Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o site Curso de Sistema de Frequência Modulada para Professores, como instrumento de capacitação de professores que tenham em sala de aula alunos com deficiência auditiva usuários de Aparelho de Amplificação Sonora Individual (AASI) e/ou Implante Coclear (IC) acoplados ao Sistema de Frequência Modulada (FM). O site foi avaliado por professores da Rede Estadual e Privada da cidade de Bauru e também por professores do Colégio do Serviço Social da Indústria (SESI), quanto aos aspectos de qualidade técnica e de conteúdo. Participaram, no total, 65 professores com idade média de 40 anos e todos com curso superior em sua formação. Os professores após navegarem no site preencheram anonimamente um questionário online disponível no site com questões sobre dados demográficos, conhecimento do professor sobre o seu aluno, formação complementar e uso da internet. Também responderam às questões sobre a qualidade técnica do site por meio do questionário Emory, que compreende as subescalas precisão, autores, atualizações, público, navegação, links e estrutura e conteúdo do site. Os professores não manifestaram dificuldades para responder ao questionário, tendo como média de preenchimento do questionário 33 minutos e 14 segundos. Os mesmos também demonstraram não ter experiência com as questões da deficiência auditiva de um modo geral (perda auditiva, localização, grau da perda, acústica em sala, uso do sistema de FM, dentre outras). Foi possível verificar que 53,84% dos professores utilizam a internet frequentemente. O site obteve como pontuação geral 87,64% no questionário Emory, considerado como sendo adequado. No estudo das subescalas isoladamente foi verificado que os aspectos \"conteúdo\", \"autores\", \"atualizações\", \"público\" e \"links\" relacionados ao questionário Emory tiveram pontuação como sendo excelente (acima de 90%). As subescalas \"navegação\" e \"estrutura\" foram classificadas como sendo adequadas (pontuação 76,53% e 78,84%, respectivamente). O aspecto \"precisão\" do site obteve a pontuação de 68,2%, revelando necessidade de revisão. Os professores avaliaram o seu conhecimento prévio antes de navegar no conteúdo do site como sendo ruim e satisfeito e após navegarem no site eles avaliaram que o site ajudou muito e também estavam muito satisfeitos com o conteúdo. O site foi considerado pelos participantes como sendo uma ferramenta importante para ajudá-los no dia a dia com o aluno com a deficiência auditiva. / This study aimed to evaluate the site \"Course Frequency Modulation System for Teachers \", as a tool for teachers who have students in the classroom for hearing -impaired users Individual hearing aids (HA) and cochlear implants (CI) coupled to the Frequency Modulation (FM) System. The site was evaluated by teachers of state and private systems of Bauru city and also by teachers of the Colégio do Serviço Social da Indústria (SESI), on the aspects of technical quality and content. A total of 65 teachers, whose average age was 40 years old and all of them were college graduated, participated in the evaluation. After navigating the site, anonymously filled an online questionnaire about demographic data, teacher´s knowledge about his/her student, complementary training and internet usage. They also answered the questions about technical quality of the site through the questionnaire Emory, which includes the subscales accuracy, authors, updates, public, navigation, links and the site structure and content. The teachers did not have problems to answer the questionnaire, and the average time of filling it was 33 minutes and 14 seconds. They also demonstrated to have no experience with hearing impairment questions in general (hearing loss, location, hearing loss degree, classroom acoustics, usage of FM System, and others). It was possible to verify that 53,84% of teachers use the internet frequently. The site obtained as 87,64% general score on the questionnaire Emory, considered to be appropriate. Analyzing the subscales separately, the aspect \"content\", \"author\", \"update\", \"public\" and \"links\" related to the questionnaire Emory scored as excellent (above 90%). The subscales \"navigation\" and \"structure\" were classified appropriate (score 76.53% and 78.84%, respectively). The aspect of \"accuracy\" of the site received a score of 68.2%, revealing a need for review. Before navigating the site content, teachers rated their previous knowledge as \"poor\" and \"satisfied\"; after navigating the site, they assessed the site \"helped a lot\" and \"helped\", and they were very satisfied about the content. The site was considered by the participants as an important tool to help them in day-to-day to work with hearing-impaired students.

Orientadora: Cristiane Moço Canhetti Oliveira / Banca: Simone Aparecida Capellini / Banca: Liliane Desgualdo Pereira / Resumo: A literatura contemporânea específica da área tem mostrado evidências científicas tanto da base neurobiológica da gagueira, como da alta prevalência do transtorno do processamento auditivo central nos indivíduos com gagueira. Considerando que na literatura compilada não foram encontrados trabalhos relacionados ao treinamento auditivo nesta população, este estudo teve como objetivo geral verificar a eficácia do treinamento auditivo em indivíduos com gagueira e com transtorno do processamento auditivo central. Participaram 06 indivíduos com gagueira do desenvolvimento e com distúrbio do processamento auditivo central, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 8 e 16 anos de idade. Os procedimentos realizados foram: avaliação da fluência da fala, classificação da gravidade da gagueira, avaliação audiológica básica, avaliação do processamento auditivo central, aplicação do programa terapêutico de treinamento auditivo e reavaliação da fluência e do processamento auditivo central. Foi realizada a análise estatística com o teste "t" de Student. Os resultados mostraram que houve maior média de acertos dos testes Padrão de Frequência (TPF) e Padrão de Duração (TPD) para ambas as orelhas. Após o treinamento auditivo ocorreu uma redução estatisticamente significante no teste Random Gap Detection Test Limiar Médio (RGDT_LI). O escores dos concomitantes físicos e o escore total do Instrumento de Gravidade de Gagueira apresentaram redução estatisticamente significante na avaliação da fluência pós... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Specific contemporary literature in the field has shown scientific evidence in terms of the neurobiological basis of stuttering and the high prevalence of central auditory processing disorder in individuals with stuttering. Regarding that in the compiled literature there were no studies related to auditory training in this population, this study had as general purpose to verify the effectiveness of auditory training in individuals with stuttering and with central auditory processing disorder. Participants were six individuals with developmental stuttering and central auditory processing disorders, both sexes, aged between 8 and 16 years old. The procedures performed were: speech fluency evaluation, classification of stuttering severity, basic audiological assessment, central auditory processing evaluation, application of the therapeutic program of auditory training and fluency and central auditory processing reevaluations. Statistical analysis was performed with Student' t-test. The results showed that there was a higher mean of correct answers of the Pitch Pattern Sequence (PPS) and Duration Pattern Sequence (DPS) tests for both ears. Soon after the auditory training, a statistically significant reduction occurred in the Random Gap Detection Test Average Threshold (RGDT_AT). The physical concomitants scores and total score of the Stuttering Severity Instrument presented a statistically significant reduction in the fluency evaluation post-training auditory. Most individuals (... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Abstract not available

Psychological research on cross-modal auditory-visual perception has focused predominantly on the manipulation of sensory information by visual information. There are relatively few studies of the way auditory stimuli may affect other sensory information. The Sound-induced Illusory Flash is one illusory paradigm that involves the auditory system biasing visual information. However, little is known about this cross-modal illusion. More research is needed into the structure of the illusion that investigates the different conditions under which the Sound induced Illusory Flash manifests and is enhanced or reduced. The research conducted for this thesis investigates the effect of new auditory stimulus variables on the Sound-induced Illusory Flash. The variables to be discussed concern the formation of a contrast in the auditory stimuli, with the contrast creating a rhythm that emphasises the discontinuous nature of the auditory stimuli, and therefore emphasises the illusory percept. The auditory stimulus contrasts include pitch separation with the octave interval, using the frequencies of 261.5 and 523Hz; and spatial separation in the auditory stimuli, presenting the monophonic auditory stimuli binaurally so that individual tones alternate between the left and right channels. I furthered this concept of auditory stimuli separation biasing an illusory percept, by investigating pitch and spatial presentation and localisation of the visual stimuli presentation, when multiple dots were presented. I also conducted analyses to determine if factors other than the auditory stimuli biased the illusory percept. These included the use of non-illusory trials and determining if their inclusion biased the illusory trial percept; and the impact of physical factors such as handedness, eye dominance, corrected vision, and musical experience on the illusory percept. My ultimate aim is to develop the illusory effect as a basis for new intermedia techniques to create the perceptual synchronisation of sound with images. These would be perceived as visually spliced according to the rhythm of the music on the micro time scale. / Master of Arts (Honours)

Recent studies have shown that there is a visual influence early in speech processing - visual speech enhances the ability to detect auditory speech in noise. However, identifying exactly how visual speech interacts with auditory processing at such an early stage has been challenging, because this so-called AV speech detection advantage is both highly related to a specific lower-order, signal-based, optic-acoustic relationship between the second formant amplitude and the area of the mouth (F2/Mouth-area), and mediated by higher-order, information-based factors. Previous investigations either have maximised or minimised information-based factors, or have minimised signal-based factors, in order to try to tease out the relative importance of these sources of the advantage, but they have not yet been successful in this endeavour. Maximising signal-based factors has not previously been explored. This avenue was explored in this thesis by manipulating speaking style, hyperarticulated speech was used to maximise signal-based factors, and hypoarticulated speech to minimise signal-based factors - to examine whether the AV speech detection advantage is modified by these means, and to provide a clearer idea of the primary source of visual influence in the AV detection advantage. Two sets of six studies were conducted. In the first set, three recorded speech styles, hyperarticulated, normal, and hypoarticulated, were extensively analysed in physical (optic and acoustic) and perceptual (visual and auditory) dimensions ahead of stimulus selection for the second set of studies. The analyses indicated that the three styles comprise distinctive categories on the Hyper-Hypo continuum of articulatory effort (Lindblom, 1990). Most relevantly, both optically and visually hyperarticulated speech was more informative, and hypoarticulated less informative, than normal speech with regard to signal-based movement factors. However, the F2/Mouth-area correlation was similarly strong for all speaking styles, thus allowing examination of signal-based, visual informativeness on AV speech detection with optic-acoustic association controlled. In the second set of studies, six Detection Experiments incorporating the three speaking styles were designed to examine whether, and if so why, more visually-informative (hyperarticulated) speech augmented, and less visually informative (hypoarticulated) speech attenuated, the AV detection advantage relative to normal speech, and to examine visual influence when auditory speech was absent. Detection Experiment 1 used a two-interval, two-alternative (first or second interval, 2I2AFC) detection task, and indicated that hyperarticulation provided an AV detection advantage greater than for normal and hypoarticulated speech, with less of an advantage for hypoarticulated than for normal speech. Detection Experiment 2 used a single-interval, yes-no detection task to assess responses in signal-absent independent of signal-present conditions as a means of addressing participants’ reports that speech was heard when it was not presented in the 2I2AFC task. Hyperarticulation resulted in an AV detection advantage, and for all speaking styles there was a consistent response bias to indicate speech was present in signal-absent conditions. To examine whether the AV detection advantage for hyperarticulation was due to visual, auditory or auditory-visual factors, Detection Experiments 3 and 4 used mismatching AV speaking style combinations (AnormVhyper, AnormVhypo, AhyperVnorm, AhypoVnorm) that were onset-matched or time-aligned, respectively. The results indicated that higher rates of mouth movement can be sufficient for the detection advantage with weak optic-acoustic associations, but, in circumstances where these associations are low, even high rates of movement have little impact on augmenting detection in noise. Furthermore, in Detection Experiment 5, in which visual stimuli consisted only of the mouth movements extracted from the three styles, there was no AV detection advantage, and it seems that this is so because extra-oral information is required, perhaps to provide a frame of reference that improves the availability of mouth movement to the perceiver. Detection Experiment 6 used a new 2I-4AFC task and the measures of false detections and response bias to identify whether visual influence in signal absent conditions is due to response bias or an illusion of hearing speech in noise (termed here the Speech in Noise, SiN, Illusion). In the event, the SiN illusion occurred for both the hyperarticulated and the normal styles – styles with reasonable amounts of movement change. For normal speech, the responses in signal-absent conditions were due only to the illusion of hearing speech in noise, whereas for hypoarticulated speech such responses were due only to response bias. For hyperarticulated speech there is evidence for the presence of both types of visual influence in signal-absent conditions. It seems to be the case that there is more doubt with regard to the presence of auditory speech for non-normal speech styles. An explanation of past and present results is offered within a new framework -the Dynamic Bimodal Accumulation Theory (DBAT). This is developed in this thesis to address the limitations of, and conflicts between, previous theoretical positions. DBAT suggests a bottom-up influence of visual speech on the processing of auditory speech; specifically, it is proposed that the rate of change of visual movements guides auditory attention rhythms ‘on-line’ at corresponding rates, which allows selected samples of the auditory stream to be given prominence. Any patterns contained within these samples then emerge from the course of auditory integration processes. By this account, there are three important elements of visual speech necessary for enhanced detection of speech in noise. First and foremost, when speech is present, visual movement information must be available (as opposed to hypoarticulated and synthetic speech) Then the rate of change, and opticacoustic relatedness also have an impact (as in Detection Experiments 3 and 4). When speech is absent, visual information has an influence; and the SiN illusion (Detection Experiment 6) can be explained as a perceptual modulation of a noise stimulus by visually-driven rhythmic attention. In sum, hyperarticulation augments the AV speech detection advantage, and, whenever speech is perceived in noisy conditions, there is either response bias to perceive speech or a SiN illusion, or both. DBAT provides a detailed description of these results, with wider-ranging explanatory power than previous theoretical accounts. Predictions are put forward for examination of the predictive power of DBAT in future studies. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis is concerned with describing and experimentally investigating the nature of perceptual learning. Ecological psychology defines perceptual learning as a process of educating attention to structural properties of stimuli (i.e., invariants) that specify meaning (i.e., affordances) to the perceiver. Although such definition comprehensively describes the questions of what humans learn to perceive, it does not address the question of how learning occurs. It is proposed in this thesis that the principles of classical and operant conditioning can be used to strengthen and expand the ecological account of perceptual learning. The perceptual learning of affordances is described in terms of learning that a stimulus is associated with another stimulus (classical conditioning), and in terms of learning that interacting with a stimulus is associated with certain consequences (operant conditioning). Empirical work in this thesis investigated the effect of conditioning on pitch and speech perception. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 were designed to modify pitch perception in Shepard tones via tone-colour associative training. During training, Shepard tones were paired with coloured circles in a way that the colour of the circles could be predicted by either the F0 (pitch) or by an F0-irrelevant auditory invariant. Participants were required to identify the colour of the circles that was associated with the tones and they received corrective feedback. Hypotheses were based on the assumption that F0-relevant/F0- irrelevant conditioning would increase/decrease the accuracy of pitch perception in Shepard tones. Experiment 1 investigated the difference between F0-relevant and F0- irrelevant conditioning in a between-subjects design, and found that pitch perception in the two conditions did not differ. Experiments 2 and 3 investigated the effect of F0- relevant and F0-irrelevant conditioning (respectively) on pitch perception using a within subjects (pre-test vs. post-test) design. It was found that the accuracy of pitch perception increased after F0-relevant conditioning, and was unaffected by F0-irrelevant conditioning. The differential trends observed in Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that conditioning played some role in influencing pitch perception. However, the question whether the observed trends were due to the facilitatory effect of F0-relevant conditioning or the inhibitory effect of F0-irrelevant conditioning warrants future investigation. Experiments 4, 5, and 6 were designed to modify the perception of McGurk syllables (i.e., auditory /b/ paired with visual /g/) via consonant-pitch associative training. During training, participants were repeatedly presented with /b/, /d/, and /g/ consonants in falling, flat, and rising pitch contours, respectively. Pitch contour was paired with either the auditory signal (Experiments 4 and 5) or the visual signal (Experiment 6) of the consonant. Participants were required to identify the stop consonants and they received corrective feedback. The perception of McGurk stimuli was tested before and after training by asking participants to identify the stop consonant in each stimulus as /b/ or /d/ or /g/. It was hypothesized that conditioning would increase (1) /b/ responses more in the falling than in the flat/ rising contour conditions, (2) /d/ responses more in the flat than in the falling/ rising contour conditions, and (3) /g/ responses more in the rising than in the falling/flat contour conditions. Support for the hypotheses was obtained in Experiments 5 and 6, but only in one response category (i.e., /b/ and /g/ response categories, respectively). It is suggested that the subtlety of the observed conditioning effect could be enhanced by increasing the salience of pitch contour and by reducing the clarity of auditory/visual invariants that specify consonants. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have reported evidence of impaired auditory information processing in patients with schizophrenia. Some of these findings, such as the impaired P50 sensory gating, are consistent with a loss of inhibitory function. In auditory ERP studies using pairs of stimuli the size of the second response relative to the first response has been taken to indicate the extent to which responsiveness has recovered after a period of time. This variation of responsiveness has been termed the 'recovery cycle,' and is regarded as a measure of the time course of recovery of excitability of cortical neurons after stimulation. The recovery cycle of the auditory N1 ERP component was measured in 17 patients with schizophrenia and 17 age- and sexmatched healthy volunteers, and 12 patients with bipolar disorder and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Subjects performed a visual distraction task while listening to tone pairs, presented with intra-pair intervals of 1, 3, 5 or 7 s, with inter-pair intervals ranging between 9-13 s. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly reduced N1 amplitudes for S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. For N1 amplitudes elicited by S2 stimuli there was a significant group effect whilst the main effect of intra-pair interval was not significant. A significant quadratic effect across ISI intervals was present in the healthy volunteer group, which was not significant in the schizophrenia group. Patients with bipolar disorder did not differ in N1 amplitudes elicited by S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. There was no evidence of significant group differences in the recovery cycle effect between bipolar patients and matched healthy volunteers. The results provide evidence of inhibitory auditory processing deficits in schizophrenia, and further suggest that deficits in attention found in patients with schizophrenia, as indexed by reductions of auditory N1 amplitude, may be associated with impairments in inhibitory processes. In addition, different recovery cycle effects were found in patients with schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder. Further study of the recovery cycle paradigm used in this study may lead to the development of an objective diagnostic tool.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Situated between music and architecture, this thesis explores the notation, design, and performance of sound space. In the middle of the twentieth century, composers began to include spatial directives in their musical scores. They introduced a lineage of conservation, communication, and conception of spatial meaning in sound. This strategy of notation, as used by Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage, demonstrates a working relationship with space that is rooted in the discipline of architecture. As a synthesis of the research, installation projects build the experiential component of this thesis. The design and performance of these sound based installations amplify depth, movement, and change. These unique qualities of sound complete what other media fail to represent, and can significantly inform the ocular-centric design process in architecture. Ultimately, this investigation brings temporality into current architectural discourse by considering sound as an essential component of space. Through the act of listening, this thesis seeks to engage the sonorous layer of architecture and to enrich our experience of the world.

Situated between music and architecture, this thesis explores the notation, design, and performance of sound space. In the middle of the twentieth century, composers began to include spatial directives in their musical scores. They introduced a lineage of conservation, communication, and conception of spatial meaning in sound. This strategy of notation, as used by Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage, demonstrates a working relationship with space that is rooted in the discipline of architecture. As a synthesis of the research, installation projects build the experiential component of this thesis. The design and performance of these sound based installations amplify depth, movement, and change. These unique qualities of sound complete what other media fail to represent, and can significantly inform the ocular-centric design process in architecture. Ultimately, this investigation brings temporality into current architectural discourse by considering sound as an essential component of space. Through the act of listening, this thesis seeks to engage the sonorous layer of architecture and to enrich our experience of the world.