Further evaluation of self and peer judgements of speech with delayed auditory feedback

Fifteen undergraduate students recorded a standard reading passage under simultaneous auditory feedback (SAF) and delayed auditory feedback (DAF, 210 ms). These pairs were rated for articulation and fluency differences, reading rate differences, pitch differences, loudness differences, and overall differences in quality of speech by the fifteen speakers and by ten peer judges. Results suggest that naive speakers under DAF form a self-impression of the effects of DAF upon their speech that is not different from the qualitative ratings of independent peer judges. The hypothesis that there was no overall difference between self and peer ratings was not rejected. Implications for the use of DAF as a research or treatment modality, or as both, are discussed.     

Cerebral lateralization of visual stimulus recognition in stutterers and fluent speakers

Cerebral lateralization of stutterers and nonstutterers was assessed in terms of choice reaction times to stimuli presented to either the left or right visual hemifield on letter recognition and figure recognition tasks. Reaction times on both tasks were determined before and after a behavioral speech therapy program. Stutterers demonstrated a significant reduction in mean reaction times in the letter recognition task over the course of the therapy program. This change differed significantly from that obtained from stutterers in the figure recognition task. The stutterers' responses were in contrast to the responses of the nonstutterers, who showed no reduction in mean reaction times for the letter or figure recognition tasks. The results were discussed in terms of alterations in aspects of central nervous system processing as a result of participation in the behavioral speech therapy.     

Fluency,disfluency, dysfluency,and stuttering

The appropriate use of words, particularly certain words, is a persisting problem in the field of stuttering. This paper discusses some of the misuse involving four words basic to the field.     

Effects of subgrouping in stuttering research

The most frequently utilized research design in stuttering research compares stutterers to nonstutterers, with the assumption that stutterers represent a homogeneous group. The present study examines the effects of subgrouping stuttering subjects. Sample populations were randomly selected from a pool of stuttering children, successively increasing the stringency of selection criteria for group membership. The groups were contrasted across five dependent variables. The results indicated that the performance differences between the groups increased as the selection criteria became more stringent. The findings were interpreted as supporting the need to more closely examine the individual differences of stutterers, deviating from the traditional research paradigm.     

Update: School-age stutterers

Field-test data is reported on 48 school-age stutterers evaluated with the Assessment of Fluency in School-Age Children during the 1980–1981 school year in East-Central Ohio, which is largely rural in character with small industrial cities. The data answers questions proposed in 1977 regarding issues relating to the identification of young stutterers, their awareness of disfluent speech, and management problems in a school setting.     

The effects of books and gender constancy development on kindergarten children's sex-role attitudes

The effects of symbolic models and level of gender understanding on children's sex-role attitudes was investigated. Kindergarten boys and girls heard and discussed books whose characters depicted either traditional or nontraditional sex-role behaviors. Attitudes toward males and females were measured before and after the picture book treatment. When the study began, children were screened for gender understanding so that half were able to make other-gender constancy judgments, and half were not able to make other-gender constancy judgments. Prior to the treatment, boys and children who had attained gender constancy were slightly negative toward males and neutral toward females, whereas girls and children who had not attained gender constancy were very negative toward males and very positive toward females. Exposure to traditional books had the effect of enhancing attitudes toward males and decreasing attitudes toward females. Exposure to nontraditional books had the opposite effect of decreasing attitudes toward males and enhancing attitudes toward females. The effects of the picture book treatment on attitudes toward females were more pronounced for children who had attained other-gender constancy. Implications for social learning and cognitive-developmental theories of sex-role development are discussed.     

Social interactional processes within the family: The study of the moment-by-moment family transactions in which human social development is imbedded

A strategy for the study of social interaction in the family is reviewed that places particular emphasis on those variables that have proven useful or hold promise for the identification and understanding of factors that affect human social development. First, the heavy reliance on observational data and other main features of the approach are described. Second, an attempt is made to summarize some of the more significant findings from this type of research that have added significantly to our understanding of social development within the family. Third, the major research methods used in this approach are described, as well as the research that needs to be done in order to improve the methodology. Finally, a number of major gaps in our substantive knowledge about social interaction within the family are indicated.     

Menstrual cycle effects on task performance examined in the context of stress research

The study examined the effects of degree of paramenstrual distress, signal frequency, task load and time on task on psychomotor performance across the menstrual cycle. Simple reaction time, choice reaction time and pursuit tracking were the tasks employed, and performance was assessed using the metrics of mean level, variability, and errors of omission and commission. The results showed performance as a function of menstrual cycle phase and paramenstrual distress to be highly task and metric specific, a finding typical of stressor variables: pursuit tracking was affected by phase, with mean performance at its worst premenstrually; choice reaction time was dependent on a complex interaction of experimental variables and measurement metrics; simple reaction time showed no significant effects. Patterns of attention allocation in a time-sharing situation combining both pursuit tracking and choice reaction time components were also investigated. Trends here indicated relatively better performance both menstrually and intermenstrually as components increased in signal/response frequency, with a corresponding deterioration premenstrually. Overall performance capacity appeared to be greatest at menstruation, and the degree of attentional selectivity was least. High distress women performed better on low frequency components, whereas asymptomatic women did better at higher signal rates.     

Adaptive behavior inventory for children: The need for local norms

This study investigates the need for local and/or separate racial-ethnic group norms on the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC). A random sample of 420 children from the Corpus Christi (Texas) Independent School District, was stratified according to gender, age, racial-ethnic group (Black, Mexican-American, and Anglo), and low or middle socioeconomic status. The parent of each child was interviewed with the ABIC. Results indicated a need for local norms for only the low SES Mexican-Americans.