Electromyographic indications of laryngeal-area activity during stuttering expectancy

Using surface electrodes, mean microvolt values of laryngeal-area muscle activity were determined for 13 male and 6 female stutterers during 10-sec periods in which single words were silently read and stuttering expectancy was indicated. No significant differences in levels of laryngeal-area muscle activity were found between periods of fluency expectancy and stuttering expectancy preceding both fluent and stuttered speech. The results were interpreted as being nonsupportive of the hypothesis that a breakdown in stutterers' laryngeal-area muscle activity occurs during moments of stuttering expectancy. In addition, the results suggest that the most common rationale for the utilization of laryngeal biofeedback procedures to enhance fluency should be questioned.     

Communicative stress and stuttering frequency during normal,whispered, and articulation-without-phonation speech modes

The effect of communicative stress on the frequency of stuttered syllables in 12 adult stutterers reading six different but equivalent passages using normal voicing, whispering, and articulation-without-phonation speech under a stress and a non-stress condition was studied. Although the frequency of stuttering was significantly greater in the normal voicing mode than in the whispering mode and greater in the whispering mode than in the articulation-without-phonation mode, no differences were found between the stress and the nonstress conditions with respect to stuttering.     

An investigation of the perceptual basis of redundancy gain and orthogonal interference for integral dimensions

Redundancy gain and orthogonal interference for height and width were demonstrated in two experiments using a relative coding task with number of intertrial repetitions controlled. Orthogonal interference was shown to be perceptually based rather than simply an intertrial repetitions effect as suggested by Felfoldy (1974). These results from a relative coding task were discussed in terms of the previous multidimensional processing literature. It was concluded that Lockhead’s (1972t model has been applied too generally. An alternative model (a parallel, dimensional analysis stage followed by a stage in which dimensional information is integrated) was suggested.     

Production deficits in aphasia: A voice-onset time analysis

An experimental study was conducted to examine phonetic and phonemic deficits in the speech production of aphasics. Subjects included four Broca's aphasics, four Conduction aphasics, five Wernicke's aphasics, one nonaphasic dysarthric patient, and four normal controls. The subjects read a list of words containing word-initial stop consonants which were subsequently measured acoustically for voice-onset time. The results showed that Broca's aphasics exhibit a more severe production disorder than Conduction aphasics who in turn exhibit a more severe disorder than Wernicke's aphasics, in accord with clinical observations. In addition, although Broca's aphasics produced both phonetic and phonemic errors, the results showed that they have a pervasive phonetic disorder which affects their correct target productions as well as the total number of phonetic errors produced. This deficit however seems to be a speech deficit rather than a low-level motor control problem. In contrast, the Wernicke's aphasics show a deficit characterized by isolated phonemic mistargeting errors. Finally, the pattern of productions for the Conduction aphasics indicates that some patients show a predominantly phonetic disorder similar to the Broca's aphasics and others show predominantly a phonemic disorder similar to the Wernicke's aphasics.     

Two logit models for external analysis of preferences

A logit vector model and a logit ideal point model are presented for external analysis of paired comparison preference judgments aggregated over a homogeneous group. The logit vector model is hierarchically nested within the logit ideal point model so that statistical tests are available to distinguish between these two models. Generalized least squares estimation procedures are developed to account for heteroscedastic sampling error variances and specification error variances. Two numerical illustrations deal with judgments concerning employee compensation plans and preferences for salt and sugar in the brine of canned green beans.     

A factor-analytic study of measures of Machiavellianism

Three Machiavellian (Mach) scales together with measures of authoritarian personality, the EPQ and the 16PF test were subjected to a rotated factor analysis in order to identify and locate in personality space a Mach factor or factors. One Mach factor was identified independent of the main personality factors.