Processing F0 with cochlear implants: Modulation frequency discrimination and speech intonation recognition

from Hearing Research

Fundamental frequency (F0) processing by cochlear implant (CI) listeners was measured using a psychophysical task and a speech intonation recognition task. Listeners’ Weber fractions for modulation frequency discrimination were measured using an adaptive, 3-interval, forced-choice paradigm: stimuli were presented through a custom research interface. In the speech intonation recognition task, listeners were asked to indicate whether resynthesized bisyllabic words, when presented in the free field through the listeners’ everyday speech processor, were question-like or statement-like. The resynthesized tokens were systematically manipulated to have different initial-F0s to represent male vs. female voices, and different F0 contours (i.e. falling, flat, and rising) Although the CI listeners showed considerable variation in performance on both tasks, significant correlations were observed between the CI listeners’ sensitivity to modulation frequency in the psychophysical task and their performance in intonation recognition. Consistent with their greater reliance on temporal cues, the CI listeners’ performance in the intonation recognition task was significantly poorer with the higher initial-F0 stimuli than with the lower initial-F0 stimuli. Similar results were obtained with normal hearing listeners attending to noiseband-vocoded CI simulations with reduced spectral resolution.

Screening toddlers’ language cuts special ed needs

from Reuters

Screening toddlers for problems in their language development may help reduce their need for special education once they start school, a new study suggests.

Relationship between loudness growth function and auditory steady-state response in normal-hearing subjects

from Hearing Research

The present study investigates the relationship between auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and loudness growth function. ASSR amplitudes were compared to the perceived loudness level at frequencies of 500 and 2000 Hz in 11 normal-hearing subjects. As a first step, loudness growth function was estimated for the two test frequencies. Then ASSR amplitude was recorded for each of the two frequencies at different stimulus intensities, each corresponding to a loudness level as given by the first part of the study. Normalized results show that the ASSR amplitude correlates well with the loudness function (R2 = 0.81). A stepwise multiple linear regression confirmed these results with loudness explaining almost all the ASSR amplitude (loudness R2 = 0.81, p < 0.001, f = 562 and for intensity f = 1.1, p = 0.29). The non-linearity of the ASSR amplitude for low loudness levels can be explained by both the active amplification in the cochlea and the noise in the recording. The results suggest that ASSRs can be used for “objective” loudness measurement.

A 5-Month Open Study with Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Dyslexia

from Journal of Medicinal Food

This open pilot study investigated effects of a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich supplement on learning ability in a group of 20 dyslexic children in Sweden. Children formally diagnosed as dyslexic took eight capsules per day of a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) supplement containing high-DHA fish oil and evening primrose oil. Subjective assessments by the children and their parents were completed at baseline and 6, 12, and 20 weeks after supplementation. Quantitative evaluation by word-chain test was completed before and after 4 months of supplementation to measure word decoding (speed of reading) and letter decoding (motoric-perceptual speed). Subjective parent and child assessments showed increasing numbers of positive responders over time in reading speed, general schoolwork, and overall perceived benefit. Significant improvements were observed in reading speed and motor-perceptual velocity. Thirteen of 17 children had a significant improvement on the word-chain test (P < .04). Reading speed improved by 60% from 1.76 ± 0.29 before the study to 2.82 ± 0.36 after supplementation (P < .01 by Wilcoxon sign test). Motoric-perceptual velocity improved by 23% from a stanine value of 3.76 ± 0.42 to 4.65 ± 0.66 after supplementation (P < .05 by Wilcoxon sign test). Thus LC-PUFA supplementation for 5 months provides positive and clear beneficial effect on variables usually impaired by dyslexia.

How left inferior frontal cortex participates in syntactic processing: Evidence from aphasia

from Brain and Language

We report on three experiments that provide a real-time processing perspective on the poor comprehension of Broca’s aphasic patients for non-canonically structured sentences. In the first experiment we presented sentences (via a Cross Modal Lexical Priming (CMLP) paradigm) to Broca’s patients at a normal rate of speech. Unlike the pattern found with unimpaired control participants, we observed a general slowing of lexical activation and a concomitant delay in the formation of syntactic dependencies involving “moved” constituents and empty elements. Our second experiment presented these same sentences at a slower rate of speech. In this circumstance, Broca’s patients formed syntactic dependencies as soon as they were structurally licensed (again, a different pattern from that demonstrated by the unimpaired control group). The third experiment used a sentence-picture matching paradigm to chart Broca’s comprehension for non-canonically structured sentences (presented at both normal and slow rates). Here we observed significantly better scores in the slow rate condition. We discuss these findings in terms of the functional commitment of the left anterior cortical region implicated in Broca’s aphasia and conclude that this region is crucially involved in the formation of syntactically-governed dependency relations, not because it supports knowledge of syntactic dependencies, but rather because it supports the real-time implementation of these specific representations by sustaining, at the least, a lexical activation rise-time parameter.

The Differential Influence of Lexical Parameters on Naming Latencies in German. A Study on Noun and Verb Picture

from the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research

Abstract  The present study investigates the effects of word category (nouns versus verbs) and their subcategories on naming latencies in German, with a focus on the influence of lexical parameters on naming performance. The experimental material met linguistic construction criteria and was carefully matched for age of spontaneous production, frequency, and name agreement. Additional lexical parameters (objective age-of-acquisition, word length, visual complexity, imageability) were obtained. The results demonstrated a clear effect of word category on naming latencies. This effect was supported by two different observations. First, there was evidence for category and subcategory effects in naming: nouns were named faster than verbs, and intransitive verbs were named faster than transitive verbs. Second, while objective age-of-acquisition (naming age) turned out to be an important predictor of reaction times for both word categories, naming latencies for nouns and verbs were affected differentially by other lexical parameters. The results are discussed with respect to current controversies on the noun–verb-asymmetry.

Although promising in terms of reliability, additional evidence of validity is required before the Finnish version of the Voice Activity and Participation Profile can be confidently applied in the clinical context

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Clinicians must take into account the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and practical utility of aphasia screening assessment tools before using them on their patients

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Identifying hot topics in communication assessment and intervention

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Methodological limitations inhibit conclusions regarding the effectiveness of medialization thyroplasty over injection laryngoplasty for long-term treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Microswitches and a speech-generating device seem to increase the communicative engagement of students with profound, multiple disabilities

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Pharmacological approaches are not indicated for the treatment of stuttering

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Practitioners need to carefully target correspondence between requesting and selecting when teaching exchange-based communication to students with developmental disabilities

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Pragmatic language impairment, diagnosed using the Children’s Communication Checklist, occurs more frequently in a sample of children referred to psychiatric services

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Predicting language ability in 5-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder: Some promising evidence

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.