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*Hildebrandt, Kristin M.
THE EFFECT OF TEST ADMINISTRATOR ACCENT ON TEST PERFORMANCE OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN
This study investigated the effects of administrator accent on the test performance of pre-school children using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT), Forms L & M. Using four different English accents (Native English accent; Mandarin-Chinese English accent; Bancali-Indian English accent; and Mexican Spanish English accent), 15 native monolingual English speakers were administered the PPVT-R. Each subject was administered the test using the native English accent and one of the three foreign accents. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between accent and non-accented test administration that resulted in overall higher standard test scores (106.07 Vs 92.67) with native English accent administration. Further analysis indicated that this difference was mainly attributable to a significant difference between the native English accent and the Mandarin-Chinese English accent (108.2 Vs 82.8). Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. Pp. 1-6.
*First Place Winner-In the category, Behavioral & Social Sciences, 13th Annual California State University Student Research Competition, May, 1999.
Vinciguerra, Sabina
DISCOURSE PRODUCTION IN ADULTS WITH APHASIA: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBJECTIVE MEASURES AND LISTENER'S JUDGMENTS OF COMMUNICATIVE INFORMATIVENESS
Connected discourse samples were obtained from ten adults with aphasia and were rated on the dimension of "informativeness" by ten young adults and ten spouses/caregivers using a seven point equal appearing interval scale. The listeners' ratings were compared to objective measures of communicative informativeness, Correct Information Units (CIUs) and Accurate and Complete Main Concepts (ACMCs), to determine the strength of their relationship. Results revealed that the percent CIUs and the number of CIUs produced per minute were strongly correlated with various measures of listeners' judgments of informativeness (Spearman Rho from .669 to .982). Implications and limitations of the study are discussed. Pp. 7-14.
*Todhunter, Sarah
ASSESSMENT OF INTERNAL MOOD STATES OF APHASIC AND NORMAL INDIVIDUALS USING VISUAL ANALOG MOOD SCALES
The moods of individuals with anomic aphasia, those with Broca's aphasia, and individuals without neurological impairment were compared in order to determine if aphasic individuals show more negative mood patterns than normal individuals, and if individuals with Broca's aphasia show more negative mood patterns than individuals with anomic aphasia. Ten aphasic persons (five with anomic aphasia and five with Broca's aphasia) as well as five normal persons each marked eight visual analog mood scales (VAMS) that assess the following mood states: afraid, confused, sad, angry, energetic, tired, happy, and tense. The results indicated no significant differences between the groups for any of the mood states, and no significant interaction between moods and aphasia type. The individuals with Broca's aphasia showed a more positive trend in their mood patterns than the other two subject groups. The usefulness and limitations of this method of evaluation are discussed. Pp. 15-23.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
*Yi, Jeannie
COMPARING THE PRODUCTION OF FIVE PHONOLOGICAL SOUNDS, /f v z l r/, OF FOUR-YEAR-OLD AND TWELVE-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN-BORN KOREAN CHILDREN TO FOUR-YEAR-OLD AND TWELVE-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN-BORN CAUCASIAN CHILDREN
The purpose of this study was to determine whether first generation Korean parents, who were born in Korea, have an effect on their children's production of the English sounds /f v z l r/, and to determine if by age twelve there was a "catch-up" effect in Korean-American children in the production of these five English sounds. The study compared the production of /f v z l r/ of four-year-old and twelve-year-old Korean-American children with first generation parents to that of four-year-old and twelve-year-old Caucasian children with English speaking parents. The subjects were given a non-standardized articulation test that targeted the five phonological sounds. The results showed a significant difference in the production of /z/ between four-year-old Korean-American and Caucasian children, but no significant difference for any sound when the older children were compared. Findings also suggested that the sound production of Korean-American children was slightly influenced by the speech of their first generation parents. By age twelve, the Korean-American children had caught up to the Caucasian-American children. Pp. 24-33.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
*Grant, Jennifer
THE EFFECT OF DISCLOSURE OF STUTTERING ON INFORMATION RECALL AND DISTRACTIBILITY IN LISTENERS
The purpose of this study was to determine if listeners recall more information and are less distracted by core behaviors of stutterers if they know, by way of introduction, that the speaker stutters. Twenty-two subjects ranging in age from 23 to 69 were matched by gender and assigned randomly to one of two groups. Each subject listened to an audio tape recording of a neutral passage read by a woman rated as a moderate stutterer and then answered three questionnaires pertaining to information recall, distractibility, and demographics. One group listened to the passage preceded by the speaker's introduction disclosing her stuttering, while the other group did not receive the introduction. Results showed no significant differences between groups for either information recall or distractibility, and no significant correlation between the amount of information recalled and the degree of distractibility. The implication for disclosure as part of stuttering therapy is discussed. Pp. 34-42.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
*Murphy, Jennifer M.
THE EFFECTS OF STUTTERER'S INTRODUCTION AS A STUTTERER ON LISTENER REACTION
This study investigated listener reactions to dysfluent speech when a stutterer self-disclosed that she stuttered before asking questions. The reactions were rated on a five-point scale and were examined under two conditions: 1) when the listener was preoccupied and stressed, and 2) when the listener was free from distractions. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences when introductions were used for both conditions, but no significant difference in the patience of listeners based solely on how busy they were. The listeners reacted more patiently to the stutterer when she introduced herself as a stutterer before continuing with the conversation. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed. Pp. 43-48.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
Taijala, John
ASSESSMENT OF TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY FOR THREE METHODS OF PERCEPTUAL ASSESSMENT OF RESPIRATORY SUPPORT FOR SPEECH
Three methods of perceptual assessment of respiratory support for speech which are commonly used by clinicians were assessed and compared with one another in order to determine test-retest reliability. Respiratory support data were gathered from 30 adult women aged 18 to 45 years. The methods of perceptual assessment included: sustained phonation of /a/ (maximum phonation time); single breath counting (SBC); and the number of breaths used in counting from one to 50 (C 1-50). Subjects were tested and retested on the same day after not less than a 30-second break. Results suggest that all three methods of assessment of breath support for speech were strongly correlated from test to retest, indicating high test-retest reliability (r = .837 to .896). Single Breath Counting showed the strongest reliability. A wide range of variability was noted between subjects on all three methods. A weak correlation between maximum effort tests and the counting test suggests that these assessment methods are measuring different aspects of respiratory support and are not interchangeable. Pp. 49-58.
*Benedetti, Karen
VARIATIONS IN NASALANCE SCORES OF NON-NATIVE AND NATIVE AMERICAN ENGLISH SPEAKERS
Mean nasalance scores for three English passages were obtained using the Nasometer and analyzed, using an ANOVA model, for differences between native speakers of Chinese Mandarin/Taiwanese, Thai, Japanese, and a control group of Standard American English speakers (N=26). Results failed to show significant differences between language groups, suggesting that the influence of accent upon nasalance scores was negligible. The results are preliminary in nature, but imply that the Nasometer might effectively be used as one of the tools in evaluating the resonance of native speakers of these languages using the Rainbow passage, Zoo passage, and Nasal Sentences. Mean nasalance scores obtained in this study fell within the range of means obtained in previous research. Pp. 59-65.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
*Price, Jennifer A.
MEASURES USED TO ASSIGN DIAGNOSTIC SEVERITY CATEGORIES OF HYPERNASALITY IN CLEFT PALATE CHILDREN: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS
This study looked at the different subjective rating scales used by speech-language pathologists on cleft palate teams across the United States to see if the use of different rating scales yielded different diagnostic severity classifications of children with varying degrees of hypernasality that were presented on a sample tape. One hundred eighty-eight (188) surveys and sample tapes, that included eight samples of children with varying degrees of hypernasality and repaired palatal clefts, were mailed to all speech-language pathologists listed in the 1997 Cleft Palate Directory. Eighteen surveys were returned and analyzed. Spearman Rho correlation coefficients were used to compare the diagnostic severity classifications of the taped samples that were rated by the speech-language pathologists and the original diagnostic severity categories of the taped samples. Spearman Rho correlation coefficients were also calculated by scale type and showed significant correlations for the four-, five-, and seven-point scales, with the strongest correlation on the six-point scale (Rho = .839). One-sample t-tests were performed to determine if significant variability existed between the various hypernasality classifications and the combined scales. The results showed significant variability when rating normal, mild, mild-moderate, and very severe hypernasality. There was a trend towards statistically significant variation in the moderate-severe category and no statistical significance in variability when rating very-mild and moderate hypernasality. These results suggest that there may be a need to standardize assessment procedures and to utilize a six-point rating scale when assigning diagnostic severity categories to children who present with hypernasal speech. Pp. 66-72.
*Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November, 1999, San Francisco, California.
Ordering information:
To order any of the above papers, send a request through regular inter-library loan to California State University, East Bay Libraries, Hayward, California 94542. Include author, title, volume, call number and page numbers.
