations of /r/. The three groups were made up of speech pathologists, student trainees, and untrained individuals, respectively. It was the task of these judges to rank order three /r/ productions into the following categories: correct; partially correct; and incorrect. This task is basically the same as reinforcing approximations of /r/ within the therapy situation, and appears not to require extensive training. Many authors have found little difference between trained and untrained listeners in identifying correct versus incorrect articulation. An …

Analysis Of The Two Word Stage Of Language Development: An Ideographic Study, Lou Ann Mccoy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this longitudinal, ideographic clinical research project was to analyze a corpus of expressive language emitted by a child at the two word stage of language development via grammatico-semantic relationships (Brown, 1973) and via Developmental Sentence Analysis (Lee, 1974).

A Comparison Of The Clinician-Client Interactions In Urban Language And Stuttering Clinics, Teresa M. Carnese

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this clinical research project was to use an interaction analysis system to compare the behaviors of clinicians and their clients with two types of communicative disorders and to determine how the clinicians utilized their clinical time. More specifically, this study employed the Conover Analysis System (Conover, 1974) and compared the client-clinician behaviors in the Portland State University Urban Language Clinic and Stuttering Clinic. The data which were gathered provided a baseline of the client-clinician behaviors in the two clinical settings.

The Berrigans At Catonsville: A Case Study In Symbolic Behavior As Rhetoric, Susan Baker

Dissertations and Theses

In May of 1968, Father Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest, and his brother, Father Philip Berrigan, a Josephite priest, and seven others, entered the draft board offices in Catonsville, Maryland where they removed 378 draft files and burned them with homemade napalm.

This paper examines that event as a case study in symbolic behavior as rhetoric. In doing so, the author first seeks a definition of rhetoric, and a definition of symbolic behavior. Background material, both on the Berrigans, and on symbolic behavior as rhetoric is provided.

The major portion of the paper deals with the analysis of the event …