Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Relationship Between Nonword Repetition Performance And Social Behaviors In 7- To 11-Year-Old Children With Language Impairment, Bethany Lynne Hillary

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has suggested a link between verbal working memory and language impairment (LI) in children. There is limited research, however, about the link between verbal working memory and social behaviors in children with LI. This study was designed to explore the relationship between social behaviors (measured by the Teacher Behavior Rating Scale; Hart & Robinson, 1996) and verbal working memory abilities (measured by a 3-, 4-, and 5-syllable nonword repetition task) in children with LI. Thirty-six children (18 with LI and 18 typically developing) aged 7 to 11 years participated in the study. Children with LI were rated by …

The Ability Of Children With Language Impairment To Understand Emotion Conveyed By Prosody In A Narrative Passage, Chelsea Celeste Voorhees

Theses and Dissertations

Several recent studies indicate that children with Language Impairment (LI) have difficulty recognizing and inferring meaning from emotional prosody. The present study is a replication investigating the ability of children with LI to recognize emotion conveyed by prosody in an orally presented narrative passage. Twenty-two children with LI and twenty-two age matched peers ranging from age 7;0 to 10;11 (M= 9.11, SD= 2.54) were selected to participate. Participants listened to recordings of a seven sentence passage read by actors to express happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. The children's task was to identify which emotion the speaker portrayed. Scores obtained from …

Psychometrically Equivalent Thai Monosyllabic Word Recognition Materials Spoken By Male And Female Talkers, Chela Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Thai monosyllabic word lists to use in the measurement of word recognition ability. A native male and female talker from Thailand, who were judged to have a standard Thai dialect, participated as talkers in digitally recording familiar Thai monosyllabic words. Twenty native Thai participants were used as subjects to determine the percentage of correct word recognition for each word at 10 intensity levels ranging from --5 to 40 dB HL in 5 dB increments. The 200 words with the highest raw scores were …

The Relationship Among Emotion Understanding, Language, And Social Behavior In Children With Language Impairment, Lara Lynn Goldie

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of emotion understanding, language, and working memory on reticence and prosocial behavior in children with language impairment (LI). The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL; Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) and The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 2003) were administered to 39 children with LI and 39 typical age-matched peers. A nonword repetition task and two tasks measuring emotion understanding were also administered. Each of the participant's classroom teachers completed The Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale (TBRS; Hart & Robinson, 1996). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate models of the data using a maximum likelihood …

Hemispheric Differences In The Recognition Of Environmental Sounds, Julio Gonza´Lez, Conor T. Mclennan

Psychology Faculty Publications

In the visual domain, Marsolek and colleagues have found support for two dissociable and parallel neural subsystems underlying object and shape recognition: an abstract category subsystem that operates more effectively in the left cerebral hemisphere (LH), and a specific-exemplar subsystem that operates more effectively in the right cerebral hemisphere (RH). Evidence of this asymmetry has been observed for linguistic (words, pseudo-word forms) and non-linguistic (objects) stimuli. In the auditory domain, the authors previously found hemispheric asymmetries in priming effects when linguistic stimuli (spoken words) were used. In the present study, hemispheric asymmetries were investigated for non-linguistic stimuli (environmental sounds) by …

How Much Is Enough: The Intensity Evidence In Language Intervention, Teresa Ukrainetz, Kerry Proctor-Williams, James Baumann, Melissa Allen, Lavae M. Hoffman, Laura Justice

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Lexical And Indexical Cues In Masking By Competing Speech, Karen S. Helfer, Richard L. Freyman

Karen S Helfer

Three experiments were conducted using the TVM sentences, a new set of stimuli for competing speech research. These open-set sentences incorporate a cue name that allows the experimenter to direct the listener's attention to a target sentence. The first experiment compared the relative efficacy of directing the listener's attention to the cue name versus instructing the subject to listen for a particular talker's voice. Results demonstrated that listeners could use either cue about equally well to find the target sentence. Experiment 2 was designed to determine whether differences in intelligibility among talkers' voices that were noted when three utterances were …

Computerized Visually Presented Story Recall Tasks: Effects On Performance In Dementia, Nidhi Mahendra, Nisha Engineer, Susan Carroll

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neuroimaging And Recovery Of Language In Aphasia, Cynthia K. Thompson, Dirk B. Den Ouden

Faculty Publications

The use of functional neuroimaging techniques has advanced what is known about the neural mechanisms used to support language processing in aphasia resulting from brain damage. This paper highlights recent findings derived from neuroimaging studies focused on neuroplasticity of language networks, the role of the left and right hemispheres in this process, and studies examining how treatment affects the neurobiology of recovery. We point out variability across studies as well as factors related to this variability, and we emphasize challenges that remain for research.

Voice Onset Time As A Clinical Indicator Of Hypofunctional Voice Disorders., Amanda Arnold, Lisa Phillips, Lindsay Pickler, Whitney White, Amanda Mccamey, Christopher Mccrea

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the voice onset times (VOTs) of healthy individuals using a normal and breathy voice in an effort to determine if VOT can be used as a noninvasive clinical indicator of laryngeal function. Recordings were made of 20 adults between the ages of 20-48 with normal laryngeal function, each using a normal (Group 1) and breathy voice (Group 2). The participants’ productions were designed and collected in such a manner to control for speaking rate, vowel context, pitch, and loudness; all of which have been shown to influence VOT. A mixed …

Development Of Thai Speech Audiometry Materials For Measuring Speech Recognition Thresholds, Lauren Alexandra Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Speech audiometry materials are essential for thorough audiological testing. One aspect of speech audiometry is evaluating an individual's speech recognition threshold (SRT). Recorded materials for SRT are available in many languages; however there are no widely published recorded SRT materials available in the Thai language. The goal of this study was to develop relatively psychometrically equivalent SRT materials for evaluating the hearing abilities of native speakers of the Thai language. To accomplish this, 90 commonly used bisyllabic Thai words were digitally recorded by a male and a female talker and evaluated by 20 native Thai listeners. Twenty-eight words with relatively …

Recognition Of Emotion In Facial Expressions By Children With Language Impairment, Dorthy A. Stott

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research has shown that children with language impairment (LI) have increased social difficulties. This study examined the relationship between language skills and emotion understanding through recognition of facial expressions of emotion in children with LI and their typically developing peers. It is a replication of the research of Spackman, Fujiki, Brinton, Nelson, and Allen (2005) and Atwood (2006). Participants consisted of 22 children with LI and 22 age- and gender-matched peers with typically developing language, from the age range of 7:0 to 10:11 years. They were shown photographs of faces conveying one of the following emotions: happiness, sadness …

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 …

Recognizing The Need To Dissemble Emotions In Hypothetical Social Scenarios: Differences In Children With Language Impairment, Emily Rowberry Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the ability of children with LI to recognize the need to dissemble emotions. Participants included 22 children with LI and 22 typically developing peers, ages 7;1 to 11;0 years. Children were presented with 10 hypothetical social scenarios in which the main character experienced an emotion which should be dissembled for social purposes. The participant's responses were categorized as dissemblance or display. Children with LI reported that they would hide the experienced emotion significantly less often than their typical peers. Children in both groups reported higher levels of dissemblance when asked what their parents would want them to …

Performance On Natural Dissemblance Tasks In 7-11 Year-Old, Language-Impaired And Typically Developing Children, Noel Quist

Theses and Dissertations

Studies over the past several years have shown that children with language impairment (LI) have greater difficulty in social situations than typically developing children. More specifically, studies have shown that children with LI have more difficulty with dissemblance. This study was conducted to assess whether these children are less likely to dissemble in real-life situations. Forty-four children aged 7 to 11 years (22 LI and 22 typically developing) were presented with four situations designed to elicit dissemblance. Their reactions were scored and compared. The results of this study showed subtle differences between children with LI and typically developing children. Children …

Development Of Tongan Materials For Determining Speech Recognition Thresholds, Lisa Dawn Bunker

Theses and Dissertations

Speech recognition threshold (SRT) is an important clinical measure that validates the pure-tone average (PTA), assists in diagnosis and prognosis of hearing and hearing impairment, and helps identify non-organic hearing impairment. Few published, recorded, and standardized materials exist in languages other than English, which results in audiologists testing individuals using materials developed in a non-native language. Research shows that this is problematic, as certain criterion for SRT testing are not met. Thus, performance may reflect test-language deficiency rather than hearing impairment. Currently, there are no known published materials for use in measuring the SRT in individuals whose native language is …

The Effects Of Task Preference On Speech And Motor Performance Under Divided Attention Conditions, Amy Sue Leiter

Theses and Dissertations

Dual task performance and the interaction of tasks has been the subject of much research. When tasks are performed together they affect each other to varying degrees depending upon such factors as the similarity of the tasks, their difficulty, and whether one task is given preference over another. In this study, task preference was investigated under divided attention conditions in order to determine what effect preference had on task performance. Twenty young adults took part in this study and were randomly assigned into two groups. Each group was experimentally motivated to favor one of the two tasks – either speaking …

Oral Retelling As A Measure Of Reading Comprehension: The Generalizability Of Ratings Of Elementary School Students Reading Expository Texts, Rachel Clinger Burton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to refine a rating procedure used to assess intermediate elementary school students' ability to orally retell what they had read from two expository passages. Oral retellings from 28 fourth grade students were tape-recorded and rated on two different occasions by each of 4 raters. A four-facet (passage, day of test administration, rater, and rating occasion) generalizability study was conducted using a partially nested design. The six largest sources of variability identified in the G-study included (a) students, (b) the student-by-day interaction, (c) the interaction of passage with rater (nested within student and day), (d) …

The Development Of Word Recognition Materials For Native Speakers Of Tongan, Lara Cahoon Seaver

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Tongan bisyllabic word lists for use in measurement of word recognition testing. Commonly used bisyllabic words were digitally recorded by male and female native talkers of Tongan. The psychometric performance of the words was measured at ten intensity levels (- 5 to 40 dB HL) in 5 dB increments by 20 listeners with normal hearing acuity. The 200 words with the highest rate of listener identification were included in four relatively psychometrically equivalent word lists of 50 words each and eight half-lists of …

Relative Timing Of Speech Motor Events At Utterance Invitation In Persons Who Do And Do Not Stutter, Bryan Thomas Brown

Masters Theses

Speech production is a highly complex speech motor activity that presumably requires a high degree of coordination between articulatory, respiratory and phonatory subsystems. Stuttering may be caused by breakdowns in speech motor coordination. The current study attempted to evaluate timing relationship between these systems at speech initiation in the perceptually fluent speech of people who do and do not stutter. To study this, tongue blade speed histories, respiratory transitions from inspiratory to expiratory gestures, and acoustic events at the initiation of perceptually fluent speech in persons who stutter and normally fluent speakers were analyzed in relative time. To identify the …

Word Recognition Materials For Native Speakers Of Taiwan Mandarin, Shawn L. Nissen, Richard W. Harris, Alycia Dukes

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To select, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate word recognition materials that can be used to measure the speech perception abilities of native speakers of Taiwan Mandarin in quiet. Method: Frequently used bisyllabic words produced by male and female talkers of Taiwan Mandarin were digitally recorded and subsequently evaluated using 20 native listeners with normal hearing at 10 intensity levels (-5 to 40 dB HL) in increments of 5 dB. Results: Using logistic regression, 200 words with the steepest psychometric slopes were divided into 4 lists and 8 half-lists that were relatively equivalent in psychometric function slope. To increase …

Acoustic Characteristics Of English Lexical Stress Produced By Native Mandarin Speakers, Shawn L. Nissen, Yanhong Zhang, Alexander L. Francis

Faculty Publications

Native speakers of Mandarin Chinese have difficulty producing native-like English stress contrasts. Acoustically, English lexical stress is multidimensional, involving manipulation of fundamental frequency (F0), duration, intensity and vowel quality. Errors in any or all of these correlates could interfere with perception of the stress contrast, but it is unknown which correlates are most problematic for Mandarin speakers. This study compares the use of these correlates in the production of lexical stress contrasts by 10 Mandarin and 10 native English speakers. Results showed that Mandarin speakers produced significantly less native-like stress patterns, although they did use all four acoustic correlates to …

Promoting Speech And Vocabulary Development Through Specialized Storybooks In Children With And Without Cleft Palate., Joellyn Ruth Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated changes in vocabulary and speech production in response to storybooks embedded with specialized language prompts and speech recasts. Six children received intervention, 3 with cleft palate (CLP), displaying speech-language delays, and 3 with nonclefts, each 12-24 months of age. A multiple baseline design across behaviors was implemented by a clinician. Results indicated all children increased use of target vocabulary and production of stop consonants, while reducing compensatory articulation errors. Generalization of targets to a picture-naming task, a free-play task, and to the home was observed. Effect sizes were moderate-to-high. Children with CLP required more sessions to achieve …

Pragmatic Assessment In Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparison Of A Standard Measure With Parent Report, Brian Reichow, Shawn Salamack, Rhea Paul, Fred Volkmar, Ami Klin

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of subtests on the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) by comparing them with the assessment of communication and social skills on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Vineland). The participants were 35 children and adolescents with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who had received both the CASL and the Vineland. Results of the study suggest that the Pragmatic Judgment and Inferences subtests of the CASL appeared to document the difficulties that individuals with ASD had in adaptive use of language for communication.

The Challenges Of Bilingual Speech-Language Therapy: Perspectives From Speech-Language Pathologists, Dana Marie Roberts

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In the United States, the increasing population of people who speak a language other than English, especially the Spanish-speaking population, has resulted in a greater number of linguistically diverse clients appearing on speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs’) caseloads and has also effectively increased the demand for bilingual SLPs. However, bilingual SLPs continually report a number of challenges in the field, which could explain why recruiting bilingual SLPs is difficult. This study highlighted the importance of assessing the challenges faced by bilingual SLPs through an analysis of the perspectives of four Spanish-English speaking bilingual clinicians in Central New York. The challenges the participants …

Nonlinear Source-Filter Coupling In Phonation: Vocal Exercises, Ingo Titze, Tobias Riede, Peter Popolo

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Nonlinear source-filter coupling has been demonstrated in computer simulations, in excised larynx experiments, and in physical models, but not in a consistent and unequivocal way in natural human phonations. Eighteen subjects (nine adult males and nine adult females) performed three vocal exercises that represented a combination of various fundamental frequency and formant glides. The goal of this study was to pinpoint the proportion of source instabilities that are due to nonlinear source-tract coupling. It was hypothesized that vocal fold vibration is maximally destabilized when F0 crosses F1, where the acoustic load changes dramatically. A companion paper provides the theoretical underpinnings. …

Review Of Medical Imaging Devices For The Integration Of Medical Technology And Earmold Production And Grant Proposal Development, Michelle L. Saltarrelli

Doctoral Dissertations

The first purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a medical device to replace the current method of earmold production. The medical device would be used to scan the external ear (i.e., external auditory canal and pinna), scan the dimensions to an imaging software system, and finally send the three-dimensional image electronically to a milling machine for the production of earmolds and hearing aid shells. Currently, audiologists use an eight step process described by Dillon (2001) which due to the invasive nature of the procedure presents potential complications to both the clinician and client, The potential complications …

Cross-Modal Interaction Between Vision And Hearing: A Speed—Accuracy Analysis, Yoav Arieh, Lawrence E. Marks

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Cross-modal facilitation of response time (RT) is said to occur in a selective attention task when the introduction of an irrelevant sound increases the speed at which visual stimuli are detected and identified. To investigate the source of the facilitation in RT, we asked participants to rapidly identify the color of lights in the quiet and when accompanied by a pulse of noise. The resulting measures of accuracy and RT were used to derive speed-accuracy trade-off functions (SATFs) separately for the noise and the no-noise conditions. The two resulting SATFs have similar slopes and intercepts and, thus, can be treated …

Cross-Modal Interaction Between Vision And Hearing: A Speed—Accuracy Analysis, Yoav Arieh, Lawrence E. Marks

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Cross-modal facilitation of response time (RT) is said to occur in a selective attention task when the introduction of an irrelevant sound increases the speed at which visual stimuli are detected and identified. To investigate the source of the facilitation in RT, we asked participants to rapidly identify the color of lights in the quiet and when accompanied by a pulse of noise. The resulting measures of accuracy and RT were used to derive speed-accuracy trade-off functions (SATFs) separately for the noise and the no-noise conditions. The two resulting SATFs have similar slopes and intercepts and, thus, can be treated …

Efficacy Of Central Auditory Processing Case History Form Used At The Louisiana Tech University Speech And Hearing Center, Michelle L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a deficiency in processing of auditory information. Due to this deficiency, a variety of behaviors can be seen including listening difficulties in background noise, difficulties following oral instruction, and difficulties discriminating and identifying speech sounds. These behaviors result in inattention and academic difficulties. With these characteristics being present in other disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, language/learning deficits, and high functioning autism (i.e., Asperger's syndrome) diagnosis of CAPD becomes complicated.

The Louisiana Tech University Speech and Hearing Center uses a CAPD case history for a child that was adopted from Robert Keith in 2003. …