Speech-language pathologists are routinely called upon to make professional assessments concerning a speaker's level of intelligibility. The use of subjective judgement procedures for estimating a percentage of intelligibility is the general practice of many speech-language pathologists because they require minimal time. Although efficient, these methods lack any form of numerical support, and their validity and reliability is questionable. The standard within the field that provides data support is the orthographic transcription method, but it is considered to be too time-consuming for practical application (Samar & Metz, 1988). Researchers continue to seek a measure that is both valid and efficient to be used clinically. The purpose of this study was to establish validity of a check-slash transcription method used to provide objective numerical support for assigning percentage of intelligibility for individuals with moderate speech impairments. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1) Is the check-slash method of transcription a valid measure for quantifying percentage of intelligibility? 2) Is the check-slash method a more time-efficient procedure than the orthographic transcription method? The subjects for this study were 20 graduate students from Portland State University, that were randomly assigned to two transcription groups (check-slash or orthographic}. Each listener transcribed 12 samples taken from 2 girls and 10 boys between the ages of 4:1 and 5:6 with a moderate degree of phonological deficiency. The data were analyzed using individual Mann-Whitney U Tests for each of the 12 samples. Results indicated no significant difference between the check-slash and orthographic transcription methods when used to assign a percentage of intelligibility to individuals with a moderate speech deficit. Although no significant difference was found, interrater reliability for both methods was low. This study established efficiency for the check-slash transcription method when compared to the orthographic method. Increased efficiency for the check-slash method ranged from 38% to 54% over the orthographic method. Results may also indicate that listener perception may influence each clinician's ability to be accurate in their assessments.

It would be useful to obtain information about social and emotional characteristics in children who are receiving articulation/phonological intervention in order to assess the effectiveness of various treatment approaches from a social/emotional perspective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not articulation and phonological intervention influences children's social and emotional characteristics as perceived by their parents and, if so, which articulation approach (traditional vs. phonological cycling) results in more improvement in different domains of social and emotional characteristics. The specific social and emotional characteristics explored in this study are social skills, communication, independence, self-esteem, and domestic responsibility as assessed by the Affective Behavior Scales for the Disabled-Modified (ABSD-Modified, Brannan, 1991). In this study, each of the subject's parents completed a rating scale of social and emotional characteristics of their child at the beginning of intervention and again after 20 weeks of intervention. The scores for the five social and emotional domains were compared for differences prior to and following intervention. Additionally, the amount of improvement for those social and emotional characteristics was compared between the two groups, one group receiving traditional articulation intervention and the other group receiving a phonological cycling approach. Data analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-intervention subscale scores for the traditional articulation intervention group and for the phonological cycling intervention group combined. The results also indicated no statistically significant difference in the amount of change in social and emotional characteristics between the two groups of subjects. However, the research data did show trends toward the statistically significant level of .05 in the social/emotional domains of self-esteem (p = .097) and communication (p = .091) for the phonological cycling group. Trends toward the statistically significant level in the two domains of self-esteem and communication suggest that articulation/phonological intervention may influence other areas in the individual's life. Therefore, further investigation of the research questions posed for this study is warranted.

Language is a major part of a child's early developmental growth. Research examining early language shows a wide variation in the rate of language acquisition and its pattern of development. These variations also exist when language development is delayed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of a relationship between gender and language delay by looking for significant differences in the language skills of 3-year-old boys and girls who were identified as late-talkers (LTs) at the age of 2. Data used for analysis in this study were retrieved from data collected earlier as part of the Portland Language Development Project (PLDP) and a concurring study of late-talking girls. Subjects for this study were drawn from these larger cohorts. The files of all prospective subjects were examined for an expressive vocabulary of less than 50 words at 20-34 months, and for participation in the follow-up evaluation at age 3. Final selection of subjects for this study included 23 boys and 16 girls. Scores from five previously administered assessment measures were compiled for analysis, including the Developmental Sentence Score (DSS), the Expressive OneWord Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT), the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA), the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised {TACL-R), and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. These measures were administered as part of the PLOP and the study of late-talking girls. Mean scores for the boys and the girls were computed for each assessment measure. A two-tailed t-test was used to analyze the differences between these mean scores. The results revealed a significant difference, beyond the .05 level of confidence, between the boys' and girls' scores for the EOWPVT. Although no other significant differences were found, it was noted that the boys' scores were consistently higher than the girls' scores on all measures. It was also noted that, on 4 out of 5 assessment measures, a higher percentage of girls did not respond or could not complete the test due to inability to attend. The fifth measure, the PPVT-R, was completed by all subjects.

Th purpose of this study is to discover to interpret the nature and the extent of the deviations of voice, articulation, and rhythm of those students who were enrolled as regular students in the Stockton Junior College during the school year ending in June of 1939. Such deviations presumably reflect the speech needs of these individuals. The interpretation of such discoveries should, in a concrete and graphic manner, show not only the speech needs of those individuals tested, but also the general tendencies of any similar group of students of Junior College level in this location. However, the specific task of this study is to discover the facts, not to make recommendations concerning policy.

A study of closed circuit television systems was made which could be utilized t o supplement conventional teaching methods at College of Southern Utah. A basic , but complete studio installation for production work and radio-television class room instruction in addition to four , individual, self - contained installations a re recommended f or regular classroom use. All equipment is to be compatible and provide for complete interchangeability of tapes within the system. Present costs of distribution systems indicate that video t apes produced in the classroom, in the fi eld, or in the studio and played back in the class room would provide bette r utilization of available funds. It is recommended, however, that all future buildings be cabled with coaxial cable f or closed circuit te levisi on distribution . This form would be less costly and more versatile than microwave distribution. Included are re commendations of presently available, commercial equipment that satisfy the indicated needs.

Globalization has posed colossal challenges to professional communications, and the most significant one is to overcome the cultural barriers. Rather than looking into cultural phenomena that are superficial, this research takes a philosophical approach to investigate the beliefs and values which are the core of social systems. The overarching purpose of this research is to establish cultural competence for entering the Chinese market by a discussion of different aesthetic, emotional, and philosophical points of view. With detailed analysis and evaluation, this research provides some guidelines to appropriate future marketing strategies in China. This research contributes to the understanding of the entwinement between philosophical values and marketing strategies and it provides further insight into future research for improving communicative competence across cultures.

The purpose of the present investigation was to provide a clearer understanding of how various levels of perceptual correspondence are associated with one another and with performance appraisal. Specifically, the present study focused on the variable of accuracy in an attempt to discover its relative importance to performance appraisal. Also of interest was the relationship between accuracy and agreement.

This is a study of the effects of three different levels of intimate self-disclosure, low, moderate, and high, on electromyographic, psychogalvanic, and attitudinal response. The electromyography (EMG) and psychogalvanometer (GSR) are both devices which measure physiological “activation” or excitation level of the individual.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect(s) of tinnitus maskers and tinnitus instruments on speech discrimination utilizing a population of subjects who currently have tinnitus and are presently wearing these devices. The hypothesis which guided this investigation states that there is no difference between discrimination scores with and without tinnitus maskers. In an attempt to test this hypothesis, speech discrimination scores were obtained from 26 listeners both in quiet and in the presence of cafeteria noise, with and without use of their tinnitus maskers.

This study was designed to collect information about the working relationship of otolaryngologists with speech pathologists who provide service to voice disordered clients.