Communication Commons^™

The Effects Of Sign On Speech Segmentation In Infants, Alma Rosa Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: The ability to extract words from fluent speech (speech segmentation), perhaps one of the greatest obscure achievements for the purpose of learning language, is dependent upon imperceptible endeavors. Remarkably, infants are active participants from the moment they are born, using auditory and visual information to assist them segmenting speech. As motivated parents attempt to use baby sign to bridge communication gaps, visual information in the form of baby sign may benefit children in extracting words from speech. To examine the effects of baby sign on speech segmentation, a systematic replication of the Hollich et al. (2005) study, a within-subject …

A Comparative Assessment Of Electrophysiological And Behavioral Performance In Individuals With Aphasia Responding To Spoken And Written Sentence Length Commands, Sha-Renae Alexander

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study is to investigate whether deficits in processing affect auditory and reading comprehension in the same manner. This study compared the behavioral and electrophysiologic performance of four individuals with aphasia and four participants with no brain damage responding to spoken and written sentence length commands using a modified version of the Revised Token Test (McNeil & Prescott, 1978). Electrophysiological responses were recorded from the scalp using event related potentials (ERP). The latency and amplitude of the N400 ERP component were measured and analyzed. Behavioral reaction times and correct responses were collected and examined. Performance differences between …

The Sweet Taste Of Health: A Positive Deviance Inquiry Into Communicative Acts That Lead To Effective Management Of Diabetes Among Hispanics, Claudia Martinez Boyd

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Diabetes is among the fastest growing diseases in the world. In the U.S., Hispanics are the third most affected population. Nonetheless, there are Hispanics diagnosed with diabetes who have, against all odds, found solutions to manage their disease. This study focused on the intrapersonal and interpersonal acts and behaviors of "positive deviant" Hispanics living on the U.S. - Mexico border that effectively managed their diabetes. They are referred to as "positive deviants" because they accrue "positive" outcomes and "deviants" because they are not the norm.

A PD inquiry was conducted and twelve PD respondents between the ages of 20 …