Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Reflection: Effect Of Age On Auditory Brainstem Responses In Mice With Epha4 Mutations, Erica L. Hoogerland

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss is a condition that affects approximately 40% of the population over 65 years of age (Gates & Mills, 2005). Studying the effects of EphA4 mutations (wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous) mice is fundamental in understanding the relationship between onset of age-related hearing loss, in both the mammalian population and the human population. In order to further understanding of age-related hearing loss, the researchers evaluated thirty-six mice in a preliminary study from two months to nine months of age. Following data analysis, the researchers confirmed the results by continuing a second round of testing. The hearing …

Build-Up Effect Of Auditory Stream Segregation Using Amplitude-Modulated Narrowband Noise, Harley J. Wheeler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Recent psychoacoustic experiments (Böckmann-Barthel et al., 2014; Deike et al., 2012) have re-examined research regarding stream segregation and the build-up effect. Stream segregation is the ability to discern auditory objects within a stream of information, such as distinguishing one voice amongst background noise or an instrument within an orchestra. Initial works examining this topic proposed that auditory information is not immediately distinguished as various streams, but rather that differences accumulate over time, allowing listeners to segregate information following a period of build-up (i.e., the build-up effect); whereas more current findings indicate a build-up period is unnecessary for segregation. This experiment’s …

Release From Masking: Behavioral And Physiological Masking Level Differences, Sarah L. Hodgson

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Binaural hearing offers several advantages over monaural hearing and is believed to be one factor that is involved in the ability to understand speech in background noise. Binaural hearing involves analysis of interaural timing and intensity differences in signals arriving at the two ears which provides listeners with sound localization cues as well as signal in noise detection. When sounds arrive at each ear at slightly different times, there may be a release from the effects of background noise, allowing listeners to detect softer sounds in noise. Masking Level Differences (MLDs) have been widely used to evaluate behavioral binaural processing. …

Prepulse Inhibition Of The Acoustic Startle Reflex To Obtain A Psychometric Function In Mice, Robyn Browne

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The acoustic startle reflex (ASR) is an automated motor response to an unexpected and intense auditory stimulus (Ouagazzal, Reiss, & Romand, 2006). When an audible ‘prepulse’ stimulus is presented before the intense, startle-evoking stimulus (SES); the startle reflex response is reduced and this is known as prepulse inhibition (PPI). The degree of ASR inhibition serves as a measure of the behavioral salience of the prepulse (Carlson & Willott, 1996). This study aimed to obtain a psychometric function from the amount of PPI of the ASR that resulted from varying intensity levels of a prepulse stimulus (PPS).

Twelve mice were used …

Effect Of Epha4 Signaling Mutations On Auditory Function, Michelle R. Gerringer

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Neural pathways underlie the ability of the auditory system to perceive sound. Organization of neural pathways into functional auditory circuitry is accomplished in part by Eph and ephrin signaling proteins. One of these signaling proteins, the EphA4 receptor tyrosine kinase protein, acts as an axon-guidance molecule to aid in target selection and to maintain tonotopicity in the auditory brainstem and midbrain. Genetic mutations of the EphA4 protein have been shown to affect structural auditory development, but there is limited research which shows the functional effects of these mutations. The goal of the present study was to determine the functional effects …

Creating Therapy Materials To Improve Communication Of Young Children, Allison J. Corey

Senior Honors Projects

Once children start preschool, they should be able to speak in simple sentences and use basic syntax. When they complete preschool and begin kindergarten, they should be using complete, complex sentences, have an extensive vocabulary, and use correct grammar. However, sometimes a child’s language doesn’t develop as expected resulting in speech delays or impairments. This problem could arise for a multitude of reasons, for example, the child may be on the autism spectrum, he/she may have a specific language delay, or it may be due to an articulation/phonology problem. The role of a speech language pathologist (SLP) in a school …

A Case Study Of Cochlear Implants And Complications, Carly E. Amurao

Senior Honors Projects

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear, allowing the individual access to sound. In recent years, there has been tremendous progress in developing technology in the area of cochlear implants to aid those with severe/profound hearing loss. Specifically, there has been a movement towards bilateral implantation. Each cochlear implant candidate has a unique hearing loss, and must reach required bench marks in order to be considered a viable candidate for a cochlear implant. This process includes: meeting the required level of hearing loss, a required trial with hearing aids that …

The Effect Music Has In Speech Therapy, Emily K. Nester

Honors Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the use of music in speech therapy. A survey was sent via email to Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) certified speech-language pathologists to acquire knowledge on the use of music in their therapy sessions. The author used the source, SurveyMonkey, to collect and analyze the data. The data was used to determine the prevalence of music in speech therapy. In addition, when music was used, the data portrayed how music was incorporated into therapy and the particular gender, genre, and/or disorder preferred.

Variability In Clinically Measured Wideband Acoustic Immittance Over Time In Young And Old Adults, Allison G. Mcgrath

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) measures of the middle ear have the potential to increase our ability to detect changes in the middle ear transfer function not seen using traditional tympanometry. In order to use this new tool diagnostically we must first understand its normal clinical variability. The present study aimed to investigate the variability that occurs when wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) is measured clinically within subjects as a function of subject age, as a function of time, and as a function of pressure. A total of thirty-six ears from eighteen subjects were studied (n=18 young adults ears, n=18 older adult …

Effects Of Vocal Fold Nodules On Glottal Cycle Measurements Derived From High-Speed Videoendoscopy In Children, Rita R. Patel, Harikrishnan Unnikrishnan, Kevin D. Donohue

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this study is to quantify the effects of vocal fold nodules on vibratory motion in children using high-speed videoendoscopy. Differences in vibratory motion were evaluated in 20 children with vocal fold nodules (5–11 years) and 20 age and gender matched typically developing children (5–11 years) during sustained phonation at typical pitch and loudness. Normalized kinematic features of vocal fold displacements from the mid-membranous vocal fold point were extracted from the steady-state high-speed video. A total of 12 kinematic features representing spatial and temporal characteristics of vibratory motion were calculated. Average values and standard deviations (cycle-to-cycle variability) of …

Verification And Quantification Of Surface Electromyographic (Emg) Activity Of The Masseter Muscle, Kelsey Bowles

Honors Theses

Purpose: The goal of the present study is to develop and evaluate an automated technique for measuring biting and chewing related surface electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter muscle.

Methods: Data from 28 neurologically healthy participants between the ages of 18-40 were selected for this study. The procedure for collecting the bite/chew data consisted of the participant biting down and chewing three small breath mints while an EMG sensor recorded the masseter muscle activity. A five-step Matlab-based algorithm was created to accurately identify onsets and offsets of each bite and chew event.

Results: Compared to manual measurements using standard …

Acoustic Correlates Of Speech Naturalness In Post-Treatment Adults Who Stutter: Role Of Speaking Rate, Caylee Jessen

Honors Theses

Purpose: While many stuttering therapy programs can result in a decrease in stuttering behaviors among participants, some clients leave therapy with speech sounding unnatural due in part to the therapy techniques themselves. The aim of the current study is to examine associations between selected acoustic measures of speaking rate and listener ratings of speech naturalness in a group of adults who stutter following participation in an intensive fluency shaping treatment program.

Methods: Twenty-nine adults who stutter, drawn from an existing database of speech samples, served as participants. All participants had recently completed a four-week group-based intensive fluency shaping treatment program. …

Acoustic Correlates Of Speech Naturalness In Post-Treatment Adults Who Stutter: Role Of Fundamental Frequency, Jacqueline Schmitt

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Memory Support For Adults With Alzheimer’S Disease: Applications For Speech-Language Pathologists, Laura Dober

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is known to cause progressive and severely debilitating impairments in cognition, especially in memory. Deficits in memory and cognition are clearly reflected in the communication of people diagnosed with this progressive, degenerative, incurable disease, placing speech-language pathologists as important members of a care team for adults with AD. Speech-language pathologists provide treatment to support memory, and therefore communication, in people with AD through direct and indirect methods. Some examples of memory supportive strategies include spaced-retrieval learning, the use of external memory aids and assistive technology, Montessori methods, and manipulations …

The Elicitation Method For Past Tense Verb Production In Children With Specific Language Impairment And Typical Language, Morgan Geise, Heather Green, Olivia Hart, Abbi Leitnaker, Kerry Proctor-Williams

ETSU Faculty Works

Past tense verb production in children with specific language impairment and language-matched children with typical language was compared using language samples and a standardized probe (Rice/Wexler Test of Early Grammatical Impairment). Analyses revealed accuracy and error type differences between elicitation types and groups. Results have important clinical practice implications.

The Use Of And Readiness For Speech-Language Telepractice In Medical Settings Of Rural Areas Of Nevada, Corinne Balliette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was developed to investigate the readiness or willingness of providers, speech language therapists (SLPs), and patients to participate in telepractice for speech-language therapy services in rural areas of Nevada. Nevada has not ranked high in healthcare for several years and was noted to have low SLP to patient ratios, especially in rural areas of Nevada. A thorough literature review identified international and national studies that have shown resistance to telepractice expressed by patients and providers, but it has also shown an increase in interest post telepractice therapy. Nevada does not have current research on readiness to participate in …

Deficits In Sound Pattern Sequencing In Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Networks Approach, Sara J. Benham

Open Access Theses

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) demonstrate primary deficits in morphosyntax, which has served as the central theme in theoretical and clinical approaches. However, a striking number of children with SLI also exhibit speech sound deficits, characterized both by increased error patterns and by high levels of variability. These speech sound deficits have been under-studied and are not explicitly tied to accounts of SLI. In the present study, theoretical approaches drawn from dynamical systems and sequence learning are used to address speech production learning in children with SLI. Standard approaches to sound accuracy and variability and articulatory variability are integrated …

Better Hearing Devices And Many Forms Of Delivery, Earl E. Johnson

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Neural Activity Reveals Effects Of Aging On Inhibitory Processes During Word Retrieval, Ranjini Mohan

Open Access Dissertations

Word retrieval difficulties are one of the most frustrating problems in older adults. Poorer access to phonological (speech sound) representation of the target word has been postulated as the underlying deficit, supported by findings of improvement in word retrieval after phonological priming. But the great variability in naming performance among older adults may reflect cognitive scaffolding or compensatory neurophysiological processes related to maintenance or decline of naming abilities. In order better understand aging effects in the underlying neurophysiological changes associated with phonological retrieval, the present study examined electrophysiological correlates of phonological priming and word retrieval in adults across the lifespan. …

Affix Meaning Knowledge In First Through Third Grade Students, Victoria Henbest

Victoria S. Henbest Publications

Purpose: We examined grade-level differences in 1st- through 3rd-grade students' performance on an experimenter-developed affix meaning task (AMT) and determined whether AMT performance explained unique variance in word-level reading and reading comprehension, beyond other known contributors to reading development.

Method: Forty students at each grade level completed an assessment battery that included measures of phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary, word-level reading, reading comprehension, and affix meaning knowledge.

Results: On the AMT, 1st-grade students were significantly less accurate than 2nd- and 3rd-grade students; there was no significant difference in performance between the 2nd- and 3rd-grade students. Regression analyses revealed that the AMT …

Collaboration Occurring Between Professionals In Today's Schools, Kara Lynn Doglio

Theses and Dissertations

The collaborative service delivery model is beneficial in its approach as it allows educators and SLPs to work together to address communication impairments in naturalistic settings in order to maximize the functional potential of all students. The current utilization of collaboration as a viable service delivery option is unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify whether collaboration was occurring and with whom it was occurring. This study also sought to identify similarities and differences across four participant groups regarding perceived beliefs and reported practices in professional collaboration. While administrators took a separate survey than educators (general and special …

Wic Participation As A Risk Factor For Loss To Follow-Up In The Wisconsin Ehdi System, Elizabeth L. Seeliger, Rebecca A. Martin, Andrea N. Gromoske, Anne B. Harris

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

In 2011, Wisconsin’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, Wisconsin Sound Beginnings (WSB), developed multiple strategies to reduce loss to follow-up (LTFU) for babies who did not pass their newborn hearing screening: Medical Outreach, Family Outreach, Regional Outreach and WIC Alert. WSB evaluated the outcomes of babies identified as at-risk for LTFU to determine whether WIC participation was an indicator of their risk for LTFU. Additionally, WSB evaluated whether babies who were identified as at-risk for LTFU and receiving WIC services in two WIC projects serving areas and populations with known health disparities, were at even greater risk for …

Professional Competence To Promote Resilience For Children Living In Poverty, Jenna M. Voss, Susan Lenihan

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Poverty has a tremendous impact on the educational results of all children, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. With targeted, evidence-based interventions during the first three years of life, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) professionals can protect children from the numerous risk factors which impede development. While EHDI professionals often serve children and families living in poverty, it remains the case that the professional preparation programs offer limited instruction and experience in how to best serve children and families living in poverty. The purpose of this study was to explore professional preparedness to serve children who …

Participation In Camp Dream. Speak. Live: Affective And Cognitive Outcomes For Children Who Stutter, Courtney T. Byrd, Elizabeth Hampton, Megann Mcgill, Zoi Gkalitsiou

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of participation in Camp Dream. Speak. Live., an intensive therapy program, on the communication attitudes, peer relationships and quality of life of children who stutter. Method: Participants were 23 children who stutter (n=5 females; n=18 males; age range 4–14 years) who attended a weeklong intensive therapy program that was exclusively developed to address the affective and cognitive components of stuttering. Outcome measures included the KiddyCAT Communication Attitude Test for Preschool and Kindergarten Children who Stutter, the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES), and the Patient Reported …

The Effect Of Aphasia On Quality Of Life, Coping Style, And Resilience, Nelson J. Hernandez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Approximately one million people in the United States suffer from aphasia. There are multiple types of aphasia, however they are usually placed into two categories: non-fluent or fluent. The psychosocial factors that are impacted due to the type of aphasia has not been systematically investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine how non-fluent and fluent Individuals With Aphasia (IWA) compare or contrast across three psychosocial factors, Quality of Life (QoL), coping style, and resilience. The World Health Quality of Life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), Assimilative-Accommodative Coping Scale (AACS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 item version (CD-RISC-10), were administered once to …

From Grapheme To Phonological Output: Performance Of Adults Who Stutter On A Word Jumble Task, Megann Mcgill, Harvey Sussman, Courtney T. Byrd

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to extend previous research by analyzing the ability of adults who stutter to use phonological working memory in conjunction with lexical access to perform a word jumble task.

Method

Forty English words consisting of 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-letters (n = 10 per letter length category) were randomly jumbled using a web-based application. During the experimental task, 26 participants were asked to silently manipulate the scrambled letters to form a real word. Each vocal response was coded for accuracy and speech reaction time (SRT).

Results

Adults who stutter attempted to solve …

The Relationship Between Conversational Pause Duration And Vocabulary Acquisition In Infants With Cochlear Implants, Kelsey De La Croix

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Previous research has shown that maternal speech to normal hearing (NH) infants and speech to cochlear implant (CI) infants is characterized by similarly high pitch, increased intonation range and reduced rate of speech (Bergeson, Miller, & McCune, 2006). These findings suggest that mothers demonstrate sensitivity to the infants’ hearing experience and tailor their speech to their infants’ auditory skill levels. Pause duration in infant-directed (ID) speech has also been shown to be influenced by age and hearing experience, but its relationship to language development is unknown. It has also been found that children with hearing loss tend to be exposed …

Effects Of Familiarity And Presentation Mode On Auditory-Visual Speech Recognition In Adults With Aphasia, Rachel Hahn

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Aphasia is a language disorder that has been acquired by about 2 million Americans, most commonly from stroke or traumatic brain injury. Research demonstrates that adults with aphasia can continue improving their speech and language for years after their stroke with therapy, which is contrary to traditional thought. Therefore, people with aphasia and their loved ones are searching for ways to continue speech and language improvements even after insurance runs out, and many are turning to technological therapy programs. However, there is little research on the skills people with aphasia need to benefit from these technological therapy programs. The current …

The Use Of Gesture In Self-Initiated Self-Repair Sequences By Persons With Non-Fluent Aphasia, Eleanor M. Feltner

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This study examines the relationship between types of gestures and instances of self-initiated self-repair (SISR) used by persons with non-fluent aphasia (NFA), which is a type of aphasia characterized by stilted speech or signing (Papathanasiou et al., 2013), in interactions with clinicians. Conversation repairs in this study are assessed using the framework of Conversation Analysis (CA), which is an approach for describing, analyzing, and understanding social interaction (Sidnell, 2010). Previous linguistic studies have demonstrated a distinct preference for the use of gesture during a repair by persons with aphasia (Goodwin, 1995; Klippi, 2015; Wilkinson, 2013). This study draws more conclusive …

Spatio-Temporal Progression Of Cortical Activity Related To Continuous Overt And Covert Speech Production In A Reading Task, Jonathan S. Brumberg, Dean J. Krusienski, Shreya Chakrabarti, Aysegul Gunduz, Peter Brunner, Anthony L. Ritaccio, Gerwin Schalk

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

How the human brain plans, executes, and monitors continuous and fluent speech has remained largely elusive. For example, previous research has defined the cortical locations most important for different aspects of speech function, but has not yet yielded a definition of the temporal progression of involvement of those locations as speech progresses either overtly or covertly. In this paper, we uncovered the spatio-temporal evolution of neuronal population-level activity related to continuous overt speech, and identified those locations that shared activity characteristics across overt and covert speech. Specifically, we asked subjects to repeat continuous sentences aloud or silently while we recorded …