Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Alternate Monaural Loudness Balance For Tones With Different Duty Cycles, Sharon Ann Dixon

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

The effect of duty cycle, or the percentage of time a signal is presented, upon the perceived loudness of a pulsed tone was studied utilizing an alternate monaural loudness balance technique. The single ear was employed in an attempt to eliminate any possible artifacts of binaural interaction upon the perceived loudness of pulsed signals.

The factors under investigation included: the difference in duty cycle between a fixed-intensity reference signal and a variable-intensity comparison signal; the use of a relatively high versus a relatively low duty cycle reference signal; and the effect of time after commencement of the loudness balances. Differences …

Verbal Operant Conditioning And Response-Reinforcement Contingency Awareness, Val R. Smith

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

The following problem was investigated: can persons be conditioned to emit a verbal response without their awareness of the response-reinforcement contingency? It was hypothesized that when a “set to problem solve,” is not induced and experimenter effect due to the subject­experimenter interaction is eliminated, subjects are conditioned to emit a verbal response without an accompanying contingency awareness. Three experiments were conducted in order to test the hypothesis. In experiment 1 an attempt was made to condition vocal response length using a visual reinforcer. In experiments 2 and 3 an attempt was made to condition use of specific pronouns using a …

An Investigation Of Vocational Rehabilitation Among Northwest Laryngectomees, Susan L. Leonti

Dissertations and Theses

Rehabilitation for patients recovering from surgical removal of the larynx should include vocational considerations with accompanying economic modifications. The literature pertaining to rehabilitative management of laryngectomees revealed numerous investigations concerned with physical restoration, remedial speech training and psycho-social adjustment, while few studies have been conducted concentrating upon vocational consequences of a laryngectomy.

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the pre- and post-operative vocational status of laryngectomized patients residing in the Northwestern section of the United States.

Verbal Sequencing Ability As A Predictor Of Reading Disability, Paul Elmer Quin

Dissertations and Theses

Early identification of children with reading and learning problems seems imperative. By using early identification predictors, a high risk group of children with possible reading problems could be located. This would facilitate placement and appropriate educational strategies for this group of children. By proper placement and planning, educators then would be able to set up remedial and/or preventive programs for these children before the pattern of unsuccessful attempts and improper training becomes irreversible. This study was designed to determine if verbal sequencing ability was a valid predictor of reading ability for a group of 31 preschool children. Secondarily, the investigation …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Accented Words In The Spontaneous Speech Of Stutterers And The Frequency Of Stuttering Occurrence, Cherie Richardson

All Master's Theses

This study explored the influence of word accent upon the precipitation of audible stutterings in the spontaneous speech of five adult male stutterers. The results indicated that three of the subjects stuttered with significant frequency upon accented words and two of the subjects evidenced a definite tendency to stutter on accented words. It was proposed that accented words may be a locus of stuttering in sentences and phrases of spontaneous speech in addition and perhaps relative to the four loci postulated by earlier research.

The Velopharyngeal Mechanism: An Electromyographic Study, Fredericka Bell-Berti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Between-Ear Tympanometry Measures In Normal-Hearing Young Adults, Barry Lynn Kimmel

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, tympanometry has been used to provide objective and definitive information regarding the status of middle ear conditions and functions. The present standard for tympanometric normalcy is based upon between-subject measures. This standard, however, does not allow precise differentiation between normal and pathological tympanometry curves. A within-subject comparison of right and left ear tympanometry curves of normal-hearing subjects could provide a narrow standard of tympanometric normalcy which would be more useful in differentiating between pathologic and non-pathologic middle ear function. The within-subject relationship between tympanometry curves for right and left ears was investigated by comparing the individual right …

Effects Of Certain Linguistic Parameters Upon The Responses Of Preschool Subjects To Specific Dichotic Listening Tasks, Peggy J. Weber

Dissertations and Theses

Listening, as a communication skill, is an essential factor in the normal language development of the' child. Until recently, however, there has been very little research conducted concerning the linguistic parameters that influence the ability to listen. Thus, this investigation was designed to study the effects of two linguistic parameters, construction and semantic constraints on the verbal responses of preschool children in a dichotic listening task.

Fifteen children, between the ages of 5-3 to 6-8, were presented with four dichotic listening tasks consisting of 80 stimuli, (40 sentences and 40 pseudo-sentences). The children were asked to report the message delivered …

An Investigation Of Temporary Threshold Shift Among Helmeted Motorcycle Riders, Alamander Hicks

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study involved the investigation of the significance of wind noise as a contributing factor toward temporary threshold shifts among a select sample of motorcycle riders. Five normal-hearing, helmeted, female subjects were administered pure-tone air-conduction hearing tests immediately before and within 2 minutes after exposure to three noise-related aspects of motorcycle riding. The amount of hearing loss present at 3k, 4k and 6k Hz after each 20 minute exposure condition was recorded as the TTS for that subject. The three conditions consisted of motorcycle noise only, wind noise only and motorcycle and wind noise combined. A …

A Comparison Of Speech Audiometric Performance Of Hypacusics With Clinic-Fitted Hearing Aids And With Master Hearing Aid, Kent Jay Nielsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clinical audiologists at Utah State University have been using a master hearing aid as a basic part of hearing aid evaluation procedures. To ascertain the usefulness of the master hearing aid in predicting patient success with a wearable hearing aid, 20 subjects were given speech audiometric tests under the following conditions: (1) without amplification; (2) with the headset system of the master hearing aid (a system which utilizes chassis mounted microphones and external receivers of the type used with body-worn hearing aids); (3) with the ear-level system of the master hearing aid (a system which utilizes a microphone and receiver …

Wind Noise: Its Effect On Human Audition, William Roy Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An examination was made of the acoustic characteristics of wind turbulence generated noise in a car traveling at 70 mph over smoothly paved highway with the driver's window down. The overall noise level was found to be at 112 dB SPL with the predominance of energy in the low frequencies. The study was concerned with the effects of such noise on human audition in terms of temporary threshold shift.

Twenty normal hearing young adults were exposed to a tape recording of wind noise for 15 minutes. Post-exposure auditory thresholds at seven discreet frequencies were compared to pre-exposure auditory thresholds at …

An Assessment Of Gestural And Pantomimic Deficit In Aphasic Patients, Len W. Pickett

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

A review of the literature suggests two explanations for gestural deficits in the aphasic patient. One view of the problem suggests that gestural impairment in the aphasic patient is related to a general communicative deficit. Another concept of the problem which has received more scientific support suggests that gestural deficit is secondary to a limb apraxia and is quite independent of the severity of aphasia.

The present study, therefore, was designed to investigate three primary questions:

1. Can a gestural test battery be developed which can reliably measure the gestural ability of aphasic patients?

2. Is there a relationship between …

Comparison Of Amounts Of Verbal Response Elicited By A Speech Pathologist And A Mother In The Clinic, Sherry Lee Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

One of the primary responsibilities of a speech pathologist is the assessment of a child's language. Many studies have been done in the area of language development. The results of these studies have varied causing concern among researchers over the validity of the data gathered. Many factors that could affect the results of previous research have been investigated. Until recently, however, there has been relatively little research about the effects of examiner differences on the results of language assessments.

Research in the area of examiner differences has resulted in the discovery of factors which could affect the results of language …

The Rhetoric Of Garner Ted Armstrong, Stephen George Dick

Dissertations and Theses

Garner Ted Armstrong is fast becoming a well known religious and political commentator. The purpose of this thesis was to describe and discuss the techniques and characteristics of Mr. Armstrong's rhetoric. The question to be answered was "What are the characteristics of a successful religious broadcaster?" The method used-in the selection of the speeches to be used in this study consisted of selection a number of speeches (56), then breaking them down into theme categories. After analysis, there were eleven categories. One speech was selected from each category, and these eleven speeches were the speeches that were used in the …

The Relationship Between Functional Articulation Disorders And Self-Monitoring Auditory Discrimination, Geraldine Hahn Allison

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between articulation disorders and self-monitoring auditory discrimination. In developing this study, 160 children, 80 males and 80 females, from kindergarten through fourth grades, were selected as subjects. They were divided into normal and defective speaking groups based on the results of a speech screening test. An Articulation and Self-Monitoring Test was administered to these children. The results showed their total number of articulation and self-monitoring errors. These error scores were statistically analyzed with other pertinent characteristics of the subjects relative to the study. The tools of analyses were: (1) an …

Correlation Of Auditory Feedback And The Kottmeyer Diagnostic Spelling Test, Jerd Vance Tuman

All Master's Theses

This paper is a correlation study of fourth grade students' scores on the Kottmeyer Diagnostic Spelling Test and the Auditory Feedback Test. The purpose of the paper is to determine if students who are poor spellers have poor auditory discrimination. Recommendations included the use of a spelling test which requires greater auditory discrimination than the Kottmeyer Spelling Test. Also recommended is a correlation study using primary students as the population.

The Effect Of Labeling Disfluencies As 'Stuttering' And Contingent And Yoked "Wrong" On The Disfluencies Of Normal Speakers, Dennis Ray Staines

Dissertations and Theses

A labeling variable suggested by Wendell Johnson's "diagnosogenic" theory of the onset of stuttering was included in this study of the disfluencies of normal speaking college students in order to explore further the hypothetical relationship between normal disfluency and the onset of stuttering. A total of 60 Ss were randomly assigned to the following groups, each containing 10 Ss: I. Labeling Chastisement plus Contingent "wrong;" II. Labeling Chastisement plus Yoked (non-contingent) "wrong;" III. Labeling Chastisement - No "wrong;" IV. No Labeling Chastisement Contingent "wrong;" V. No Labeling Chastisement - Yoked "wrong;" VI. No Labeling Chastisement - No "wrong" …

A Behavioristic Approach To The Design Of A Digital Model Of Human Communication, George Eugene Whitley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether individual communication behavior can be simulated by a digital model.

The Structuring Of Procedures Utilized In An Adult Stuttering Treatment Program, Sarah Jane Prichard

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, operant conditioning techniques have been effectively used to modify a variety of behaviors. For the most part, the modification of stuttering behavior has relied solely on the use of punishment. The shaping of "fluency” through differential reinforcement has been reported as a behavioral approach for the treatment of stuttering; however, the effectiveness of this technique in combination with other "teaching" tools, such as, modeling, instruction, and explanation has not been reported in the literature.

The purpose of this study was to construct behavioral definitions of terminology utilized in a stuttering treatment program at Portland State University to …

Non-Metric Scaling Of Loudness, Alan M. Richards

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Determination of loudness scales for 1000 Hz stimuli by conventional ratio scaling methods have yielded loudness functions which grow as approximately the 0.54 power of sound pressure. Thus, two-fold loudness differences are equivalent to approximately 10 dB across the auditory continuum. The unidimensional representation of loudness ss a power function of sound intensity implies that if A is twice as loud as B, which, in turn, is twice as loud C, the A will be four times as loud as C. In order to test this implication across the auditory continuum loudness ratio estimates were obtained from four 7x7 matrices …

Comparison Of Amounts Of Verbal Response Elicited By A Speech Pathologist In The Clinic And A Mother In The Home, Joan Mathis

Dissertations and Theses

Language assessment of children is an essential task of the speech clinician and many studies have been concerned with the validity of the data gathered. Few studies, however, have investigated examiner variability as a possible source of deviation in language assessment. This study was designed to evaluate and compare the amount of verbal output which children with normal language use when examined by two different examiners when the examiners are in their most comfortable setting.

Six children, four years of age, were examined by a speech pathologist in the clinic and the mother in the home and the 12 fifteen-minute …

The Rhetorical Invention Of Roy Wilkins In Selected Civil Rights Speeches, Thomas Johnson

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Roy Wilkins, Executive Director of the National Asso­ciation for the Advancement of Colored People, has been in the foreground of the Civil Rights Movement since 1923, when he was secretary of the St. Paul NAACP and a delegate to his first national NAACP convention in Kansas City. He has delivered speeches in every state in the United States and many foreign countries. He has received numerous awards for his services, including the Medal of Freedom, the coun­try's highest civil honor. The purpose of this investigation was to study the rhetorical invention of Roy Wilkins to determine to what extent this …

Development And Fabrication Of A Linguapalatometer, William H. Grisham

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

This thesis study was the design and fabrication of a prototype linguapalatometer as a basic research tool in speech physiology. The system was designed to have maximum flexibility and to be capable of measuring linguapalatal articulation during continuous speech with high temporal and spatial resolution. Specifically, the study was an attempt to:

1. Design and fabricate a prototype artificial palate and electrode array of optimum thickness, complexity and materials of construction for accurate observation of linguapalatal speech physiology.

2. Design and fabricate a prototype amplifier and signal conditioner unit that permits discrimination between linguapalatal contact and physiologic “noise” such as …

Demographic, Personality And Nonverbal Perception Correlates Of Communication Sensitivity, William Patrick Neal

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

The general purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of demographic, personality and nonverbal perception variables to communication sensitivity. The examination concerned the relative linearity or non-linearity and the statistical significance of each relationship. The specific purpose of this study was to establish the concurrent validity of the UNM Conversation Self-Report Inventory. The Conversation Inventory was used as the measure of communication sensitivity in this study. The demographic variables were measured by the Demographic Questionnaire designed by this author. The Questionnaire provided demographic information ranging from age, sex, etc. to attitude toward the future and political beliefs. Three …

A Comparison Of Object Dropping And Echoic Vocalizing As Response Modes To Pure Tone Stimuli Among Mentally Retarded Children, Elton L. Stewart

Dissertations and Theses

Mentally retarded children demonstrate an abnormally high incidence of hearing impairment, and many, particularly those with IQs below 40, are difficult for audiologists to test. Consequently, there is great need among this population for investigating response modes and conditioning of responses to auditory stimuli. A review of the literature reveals no studies of echoic vocalization as a conditioned response mode to pure tone stimuli among the retarded.

In this study, a heterogenous sample of 13 moderately and severely retarded children ranging in age from 7 years 7 months to 16 years 3 months were compared on two response modes to …

A Dissonance Approach To Persuasion, Robert Wayne Norton

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

What moves is the essence of persuasion theory. Consequently, motivation theories interest the theorist examining persuasion theory. The theory of cognitive dissonance, in particular, suggests a meaningful approach to persuasion which offers both pragmatic and theoretical insights. Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance holds that when a person has two cognitions or “knowledges” which are inconsistent with on another, a state of dissonance or psychological discomfort occurs. The existence of the discomfort motivates the person to attempt to alleviate the inconsistency in order to restore the organism to a state of equilibrium or consonance. A dissonance approach to persuasion has two …

A Validation Study Of The Predictive Screening Test Of Articulation, Stanley G. Kibbey

All Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this study will be to conduct a test of the validity of the Predictive Screening Test of Articulation. Does the PSTA identify first grade children who will master their articulation errors without speech therapy by the time they enter third grade? Conversely, does the PSTA identify first grade children who will not master their articulation errors without speech therapy by the time they enter third grade? In short, does the PSTA predict as expected? Secondary purposes of this study include the assessment of the possible effects of sex, age, intellectual functioning and socioeconomic status on the …

The Relationship Of Reading Achievement And The Speech Problems Of Four Children Attendng C.W.S.C. Speech Clinic, Wanda Lee Raap

All Master's Theses

This study attempts to find a relationship between speech problems and reading difficulties. This was accomplished by giving reading achievement and reading diagnostic tests to the children at the C.W.S.C. speech and hearing clinic. The results of the reading tests were analyzed and, by the use of the speech records, related to their speech problems. This study attempted to find the relationship between speech problems and reading difficulties using four children, their speech records and their reading tests.

A Study Of The Relative Contributions Of Orally And Nasally Emitted Signals To Hyper-Nasal Speech, Milo Ellis Bishop

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

The validity of The Oral Nasal Acoustic Ratio (Tonar) System as a means of obtaining data relevant to perceived nasality was established by comparing forward and backward play scale values with nasal/oral acoustic ratios computed by Tonar.

The acoustic characteristics of orally and nasally emitted signals and their relative contributions to the total speech signal were analyzed and considered within the framework of oral and nasal acoustic masking.

A passage free of nasal phonemes was read by 20 subjects with surgically repaired palatal clefts. A specially designed instrumentation system (Tonar) was used to separate the signals emerging from the oral …

Narrow Band Modification For Speech Testing Of The Cochlear Reserve By Threshold Shift, Michael F. Seidemann

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.