The purpose of this study was to provide a comparative assessment of the performance of normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects on three closed-response speech discrimination tests: Modified Rhyme Test, Oklahoma University Closed-Response Speech Test and the California Consonant Test. Specifically, the speech discrimination scores and word-initial and final position consonantal errors were examined. / The word lists for the speech discrimination tests were recorded by a speaker with General American English with a variation of Southern Dialect. The study employed 24 normal-hearing and 24 hearing-impaired subjects. Each subject heard the word lists monaurally at MCL under four test conditions: low-band (100-1500 Hz), high-band (2000-6000 Hz), speech in noise (S/N O dB; bandwidth 100-6000 Hz), and wide-band (100-6000 Hz). The word lists and listening conditions were counterbalanced to minimize the order effects. / The speech discrimination results were subjected to an analysis of variance for repeated measures which determined that the differences among test lists varied across conditions and across the two subject groups. The CCT word list seemed to differentiate normal-hearing from hearing-impaired subjects slightly better than the MRT and OUCRT. However, the speech in noise condition elicited clustered scores indicating that none of the three lists were able to differentiate normal-hearing from hearing-impaired subjects. / The consonantal error rank-orderings were subjected to the Spearman Rho analysis within subject groups and to the Mann-Whitney U Test across subject groups. The results indicated that the consonantal error rank-orderings varied as a function of test list, listener condition, subject group, position of the consonant in the word, and from one investigator to the other. / A major finding of this study was that the normal-hearing subjects committed more errors on the consonants in the word initial position. The hearing-impaired subjects committed more errors on the consonants in the word final position. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-07, Section: B, page: 2767. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 36-06, Section: B, page: 2705. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1975.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-08, Section: B, page: 3731. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-10, Section: B, page: 4974. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 36-08, Section: B, page: 3855. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1975.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 38-04, Section: B, page: 1640. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 34-02, Section: B, page: 0508. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1973.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 34-04, Section: B, page: 1360. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1973.

Middle-latency responses were obtained using chained-stimuli as a means of estimating audiometric threshold in a more time efficient manner. The stimulus chains consisted of first a quiet 33 mS interval, then 5 tone pips, each of 15 dB greater intensity than the preceding tone pip. The onsets of the tone pips were separated by 33 mS. Each 200 mS computer averaging sweep recorded the neural activity evoked by these 5 stimuli. The resulting trace reflected the first portion of five sequential middle-latency responses. Thresholds obtained using chained-stimuli were compared to those obtained using conventional middle-latency procedures and to voluntary thresholds. Both 500 Hz and 2000 Hz thresholds were assessed. It was found that the mean chained-stimuli thresholds were 6 to 8 dB higher than conventional middle-latency thresholds and 25 to 30 dB higher than behavioral thresholds. Testing using chained-stimuli was completed in slightly over 1/3 the time required for conventional middle-latency procedures, documenting the time efficiency of this method of testing. The possibility of obtaining responses at lower sensation levels by using 100-3000 Hz filtering of the physiologic responses while observing earlier latency potentials, or by slowing the repetition rate of the stimulus chain were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-12, Section: B, page: 4816. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 31-05, Section: B, page: 2780. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1970.