Monthly Archives: January 2011
Spectral findings for vowels [a] and at different velopharyngeal openings
CONCLUSION: significant changes were observed in the studied spectral values according to changes in the velopharyngeal opening size.
Acclimatization effect in speech recognition: evaluation without hearing aids
CONCLUSION: There was a progressive reduction of sentences recognition thresholds and signal/noise ratios indicating an improvement in performance even when assessing the individuals without the hearing aids. This improvement can be related to the effect of acclimatization.
Acoustical parameters of Brazilian Portuguese liquids in phonological disorder
CONCLUSION: articulation accuracy of children in the control group was, overall, higher even when considering correctly produced words by the group with phonological disorder containing /l/. The analysis of other acoustic parameters, as well as the application of these parameters to other sounds of the Portuguese language, can help clinicians to make a precise evaluation and, consequently, to improve their therapeutic work.
Assessment of the swallowing function in older individuals referred to myocardial revascularization surgery
CONCLUSION: older individuals with heart disease presented differences in the swallowing function when compared to healthy older individuals. Older individuals with heart disease presented alterations in the temporal coordination between breathing and swallowing, thus indicating risk for dysphagia.
Auditory measurements in parents of individuals with autosomal recessive hearing loss
CONCLUSION: the DPOAE were more effective, in comparison to the pure tone audiometry, to detect auditory differences between the groups. More studies of this type are necessary to confirm the observed results.
Auditory processing and phonological awareness in children with normal and deviant speech development
CONCLUSION: a significant relationship between the performance in the AP evaluation and success in PA tasks exists for children with phonological disorders.
Brainstem auditory evoked potential with speech stimulus
CONCLUSION: based on the gathered data it can be observed that this potential works as a new tool for understanding the encoding of sound at the brainstem level.
Cochlear implant: correlation of nerve function recovery, auditory deprivation and etiology
CONCLUSION: there was no statistically significant correlation between the recovery function and factors such as etiology, time of auditory deprivation and time of hearing aid use prior to CI.
Sublexical Properties of Spoken Words Modulate Activity in Broca’s Area but Not Superior Temporal Cortex: Implications for Models of Speech Recognition
Many models of spoken word recognition posit that the acoustic stream is parsed into phoneme level units, which in turn activate larger representations [McClelland, J. L., & Elman, J. L. The TRACE model of speech perception. Cognitive Psychology, 18, 1–86, 1986], whereas others suggest that larger units of analysis are activated without the need for segmental mediation [Greenberg, S. A multitier theoretical framework for understanding spoken language. In S. Greenberg & W. A. Ainsworth (Eds.), Listening to speech: An auditory perspective (pp. 411–433). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2005; Klatt, D. H. Speech perception: A model of acoustic-phonetic analysis and lexical access. Journal of Phonetics, 7, 279–312, 1979; Massaro, D. W. Preperceptual images, processing time, and perceptual units in auditory perception. Psychological Review, 79, 124–145, 1972]. Identifying segmental effects in the brain’s response to speech may speak to this question. For example, if such effects were localized to relatively early processing stages in auditory cortex, this would support a model of speech recognition in which segmental units are explicitly parsed out. In contrast, segmental processes that occur outside auditory cortex may indicate that alternative models should be considered. The current fMRI experiment manipulated the phonotactic frequency (PF) of words that were auditorily presented in short lists while participants performed a pseudoword detection task. PF is thought to modulate networks in which phoneme level units are represented. The present experiment identified activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus that was positively correlated with PF. No effects of PF were found in temporal lobe regions. We propose that the observed phonotactic effects during speech listening reflect the strength of the association between acoustic speech patterns and articulatory speech codes involving phoneme level units. On the basis of existing lesion evidence, we interpret the function of this auditory–motor association as playing a role primarily in production. These findings are consistent with the view that phoneme level units are not necessarily accessed during speech recognition.
from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
The Development of Cortical Sensitivity to Visual Word Forms
The ability to extract visual word forms quickly and efficiently is essential for using reading as a tool for learning. We describe the first longitudinal fMRI study to chart individual changes in cortical sensitivity to written words as reading develops. We conducted four annual measurements of brain function and reading skills in a heterogeneous group of children, initially 7–12 years old. The results show age-related increase in children’s cortical sensitivity to word visibility in posterior left occipito-temporal sulcus (LOTS), nearby the anatomical location of the visual word form area. Moreover, the rate of increase in LOTS word sensitivity specifically correlates with the rate of improvement in sight word efficiency, a measure of speeded overt word reading. Other cortical regions, including V1, posterior parietal cortex, and the right homologue of LOTS, did not demonstrate such developmental changes. These results provide developmental support for the hypothesis that LOTS is part of the cortical circuitry that extracts visual word forms quickly and efficiently and highlight the importance of developing cortical sensitivity to word visibility in reading acquisition.
from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Workplace noise-related hearing loss affects sleep quality — Ben Gurion U. researchers
Sustained exposure to loud workplace noise may affect quality of sleep in workers with occupational-related hearing loss, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers.
from EurekAlert.org
The Language of Young Love: The Ways Couples Talk Can Predict Relationship Success
We know that people tend to be attracted to, date, and marry other people who resemble themselves in terms of personality, values, and physical appearance. However, these features only skim the surface of what makes a relationship work. The ways that people talk are also important. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that people who speak in similar styles are more compatible.
from ScienceDaily.com
New Expansion For The Hearing Company
Steve Orchard, an employee of The Hearing Company for ten years, has been appointed as the new Head of Business Development at The Hearing Company. He will be in charge of managing the companies expansion aims in the coming months.
from PRWeb.com
Computerized resources in language therapy with children of the autistic spectrum*
more controlled associations and comparisons were not possible due to the groups’ heterogeneity and therefore more consistent conclusions are not possible. It was clear that the subjects presented different reactions to the use of computerized resources during language therapy.
Contrast and covert contrast in the speech production of children*
a lot of the substitutions presented in the speech of children in typical and deviant acquisition process are in fact covert contrasts. Moreover, the acoustic analyses allowed the detection of differences in the fine phonetic detail of children’s speech production.
