Sensory-substitution systems for the sensorily impaired: the case for the use of tactile-vibratory stimulation

A case is made for the use of tactile-vibratory stimulation in devising sensory-substitution systems for sensorily impaired humans.     

Acoustic evidence of aberrant velocities in stutterers' fluent speech

Movement rates of formant frequencies and the extents of articulatory change were spectrographically analyzed in the fLuent (VCV) utterances of 20 stutterers and nonstutterers. The velocities of articulator movement throughout the first vowel and velocities into the second vowel were not significantly different for the two groups. These mean rates of movement, although nonsignificant, were slower in stutterers and slightly more variable, and the extent of articulator movement was comparable. These results do not support the contentions that stutterers use coarticulatory movements that are too rapid or that stutterers have a poorer competence for rapid coordination of speech movements. The rationales of rate-control treatment methods to slow coarticulatory movements in stutterers need to be reexamined.     

Changes in salt taste in dialysis and their relationship to blood constituents

Taste sensitivity for sodium chloride in solution and sensitivity and preference for sodium chloride in bread were measured in 14 male patients undergoing hemodialysis. There was an increase in sensitivity to salt taste following dialysis only when assessed using the bread samples. Patients on a lower sodium diet were more sensitive to salt taste in bread. Although the taste changes were not related to the decreases in serum sodium or to copper, greater increases in sensitivity were related to greater increases in serum zinc during dialysis.     

Gifted children and Visual Aural Digit Span test performance

The performance of 81 gifted elementary students on the Visual Aural Digit Span test is discussed. The students generally showed advanced performance from Grade 1 through Grade 5 and from age 7-0 yr. through 11-11 yr. Performance at Grade 6 and the 12-0 to 12-11-yr.-old levels were generally at age-expected levels and were probably restricted due to the test's limited ceiling. Tables of means across grade and age and needs for further research are also presented.     

Test of the neurolinguistic programming hypothesis that eye-movements relate to processing imagery

Bandler and Grinder's hypothesis that eye-movements reflect sensory processing was examined. 28 volunteers first memorized and then recalled visual, auditory, and kinesthetic stimuli. Changes in eye-positions during recall were videotaped and categorized by two raters into positions hypothesized by Bandler and Grinder's model to represent visual, auditory, and kinesthetic recall. Planned contrast analyses suggested that visual stimulus items, when recalled, elicited significantly more upward eye-positions and stares than auditory and kinesthetic items. Auditory and kinesthetic items, however, did not elicit more changes in eye-position hypothesized by the model to represent auditory and kinesthetic recall, respectively.     

Test of the validity of the Vando R-A Scale

The purpose of this study was to gather evidence on the validity of the Vando R-A Scale, a paper-and-pencil measure of perceptual reactance. The Vando R-A Scale and Petrie's kinesthetic aftereffect measure of perceptual reactance were administered to 46 participants drawn from university undergraduates. The Vando R-A Scale was not a valid measure of perceptual reactance. The continued use of the Vando R-A Scale as an alternate measure of perceptual reactance is contraindicated.     

Effects of auditory masking by white noise on primary stressing during spontaneous speech

6 adult subjects (3 men, 3 women) produced highly similar spontaneous speech utterances in quiet and with 90-dB SPL white noise. The frequency of occurrence of perceptual judgments of primary stressing in an utterance was not affected by the masking noise. This finding supplements our previous report that variability for stress production of fundamental frequency (fo) during spontaneous speech was preserved under short-term auditory disruption. Also, it adds further support to the contention that fo is under open-loop regulation.