Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009)
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/3932
About UH Libraries' Digitized Theses and Dissertations Project
University of Houston (UH) Libraries is engaged in a multi-year project to digitize and deliver online its collection of print theses and dissertations dating back to 1940, making the full breadth of scholarship produced by UH students more readily accessible around the world. There is no cost to the author for this service.
Alumni and other readers will be able to view these works as they are processed and made available through UH's open access repository. Works that are presumed to be under copyright will be restricted only to users who have an active CougarNet ID.
Please note, text may be faint or difficult to read, and pages may be missing or misnumbered in the print copies of theses or dissertations. UH Libraries staff have made every effort to provide the highest possible quality representation of the original works. To protect privacy and other rights, some personally identifiable information and/or copyrighted material is redacted from the works in this collection.
Theses and dissertations will continue to be made available through interlibrary loan (ILL) to other libraries, as when they were only available in print.
Requests for withdrawing works (except electronic theses and dissertations) must be directed to the online Takedown Request Form. Any other questions about this project may be directed to cougarroar@uh.edu.
Browse
Browsing Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009) by Department "Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of"
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item A developmental program for training preschool children with deficits in the area of immediate auditory recall(1966) Williams, Joan Lucille; Arnold, Genevieve; Roll, Marlin H.; Streeter, Donald C.; Jerome, Eldon K.Articulation problems which no structural, emotional, or intellectual basis is evident, have recently caused speech pathologists to evaluate the functional adequacy of specific cognitive processes in children with these problems. Five years ago, in her position as a teacher-clinician at the Houston Speech and Hearing Center, the writer accepted the assignment of a class of five pre-school children articulatory deficiencies who had not responded to traditional articulation therapy methods. When the Houston Speech and Hearing Center"s psychometric language test battery was administered, it was found that, basically, these children had a single and common disability in a function thought to be related normal speech and language development. They were unable to manage auditory information for the purpose of what is defined in this thesis as immediate auditory recall. All other functions tested, except speech articulation, were within normal limits for the child"s age. The purpose of this thesis was (1) to describe the five children and the training program directed toward the improvement of immediate auditory recall functioning, and report test re-test scores to show the improvement of auditory memory and speech articulation that followed and (2) on the basis of the achievement of these children and subsequent teaching experience with pre-school children with similar problems, to outline a proposed remedial program for three, four and five year olds with articulation and auditory recall deficiencies. The small scale exploratory teaching program was continued for eight months, with the five children in class for one hour a day, five days a week. The parents were given suggested activities that could be used at home to stimulate improved auditory memory. Typical classroom and home-training activities are listed in the thesis. For each child, test re-test scores to show changes in memory span and articulatory functioning following the described exploratory teaching program, are given. Although this was not an experimental study and it cannot be determined what gains in auditory recall and articulation might have resulted from another basic method or even through natural maturational processes, the writer concludes that the pre-therapy-post-therapy test results show that these five children made positive gains in auditory recall ability and remarkably improved articulatory functioning which they had not accomplished before the training was directed to stimulating auditory memory and recall. The specific test re-test scores indicate that (1) the five children improved their age scores in the ability of immediate auditory recall beyond an eight month gain and (2) although speech articulation was not specifically stressed in the teaching program, the articulation errors of the five children were considerably fewer after the eight months of class. On the basis of the achievement of these children and continued successful teaching of three, four, and five year olds who have deficits in the development of articulation and immediate auditory recall abilities, a proposed remedial program for this age group was evolved and outlined for presentation in this thesis. This program follows a developmental order centering on activities that require management of auditory information in temporal and pattern sequence, with the intended goal of improving the child"s auditory recall ability and speech articulation.Item A follow up study of fifty stutterers who were diagnosed at a speech clinic before the age of eight(1958) Caillet, Paul Rene; Arnold, Genevieve; Streeter, Donald C.; Crouch, Roy A.The present follow up study was an effort to make as comprehensive a study as possible of the problem of stuttering in young children. Causative, maintaining and remedial factors were studied and analyses and comparisons were made. Answers to two basic questions were sought. They were, (1) how effective was the treatment program in alleviating the problem of stuttering and (2) which factors evaluated in this study seem to be related to the improvement sent of the stuttering problem In the fifty cases? The method chosen was a questionnaire Interview with the mothers of fifty stuttering children diagnosed before the age of eight at a speech clinic. The children studied were forty-one boys and nine girls ranging in age at the time of their first diagnosis by the clinic from three years, one month to seven years, ten months. A careful comparison of the data observed in this study with other studies resulted in very close agreement in all areas which were compared, with the exception of the information on handedness. This fact tends to strengthen the study in all areas of inquiry. While no definite hypothesis on the etiology of stuttering was postulated at the beginning of the study, certain interesting factors were noted- (1) a statistically significant number of the subjects were somewhat delayed in saying their first word (18 per cent), (2) the subjects studied had a high incidence of other speech problems (43 per cent), (3) other handicaps (24 per cent) may serve as possible sources of the stuttering problem and (4) the stutterer is more likely to be the first born, least likely to be the middle child. Nine factors were found to be associated with the improvement of the stuttering. They were- (1) neither too early nor too late development of the first word stage, (2) less articulation and other speech problems, (3) fever handicaps, (4) higher environment improvement scores, (5) early development of the problem, (6) only simple repetitions as the stuttering symptom, (7) an early peak of severity, (8) a middle or younger position In the family, and (9) receiving appropriate therapy. Those factors which seemed to be associated with the continuance of the problem were: (1) too early development of the first word stage, (2) a lack of an adequate vocabulary, (3) more articulation and other speech problems, (4) more permanent handicaps, (5) being the first born, (6) low environment improvement scores, (7) late onset of stuttering, (9) blocking evidence at time of clinical diagnosis and (9) a severity peak between nine and ten years. The type of therapy chosen for each child appears to be of primary importance. In general, the more severe stutterers responded much better to direct therapy than to parent counseling therapy. The most interesting insights developing out of this study were the many indications that the phenomena generally known as stuttering may take two very different forms. One form is that so ably described by Johnson as "existing in the parent’s ear." This type seems to respond to parent counseling and is easily overcome. The other form is less definable, but no less real. It tends to be more of a real speech problem and much more difficult to deal with. The four basic findings of this study were- (1) stuttering appears in this study to be a dichotomy, (2) there are certain measurable differences between those stutterers who improved and those who did not, (3) a consideration of the causes of stuttering should be approached from an eclectic point, of view, as no one predominant causative factor was evident in the fifty cases studied, and (4) the present methods of parent counseling and direct therapy are effective when suited to the degree of severity of the individual case.Item An analysis of the oral narratives of normal and language-learning disabled fourth grade children(1987) Kelty, Kimberly R.; Aker, Joan S.; Adams, Martin R.; Dowling, Susann; Bruce, Melissa C.; Loveland, Katherine A.The oral narratives of twenty fourth grade children (ten normal and ten language-learning disabled) were analyzed in regard to T-Units, cohesive ties, and developmental story levels. The results were utilized to determine similarities and differences between the two groups. The children performed similarly regarding their use of T-Units and cohesive ties. The only significant difference was related to the normal subjects use of more complex narrative structures.Item An exploratory study of voice quality in esophageal speech(1968) Mannix, Jacqulyn Burkart; Wendahl, Ronald W.; Rice, James A.; Jerome, Eldon K.; Streeter, Donald C.This study was designed to investigate the relationship between judged pleasantness of esophageal vocal productions of an isolated vowel and the amount of jitter present in the acoustic signal. Secondary variables considered included- the relationship between fundamental frequency and judged vocal pleasantness of phonations, and the amount of "wetness" that listeners perceived in the phonations. Eight esophageal speakers phonated the vowel /æ/ several times. Two phonations from each subject were chosen for exploration. Master tapes were compiled in two designs- one, in pairs for comparison, and one, for rating on a seven-point scale. The two phonations were subjected to Visicorder analysis. Hand measures of the tracings were used to compute fundamental frequency and jitter ratios. The jitter ratios were computed arithmetically by dividing adjacent frequencies, always using the smaller figure as denominator. Thirty-four judges performed three listening tasks. They were asked to judge which of each pair of stimuli was most pleasant; rate 80 stimuli according to degree of pleasantness; and rate the amount of wetness present in the phonation. Parametric procedures were followed in analyzing the rating scale data- nonparametric computations were used for the paired-comparisons data. Results of this study indicated that the amount of wetness perceived during the phonation of an isolated vowel was a strong determinant of judgments of unpleasantness in esophageal speaker. The amount of jitter was less important to the judgments than was wetness. Fundamental frequency did not appear to be related to the pleasantness judgnents. This study was limited in scope and additional research on voice quality in esophageal speech should be carried out.Item An investigation of a combined method of teaching recall in the basic speech course(1970) Ware, Vivian Stephanie Johnstone; Judd, Larry R.; English, William B.; Cox, John A.Purpose of the study: This investigation was designed to find if there were significant differences and relationships by sex, word count, and error between the experimental group who received instruction in the combined method of recall and the control group who did not. Procedures: The experimenter chose a post recall test and a transfer design to find out whether students who received combined memory training and students who received no memory training varied other than by chance on recall of prose passages. The null hypothesis was that there was no difference other than chance between the two groups in recall of prose passages. The independent variable was the combined method of memory training composed of lectures, practice with the oral prompting technique, and memory enrichment exercises, the dependent variable was recall on Recall Tests 1 and 2. In order to test for possible differences between experimental and control groups, the passages were rehearsed by both groups using the oral prompting technique. Both groups wrote from memory all that they could recall of the passages during Recall Tests 1 and 2. The author analyzed each subject’s papers for word count and error scores. Findings: All scores were assessed to answer four questions. (1) Were there any differences other than chance between the 10 classes? There were differences by sections indicating that sections were not random samples of the population of 131 Speech classes. The factor of sections confounded the study of the other variables. (2) Can chance account for the differences? There were no significant differences by treatment and interaction between the control and experimental groups except chance. Chance could not account for the differences between scores of men and women in the categories of word count and error count. Women made significantly fewer errors and recalled significantly more words than men. (3) Did the oral prompting technique produce improvement on a recall test? The oral prompting technique did not produce improvement on Recall Tests 1 and 2. (4) Were there relationships between the variables? The correlations in the experimental groups were the following: Word count 1 scores correlated positively with word count 2 scores and negatively with error 2 scores. Word count 2 scores correlated negatively with error 1 scores. Error 1 scores correlated negatively with error 2 scores. The control group produced the following correlations: Word count 1 scores correlated positively with word count 2 scores and negatively with error 1 scores and error 2 scores. Word count 2 scores correlated negatively with error 1 scores. Summary: The results indicated that a positive transfer of learning did not occur. The lack of significant differences between the control and experimental groups in Recall Test 1 and 2 were explained by chance. Perhaps confounding of differences by sections, confounding of recall and relearning in the experimental group, proactive inhibition, and previous word familiarity in the experimental group caused the transfer of learning not to reach significance. The small increase in word count scores by control and experimental groups may have represented an increase in adapting to taking recall tests, not an increase in learning how to memorize. Overlap of familiarity with words in the recall tests may account for part of the increase in scores for the subjects.Item An investigation of the relationship between selected personality variables and subordination in speech(1967) Smith, Carolyn; Judd, Larry R.; Linsley, William A.; McGaughran, Laurence S.; Sisco, John I.This investigation was designed to find if there were any significant relationships between the kind and amount of subordination in the extemporaneous speech of adults and selected aspects of their personalities. In order to look for these possible relationships, 200 samples of 50 adult subjects speech were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for subordinate structures. The structures were divided into 6 behavioral categories. Then each subject took a standardized personality test which, when scored and profiled, gave each subject"s relative strength in 18 aspects of personality. From these measures of subordination in speech and personality variables, 126 computer-calculated Pearson product-moment coefficients of correlation were made. Nine relationships proved significant at the .05 level two, at the .01 level of confidence. Four categories of subordination correlated significantly with one or more aspects of personality. Subordinations that designate which person or thing correlated negatively with dominance, capacity for status, responsibility, tolerance, and achievement via conformance, end positively with flexibility. This category shows the most promise as a useful predictor of personality variables.Item An investigation of varying degrees of high discrepancy and change in highly involved subjects : a concept formation problem(1973) Mathis, Daniel Ray; Judd, Larry R.; Olson, Donald W.; Cox, John A.This study was designed to investigate the amount and the nature of change produced in highly involved individuals when they are confronted with extremely discrepant information. To determine the change and to allow for an examination of it in as pure a form as possible a basic information processing problem in concept formation was used. The independent variable was change in an originally formed concept. The subjects in this study were given a two part concept formation test in which the experimenter induced involvement. By solving Part I of the test the subjects assumed a position analogous to an attitude. By solving Part II of the test the subjects were considered to have undergone a process analogous to a counter communication situation. The subjects responses to the three levels of high discrepancy in the second part of the test were considered indicative of their change. The group change was measured and a test of difference was applied to determine the significance. No statistical difference was discovered for the three groups.Item An investigation of vowel formant position and judgments of roughness(1968) Linklater, Diane Krieger; Wendahl, Ronald W.; Fox, Donna R.; Schnitzen, Joseph P.; Streeter, Donald C.The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of the first formant frequency position upon the perceptual judgment of vocal roughness. Vowel-like stimuli were synthesized using a laryngeal analog and vowel filters. The basic experimental variable in the study was the position of the center frequency of the first formant. The hypothesis upon which the study was generated was that the higher the first formant frequency the greater would be the judgments of roughness. The results supported the hypothesis. Those vowels produced with low first formant frequencies were judged as less rough than those with higher formant frequencies. Clinical interpretations from the study are drawn which state that diagnostic procedures should include high first formant vowels.Item Dentistry and hearing loss(1980) Genuth, April Gail; Yonovitz, Albert; Falck, Frank J.; Schwartz, ArthurBekesy audiograms were obtained from a sample of 315 dentists at the 1979 American Dental Association Convention. Questionnaires were completed by each dentist in order to document relevant case history information. The maximum range of responses from the questionnaire was encoded to document all information. In addition, each intensity value at each inflection point was recorded, and used to establish the mean threshold for each frequency represented on the audiogram. Results of the analysis confirmed the complexity of distinguishing noise-induced hearing loss attributable to the dental drill from presbycusis or - sociocusis. Mean audiograms selected from this sample and an individual analysis of the pattern of notches at 3 k, 4 k, and 6 kH2 do not refute the contention that noise output from the high speed dental drill is producing hearing loss. Proposed implications for the practicing dentist, are discussed.Item Effects of stuttering on fundamental frequency(1980) Lawler, Patricia Sartin; Falck, Frank J.; Yonovitz, Albert; Schwartz, Arthur H.Research Involving the production and perception of speech prior to the moment of stuttering has focused on three general parameters of speech: physiological, perceptual and acoustic. These three parameters of speech production have been quantified through various measurement techniques. Fundamental frequency is a measure of the acoustic signal which is reflective of the physiological production of speech. Dynamic measurements of the speech process provided by fundamental frequency analyses, can be utilized in evaluation, treatment, and research concerned with speech disorders such as stuttering. This study investigated fundamental frequency changes prior to moments of stuttering and compared them to those in identical fluent speech segments generated by the same individual. The relationship of variations in fundamental frequency associated with the severity and type of the subsequent stuttering behaviors was also studied. Seven stutterers read consecutively a passage five times. Speech samples were selected for fundamental frequency analyses based on judgment agreement of the moment, severity, and type of stuttering, and the existence of an identical fluent segment of speech from the same person. Comparisons were made between 1.024 seconds of speech prior to a stuttering moment and the similar 1.024 seconds of speech in the fluent utterance. Paired samples were digitized using a microcomputer system. The analog speech and fundamental frequency signals were sampled at a rate of 16,384 and 2,048 times per 1.024 seconds, respectively. Measures of mean speaking fundamental frequency, of variations in speaking fundamental frequency and of the number of data points included within each speech sample provided data to interpret the changes in fundamental frequency prior to moments of stuttering. The results of this study have suggested that: 1) specific changes in fundamental frequency may be measured prior to the stuttered moment; 2) the pattern of fundamental frequency changes were specific to the severity and type of the stuttering moment; and 3) the magnitude of the difference between the fluent and stuttered utterances changed as the moment of stuttering was approached.Item Judged roughness as a function of formant bandwidth and vowel formant position(1968) Cole, Belinda Crook; Wendahl, Ronald W.; Arnold, Genevieve; Goodman, Clark D.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of formant bandwidth and vowel formant position on listener perceptions of roughness. Since it is not possible to control human vocal systems, all stimuli for this study were computer derived. An electrical analog of the larynx was used to simulate the glottal source and a series vocal tract analog was used to modify the glottal source to produce vowel-like signals. The vowels /i/, /e/, and /æ/ were selected for investigation because of their physiological and acoustical differences. Three different bandwidth conditions were synthesized for each vowel corresponding to narrow, median, and wide filter settings. All stimuli were recorded on magnetic tape and arranged in an A-B design where every stimulus was paired with every other stimulus. The stimuli were judged by 41 normal hearing listeners, who were instructed to listen to each pair of sounds and to indicate which one in that pair sounded more rough. Results obtained from this study indicate that roughness is greatly influenced by the vowel phonated. Vowels corresponding to high tongue positions and low first formants were judged less rough than vowels characterized by low tongue positions and high first formants. The results also indicate that formant bandwidth is a major contributing factor in perceived judgments of roughness.Item Perceptual judgments of roughness as influenced by second formant frequency(1969) Kvols, Martha C.; Wendahl, Ronald W.; Jerome, Eldon K.; Sanders, Stanley G.The role of tongue height and position and their acoustic influence upon judgments of glottal roughness has been the source of several investigations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of second formant frequency positions on listener judgments of roughness. An electrical analog of the larynx (LADIC) was used to simulate a laryngea source. The output of LADIC was fed into a vocal tract analog and all center formant frequencies were held constant with the exception of the second formant frequency, which was varied from 1000 to 1800 Hz in 200 Hz steps. The signals were recorded on magnetic tape and arranged in a paired-comparisons and a rating scale design. The listeners were asked to make judgments of roughness. Variations in the second formant under neither procedure appeared to be related to listener perceptions of roughness. However, certain significant differences were observed and it is suggested that the reader go to the results and discussion section where it was explained that significant results were probably spurious. Results from this study did not demonstrate that varying the second formant is of importance in the perception of roughness.Item Psycholinguistic and related functions in ten children in a class for the emotionally disturbed(1967) Trask, Lavon Baker; Arnold, Genevieve; Streeter, Donald C.; Stovall, Franklin L.; Jerome, Eldon K.The purpose of this study was to assess the linguistic, visual perceptual, and. laterality functions for ten children with communication disorders enrolled, in a special class for the emotionally disturbed. Specifically, it was hypothesized, for the purpose of inquiry, that the test results of the ten emotionally disturbed, children with communication problems evaluated in this study would show no atypical pattern of linguistic-perceptual abilities when compared with test results on the normal population used in the standardization of each test. The findings on this particular group of children were also compared with test results on other groups of children with language problems. Finally, the writer attempted to determine if the test data obtained on the children provided information which could serve to structure educational and therapy programs to meet the specific linguistic-perceptual needs of this group. The ten children ranged in age from nine years, nine months to fifteen years and in IQ from 80 to 99 with a mean IQ of 90. Each subject met the following criteria- 1. diagnosed as emotionally disturbed by a psychiatrist 2. evidenced language disorders, both oral and written 3. had dull-normal to normal intelligence (Stanford-Binet and/or WISE) 4. had normal auditory and visual acuity 5. revealed no physical abnormalities. All ten were assessed by the writer using these measuring instruments- Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, Frostig"s Developmental Test of Visual Perception, Wepman"s Auditory Discrimination Test, Selected tests of laterality from Leavell. The analysis of the data supported the folloving conclusions- 1. On the ITPA, no two individual profiles showed, a characteristic pattern, modality by modality, of abilities and disabilities. However, considering the wider scope of functioning at levels as Kirk and McCarthy (33) define them, more deficiencies were noted at the integrational level which tested the ability to remember for recall in sequential order what had been heard or seen than at the representational level which tested the ability in the meaningful manipulation of language symbols. The group was generally deficient in all areas; while all ten exceeded, the age limits of the test, no child scored above the 9-year norms on all subtests. 2. The individual test profile, which reflects the level at which modalities of input and output are working and the level at which integration takes place, could be a useful tool in the planning of a remedial teaching program. Each child"s language training program should be based on his specific readiness in terms of the function of language which it has been possible for him to acquire. His training should start at the level at which he is now functioning in each of the deficient skills. With this in mind, suggestions for therapy were included in this thesis. From the results of all five tests, it appeared that as a group, these ten children enrolled in a class for the emotionally disturbed tended to have certain basic problems- 1. difficulty in using the structure of language automatically. 2. general inability to reproduce a series of symbols presented either auditorially or visually. 3. deficiencies in the ability to express ideas verbally and to understand and draw relationships from what is seen. According to Corrine Kass (29), it appears that when severe disabilities affect integrational level operations to a marked degree, there will be some attendant disability in the ability to handle verbal symbols meaningfully. 4. perceptual difficulties, especially in the ability to perceive the position of two or more objects in relation to themselves and in relation to each other; to perceive an object as possessing invariant properties, such as shape, position, and size, in spite of the variability of the impression on the sensory surface; and to perceive the figure in relation to its background. 5. difficulty in distinguishing auditorially between two words which differ from each other in only one phonemic element. 6. mixed laterality. A limitation of this study is provided by the small number of cases. For this reason, caution should be used in indiscriminate generalization from the results. Further research into detailed diagnostic procedures is indicated. The field of special services in the schools is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of differences in the level of developmental skills within the individual child. Sometimes these differences are more important for educational planning than perceived differences between children.Item The Edinburgh Masker : a clinical analog study(1983) Moore, Mary Ann; Adams, Martin R.; Dowling, Susann; Bruce, Melissa C.; Miller, Samuel D.When speaking or reading aloud in the presence of intense masking noise, stutterers exhibit an almost immediate and marked reduction in stuttering frequency. This phenomenon has been labeled the "masking effect," and has been demonstrated by several researchers. Among theories which have been formulated to account for the masking effect is Wingate's "vocal modification" position, in which he hypothesized that various changes in vocal parameters, such as vocal intensity and syllable duration, are at least partly responsible for the observed reductions in stuttering frequency. Tests of this formulation have demonstrated that stutterers do indeed increase vocal intensity, even when reading aloud in the presence of as little as 1OdB SB of white noise. In the 1960's a group of researchers in Edinburgh, Scotland, developed a portable masking unit, the Edinburgh Masker, which delivers white noise to stutterers through one of several types of earpieces. The Masker may be used as a prosthesis in stuttering therapy. The developers offer several reasons for the Masker's effectiveness, none of which include an increase in vocal intensity. However, no studies presenting quantifiable data have been offered to support the assertion that clinically, increased vocal intensity does not occur. The purpose of this study was to (1 ) measure any changes in vocal intensity that occur when stutterers and normals are first exposed to noise from a functioning Masker, and (2) to measure any changes in vocal intensity that occur when the stutterers and normals are given instructions to read in their usual manner in the presence of the noise, and are given several practice trials in doing so. A basic methodology was established to compare vocal intensity scores while subjects read in quiet and in the presence of 157dB SL of white noise delivered through a stethoscope-type earpiece which is an integral part of a functioning Edinburgh Masker. The speech of eight adult stutterers (Experimental group), and eight adult normal speakers (Control group-B), was audio-tape recorded while they read aloud, a 51-syllable prose passage of neutral content, five times in succession, in quiet (Control condition-B) and while listening to noise delivered by a functioning Masker (Experimental condition). The subjects were instructed to read in their usual manner and at their habitual loudness level. In addition, a second group of eight adult normal speakers (Control group-A) read the passage aloud five times, without being exposed to the noise from the Masker and without receiving instructions to read in their usual manner and at their habitual loudness level (Control condition-A). Eight target syllables in the passage were singled out for analysis. Those syllables which were produced fluently, in a normal voice register and without misarticulations, across all trials in every condition in which a subject participated, were actually analyzed. A graphic level recorder was utilized to quantify any changes which occurred across the five trials in quiet, and across the five trials in the presence of the noise. A Single-Sample Chi Square analysis was undertaken to make the following within-group comparisons of vocal intensity: (1) Control condition-A Trial 1 vs. Control condition-A Trial 5; (2) Control condition-B Trial 1 vs. Control condition-B Trial 5; (3) Experimental condition Trial 1 vs. Experimental condition Trial 5; (4) Control condition-B Trial 1 vs. Experimental condition Trial 1 ; and (5) Control condition-B Trial 1 vs. Experimental condition Trial 5- Results of the analysis demonstrated that both the stutterers and the normal speakers increased their vocal intensity when first exposed to the noise. With practice, both groups lowered vocal intensity across the five trials; however, vocal intensity remained significantly higher on the fifth trial of the Experimental condition than on the first trial of Control condition-B. Those subjects who were exposed to Control condition-A only, did not demonstrate any systematic, significant change in vocal intensity across the five trials. The results of the present study suggest that the role of vocal intensity as one of perhaps many factors contributing to the effectiveness of the Edinburgh Masker, be reexamined. In that regard, objective measures of vocal intensity should replace subjective impressions of change.Item The effect of environment upon rate of recovery from temporary auditory threshold shift induced by small arms fire(1968) Kirk, Barbara Lucille Skerrett; Jerome, Eldon K.; Arnold, Genevieve; Sheer, Daniel E.; Streeter, Donald C.This study was undertaken to determine the effect of various degrees of quiet on recovery from a temporary auditory threshold shift induced by gunfire from a .22 calibre rifle. The experiment was performed with twelve subjects. The procedure included an audiometric test before firing, exposure to gunfire at target practice, a second audiometric test to determine hearing loss immediately after target practice, and a third audio-metric test after a two hour period of exposure to either a quiet or a normal environment to determine the effect of each on hearing recovery. The null hypothesis which held that environment does not affect the rate of recovery was tested statistically by the analysis of variance. The analysis of variance supports the null hypothesis. Noise in the normal environment following a subject's exposure to gunfire from a .22 calibre rifle at target practice did not influence the recovery from the temporary auditory threshold shift. The number of subjects and using only two degrees of environmental noise limits the application of the results obtained from the experiment.Item The effect of phonetic training in speech correction classes on reading achievement(1955) Collins, Lula Mae Fitzhenry; Arnold, Genevieve; Crouch, Roy A.; Kearney, Milo E., Sr.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of phonetic training in speech correction classes on reading achievement, The total sample upon which this investigation was made consisted of one-hundred second and third grade pupils, who were regularly in the Fort Bend county school where the investigator was employed as speech therapist. [...]Item The relationship of dialect to the perception of teaching ability(1978) Krayer, Karl James; Fogel, Daniel S.; Leth, Steven A.; Heath, Robert L.; Gingiss, Peter J.The present study was an attempt to determine how speakers of three prominent dialects in the Southwestern region of the United States are perceived as teachers in the classroom. The speakers were representative of Southwestern Black, White, and Chicano dialects. Effects of stimulus speaker dialect were measured on subjects of various dialects, ages, sexes, races, social classes, economic statuses, education levels of self and parents, and geographic regions. Subjects recorded their attitudes and perceptions toward the stimulus speakers on a semantic differential measuring five dependent dimensions. Of the three hypotheses posited, the stereotyping hypothesis appeared to be the single best explanation for the findings in the data, which showed the Southwestern White to be judged most favorably by a majority of raters. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed. [...]Item The relationship of immediate auditory recall and speech sound discrimination abilities in children with severe articulation disorders(1966) Levine, Nancy Maxwell; Arnold, Genevieve; Streeter, Donald C.; Jerome, Eldon K.; McGaughran, Laurence S.The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain if any relationship existed between speech sound discrimination as tested by the Wepman Auditory Discrimination Test, and immediate auditory recall, as tested ty the auditory vocal sequencing subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, in children with severe functional articulation problems. It was also the purpose of this study to investigate whether speech sound discrimination scores would improve when the auditory recall factor In testing, procedures was minimized. The thirty subjects were selected from the speech therapy classes and waiting list of several elementary schools of moderate size. The bases for the selection of subjects were: hearing acuity within normal limits, normal intelligence, no known organic basis for the speech defect, enrollnent in grade one through three, and diagnosis of a speech therapist as having a severe articulation problem. The subjects were given the WADT Form I and the ITPA auditory-vocal sequencing subtest to determine the degree of relationship between speech sound discrimination and immediate auditory recall abilities, as measured by the two tests. They were then given WADT Form II with the procedure changed so as to minimize the recall factor. The initial instructional phrase was repeated before each pair of words to determine what effect this would have on the auditory discrimination scores. The results of these tests were analyzed to determine the degree of relationship and extent of improvement. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to determine the degree of relationship between scores on the auditory discrimination test, unaided and aided between each of these tests, and the auditory memory test, and between intelligence and each of these three tests. Correlations between each form of the WADT and the ITPA subtest with the effects of intelligence partlialled out were also computed. A chi square analysis was used to determine the significance of the improvement on the aided test. A t-test (two-tailed) was calculated to determine if the difference between the means of WADT, aided and unaided, was significant. Statistical analysis indicated that there is a functional relationship of a positive nature between inadequate immediate auditory recall and inadequate auditory discrimination abilities, as tested, in this group of children with severe articulation defects. Most of the children who showed poor auditory discrimination ability also were deficient in auditory memory. Although 65 percent of the subjects did improve their auditory discrimination scores on the aided WADT, Form II, only one scored at age level. However the 65 per cent improvement by the group as a whole was shown to be significant by chi square analysis (P <05), although in many eases the change was minimal. Degree of intelligence was associated more clearly with performance on the aided discrimination test than with performance on the unaided tests, although its effects were found to be moderately significant on the results of both tests.Item The response of normal school-age children to wh-questions(1985) Reed, Patricia George; Klecan-Aker, Joan S.; Adams, Martin R.; Dowling, Susann; Bruce, Melissa C.This study was designed to examine normal school age children's responses to certain types of wh-questions. A decision was made to collect data in this area for the following reasons: 1) responses to questions play a large role in the everyday verbal interactions of a child; 2) there is a paucity of information in this area and therefore the means to judge the adequacy or appropriateness of a child's responses are limited; 3) school children with language/ learning problems should be receiving treatment based, at least in part, on normative behavior, yet appropriate norms are virtually nonexistent; and 4) a first step in designing that type of treatment program would be to analyze, systematically and reliably, the way normal school-age children use language. It was hypothesized that there would be no differences in the way children at different grade levels answer wh-questions, and that sex differences would not influence response appropriateness. Thirty children served as subjects, 10 each from grades one, three and five-. An equal number of males and females from each grade level were tested. Subjects were seen individually and given instructions. Five action pictures were presented to the subject one at a time. The subject was asked to tell a story about the picture and was given a prompter phrase to get started. Depending on the subject's story line, the following questions were asked in a natural order, designed to provide a coherent dialogue: "How do you know that?" "Why?" "How come?" Each subject responded to the same three question types for all five pictures. The subject's responses were judged according to functional appropriateness and accuracy (Parnell & Amerman, 1983). Parnell and Amerman define a functional appropriateness error as occurring when the subject provides the wrong kind of information although he/she is not mistaken about the function of the question. An error in functional accuracy occurs when the subject provides the general kind of information requested, but is deficient in accuracy, fact, logic or credibility. In the present study, responses were classified using an adaptation of Parnell and Amerman's categorization system. There were five types of possible responses: 1) a functionally appropriate and accurate response; 2) a functionally inappropriate, but functionally accurate response; 3) a functionally appropriate, but functionally inaccurate response; 4) a functionally inappropriate and inaccurate response; 5) unclassifiable; any response that does not fit in the other categories. In the present study, functional appropriateness and accuracy were credited if the responses provided the type of information required by the question and logically followed the content of the picture. Lack of phonological, morphological or syntactic completeness was not penalized. Results indicated that the subjects performed in similar ways regardless of grade or sex. These results were discussed relative to the need for a complete data base on normal school-age children as a step in assessing youngsters with language/learning problems.