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

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Psychology Department, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Number is a grammatical category found in nearly every language around the world (Corbett, 2000). The syntactic expression of number is referred to as grammatical number. In English and French, two number categories are in use: singular and plural. Nouns that are written more frequently in their singular form are called singular-dominant, while those that are written more frequently in their plural form are called plural-dominant. Several lexical decision and picture naming studies have found that grammatical number and noun dominance interact, resulting in a surface frequency effect for singular-dominant nouns only. Singular-dominant nouns are recognized/named significantly faster in their singular form than in their plural form, while plural-dominant nouns are recognized/named equally fast in both forms (e.g., Baayen, Burani, & Schreuder, 1997; Biedermann, Beyersmann, Mason, & Nickels, 2013; Domínguez, Cuetos, & Segui, 1999; New, Brysbaert, Segui, Ferrand, & Rastle, 2004; Reifegerste, Meyer, & Zwitserlood, 2017). The objective of this thesis is to extend our understanding of the singular-dominant noun surface frequency effect in English and French by adopting three procedures. First, advanced linear mixed modelling techniques were used to improve statistical power and accuracy. Second, the noun dominance ratio technique (Reifegerste et al., 2017) was applied to investigate whether the surface frequency effect remains significant when noun dominance was treated as a continuous variable. Third, a determiner-noun number agreement task was created to determine whether the surface frequency effect could be reproduced in a novel task. Three studies were conducted. In Study 1, two lexical decision tasks (LDTs) were conducted. Results revealed that in both English and French, singular nouns were recognized faster than plural nouns while the noun dominance effect was non-significant. The interaction between grammatical number and noun dominance was significant in French and marginally so in English. The interaction pattern was identical in both languages, singular-dominant nouns demonstrated a surface frequency effect while plural nouns did not. In Study 2, three determiner-noun number agreement tasks (NATs) were conducted. Results revealed that in both English and French, plural nouns were recognized faster than singular nouns. No other effects were significant. Incorporating irregular singular nouns (e.g., bonus) and plural nouns (e.g., mice) as foils produced the same results. In Study 3, two LDTs and one NAT were conducted. Lexical decision results revealed that in both English and French, singular nouns were recognized faster than plural nouns. However, the effects of noun collectivity and animacy were significant in English only; non-collective nouns were recognized faster than collective nouns while inanimate nouns were recognized faster than animate nouns. Number agreement results revealed that in English, plural nouns were recognized faster than singular nouns; no other effects reached significance. Taken together, my studies confirm that a strong surface frequency effect exists during visual word recognition for singular-dominant nouns. However, the surface frequency effect does not extend to the formation determiner-noun number agreement decisions, which were influenced nearly exclusively by grammatical number.

Research has shown that fine-grained consonantal phonetic information can be gradiently integrated during spoken word recognition in the L1. However, the way listeners categorize vocalic phonetic information has not been investigated as thoroughly. Furthermore, second language (L2) listeners’ processing of fine-grained information is not as well known as L1 processing. L1 Canadian French (CF) listeners and L2 listeners (native English) were tested in an eye tracking paradigm with words containing partially nasalized (CVN) and fully nasal (CṼ) vowels. Stimuli were designed to have variable nasalization duration on the vowel, and sometimes include a short nasal consonant word-finally. The main goals were to determine how nasalization duration influences word recognition in an L1 and an L2, and if variations in phonetic details are gradiently or categorically integrated. Results show that L1 listeners gradiently were able to identify the stimuli when they contained mismatching phonetic cues, while L2 listeners display more categorical patterns of recognition. When stimuli do not have conflicting phonetic cues, L1 listeners mostly identify words as CṼ, except when the vowel is not nasalized. For L2 listeners, the pattern was similar, but the rate of stimuli identification as phonological nasal (CṼ) was lower due to L1 transfer. These results support the hypothesis that L1 listeners have phonological representations that include fine-grained phonetic information and that they consider it when recognizing words. On the other hand, L2 listeners who have less experience in the L2 display more categorical recognition patterns, probably because their representations include coarser phonetic information or because they cannot access fine-grained representations, given the cognitive demands of L2 processing. When words do not contain conflicting phonetic cues, patterns of recognition of both L1 and L2 listeners seem more categorical, even though L2 listeners displayed lower rates of identification than L1 listeners overall. This uncertainty can also be due to less detailed phonological representations or to their inability to access all the necessary information to recognize words. Overall, these results suggest that fine-grained phonetic information gradiently impacts word recognition, that it is part of phono-lexical representations, and that L2 processing is qualitatively and quantitatively different from L1 processing.

O reconhecimento de palavras isoladas é uma habilidade básica e preliminar ao desenvolvimento da leitura fluente. No leitor hábil esse processo encontra-se automatizado. Parte das dificuldades de leitura está relacionada ao desenvolvimento inadequado das habilidades de decodificação (reconhecimento de palavras) que pode ter origem em dificuldades específicas do aprendiz, mas também nas metodologias e materiais utilizados no ensino da leitura e escrita. Assim, o propósito deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos de uma técnica de coloração silábica sobre o desempenho em leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras de alunos em processo de alfabetização. O método utilizado consistiu em um estudo experimental com delineamento cruzado (crossover). Uma amostra de 77 crianças do segundo ano de uma escola estadual de ensino fundamental foi submetida ao Teste TCLPP para identificação do nível inicial de leitura dos participantes. Em seguida, estes foram distribuídos, de forma balanceada - em função do nível de leitura - em dois grupos (G1 e G2) e submetidos ao teste de leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras (LPI) com e sem uso da técnica de coloração silábica. O G1 (n=37) leu inicialmente as palavras com as sílabas coloridas, alternadas em vermelho e azul. Após um período de washout, o mesmo grupo leu as palavras em preto e branco. O Grupo 2 (n=40) foi submetido à apresentação do material na ordem inversa. Procedeu-se a análise de variância ANOVA 2 X 2 para as comparações entre e intra-grupos, considerando os valores médios de acertos de palavras e tempo de leitura, mediante estatística descritiva e inferencial para crossover. Verificou-se a eficácia da técnica de coloração silábica sobre o desempenho em leitura dos participantes como um todo (amostra total), com diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos; o efeito de período (maiores escores na 2ª leitura da LPI) interferiu significativamente na eficácia do tratamento, tanto no escore total como em todas as categorias de palavras: regulares, irregulares e pseudopalavras. Considerando o nível de leitura dos participantes, as análises comparativas indicaram maior eficácia da técnica para os leitores com maiores dificuldades. Os resultados do tempo de leitura apresentaram maiores efeitos de período para os bons leitores, indicando a influência da repetição do teste (tempos menores para a 2ª leitura). Para os leitores regulares, o efeito da interação (tratamento vs período) apresentou-se mais significativo do que o efeito de período. O nível de proficiência dos leitores também interferiu no tempo de leitura com os melhores leitores apresentando tempo de leitura significativamente mais baixo. O uso da técnica de coloração silábica impulsionou o mecanismo de recodificação fonológica facilitando o desempenho na leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras em crianças em processo de alfabetização. Esse efeito foi maior no desempenho dos participantes com habilidades de leitura menos desenvolvidas. O efeito da repetição do teste contribuiu para o armazenamento ortográfico das palavras na memória. Conclui-se que o uso do destaque silábico pode ser uma estratégia eficaz na elaboração de material didático para o ensino da leitura, particularmente para o desenvolvimento das habilidades de reconhecimento de palavras em crianças no início da alfabetização e daquelas com dificuldades específicas de leitura / The recognition of isolated words is a basic and preliminary skill in the development of fluent reading. In the skilled readers this process is automated. Part of the reading difficulties is related to the inadequate development of the decoding skills (word recognition) that can originate in specific learning difficulties, but also in the methodologies and materials used in teaching reading and writing. Thus, the purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a syllabic coloring technique on the performance of reading words and pseudowords of students in the literacy process. The method used consisted of an experimental study with crossover design. A sample of 77 children from the second degree of a state elementary school was submitted to the TCLPP Test to identify the initial reading level of each participant. Then, they were distributed in two groups (G1 and G2), in a balanced way according to the level of reading, and submitted to the test of reading of words and pseudowords (LPI) with and without the use of the syllabic coloring technique. The G1 (n = 37) initially read the words with the colored syllables, alternating in red and blue. After an interval around of 13 days, the same group read the words in black and white. Group 2 (n = 40) was submitted to the presentation of the material in the reverse order. ANOVA 2 X 2 analysis was performed for comparisons between- and within-subjects factors considering the mean values of word hits and reading time, using descriptive and inferential statistics for crossover. The efficacy of the syllabic staining technique on the reading performance of the participants as a whole (total sample) was verified, with statistically significant differences between the groups; the effect of period (higher scores in the second reading of LPI) significantly interfered in treatment efficacy both in the score of total hits and in all categories of words: regular, irregular and pseudowords. Considering the level of reading of the participants, the comparative analyzes indicated a greater efficacy of the technique for the readers with greater difficulties. The reading time results presented higher period effects for the good readers, indicating the influence of the repetition of the test (smaller times for the second reading). For the regular readers, the interaction effect (treatment vs period) was more significant than the period effect. The proficiency level of the readers also interfered in the reading time with the best readers presenting significantly lower reading time. The use of the syllabic coloring technique boosted the phonological recoding mechanism facilitating the performance in reading of words and pseudowords in children in the literacy process. This effect was greater in the performance of participants with less developed reading skills. The effect of the repetition of the test contributed to the orthographic storage of words in memory. In conclusion, the use of syllabic highlighting can be an effective strategy in the elaboration of didactic material for teaching reading, particularly for the development of word recognition abilities in children at the beginning of literacy and those with specific reading disabilities

Les patients souffrant de schizophrénie présentent des symptômes cliniques ainsi que des déficits cognitifs. Il a été récemment proposé que les déficits de lecture des patients fassent partie de ces déficits. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse était d’évaluer les capacités de reconnaissance visuelle des mots chez les patients souffrant de schizophrénie, au moyen d'une évaluation diagnostique des processus cognitifs dans une approche comportementale et électrophysiologique (enregistrement des potentiels évoqués). Les résultats indiquent une préservation de la spécialisation de l’aire de la forme visuelle des mots pour traiter les mots écrits chez les patients. De plus, les processus cognitifs impliqués dans le traitement orthographique des suites de lettres semblent également préservés. En revanche, les processus cognitifs impliqués dans le traitement phonologique semblent altérés chez les patients souffrant de schizophrénie. / Patients suffering from schizophrenia display clinical symptoms as well as cognitive deficits. Recently, it has been suggested that these patients display, among other things, reading deficits. This doctoral thesis aims to evaluate the abilities of visual word recognition in patients suffering from schizophrenia, using both behavioral and electrophysiological (recording of event related potentials) approaches. The results indicated that the specialization of the visual word form area for processing of written words is preserved for patients. In addition, cognitive processes involved in orthographic processing of letter strings were preserved. By contrast, cognitive processes involved in phonological processing were altered for patients suffering from schizophrenia.

Title: Pronunciation Validation in Speech Therapy Application Author: Bc. Patrik Černý Institute: Institute of Formal and Applied Linguistics Supervisor: Mgr. Nino Peterek, Ph.D., Institute of Formal and Applied Linguistics Abstract: A goal of this thesis is to design, create and test speech validation method based on current speech recognition algorithms. Resulting software is a speech therapy application for sounds or words training with feedback about pronunciation accuracy. Speech validation is based on CMUSphinx tools and on inaccurate pronunciation generation (using phonetic dictionary). Records with accurate and inaccurate pronunciations has been collected for training and testing purposes. It has been shown, that this design is not appropriate. Thanks to the software design, application can be easily extended by techniques, that could improve validation efficiency. Keywords: speech validation, word recognition, dyslalia, speech therapy appli- cation

Three eye-tracking experiments were conducted to explore the effects of phonological, semantic and root activation in spoken word recognition (SWR) in Saudi Arabian Arabic. Arabic roots involve both phonological and semantic information, therefore, a series of three studies were conducted to isolate the effect of the root independently from phonological and semantic effects. Each experiment consisted of a series of trials. On each trial, participants were presented with a display with four images: a target, a competitor, and two unrelated images. Participants were asked to click on the target image. Participants' proportional fixations to the four areas of interest and their reaction times (RT) were automatically recorded and analyzed. The assumption is that eye movements to the different types of images and RTs reflect degrees of lexical activation. Experiment 1 served as a foundation study to explore the nature of phonological, semantic and root activation. Experiment 2A and 2B aimed to explore the effect of the Arabic root as a function of semantic transparency and phonological onset similarity. Growth Curve Analyses (Mirman, 2014, GCA;) were used to analyze differences in target and competitor fixations across conditions. Results of these experiments highlight the importance of phonological, semantic and root effects in SWR in Arabic. Fixations to competitors were graded and corresponded to the different amounts of phonological, semantic and morphological overlap between targets and competitors. The results of this work highlight the importance of the Arabic consonantal root as an independent processing unit in lexical access in SWR in Arabic that is separable from phonological and semantic units of processing. Finally, the results of this work provided support to models of SWR that feature both whole-word processing as well as morphological decomposition (e.g. Baayen, Dijkstra, & Schreuder, 1997; Giraudo & Grainger, 2000; Schreuder & Baayen, 1997). They also provide support to the morpheme-based theory of Arabic morphology (McCarthy, 1979, 1981).

This study assesses the usefulness of Marsien-Wilson’s (1989, 1987; Marsien Wilson & Welsh, 1978) cohort model of spoken (first language) word recognition as a method of explaining the high-speed, on-line processes involved in recognizing spoken words while listening to a second language. Two important assumptions of the model are: 1) syntactic and semantic properties of mental lexical entries can function to-facilitate spoken word recognition and 2) spoken word recognition is a function of the frequency of exposure to words in the general language environment. These assumptions were tested in three functionally defined levels of language proficiency: Native Speakers of English, Fluent Users of ESL, and Advanced learners of ESL. Their performance was compared on a reading cloze test and a spoken-word recognition task in which there were five different levels of contextual richness prior to a target word, and two levels of word frequency. The cloze results indicated that the three groups differed in their general English proficiency. Congruent with the cohort model, there was a significant overall effect of sentence context and word frequency on recognition latency. Despite the difference in cloze scores and immersion experience between the two ESL groups, there were no reliable differences in their recognition latencies or latency profiles across sentence contexts or across word frequency. There was an interaction of ESL group, word frequency, and sentence context. This may be due to a reorganization of rules used during processing or a restructuring of lexical knowledge. There was also an interesting non-linear relationship between recognition latency and language immersion time. Spoken word recognition speed decreased in the early immersion experience, and then increased with further exposure. There was a significant difference in overall mean recognition latency between the Native and the ESL speakers, with the ESL subjects responding on average 98 msec slower than the Native Speakers. However, there were no significant differences in the way Native Speakers and the ESL subjects used sentence context. In contrast with the comparison across the sentential contexts, there was a significant difference in the recognition profiles of the Native English speakers and the ESL subjects across word frequency. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Background: This is a case study of an 18-year-old female who suffered a bilateral idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss that was coincident with the removal of four impacted wisdom teeth. Throughout childhood the patient had normal hearing for pure tones bilaterally as measured at the pediatrician's office. One month prior to dental surgery (May) the patient volunteered to participate in an auditory experiment at which time her pure-tone audiogram was normal. Immediately following surgery (June), the patient had substantial swelling of the face and complained of some hearing loss with no other auditory/vestibular complaints. The following month (July) during the course of a routine physical examination a pure-tone audiogram revealed bilateral, air-conduction thresholds of 30-35 dB HL (500-4000 Hz) and 20 dB HL (8000 Hz). Because bone conduction was not tested, it is impossible to know whether the hearing loss was conductive, mixed, or sensorineural. The pediatrician thought that the hearing loss was conductive and would resolve as the edema subsided. A month later (August) the subject again volunteered for an auditory experiment at which time her hearing again was tested. Purpose: The purpose of this report is to detail the dental procedures involved in the extraction of the wisdom teeth, to report the results of a variety and series of post-op hearing tests, and to discuss the possible mechanisms that might be involved in the ''idiopathic'' bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Research Design: Case report. Results: During the August visit to the laboratory, hearing for pure tones bilaterally was 0 to 5 dB HL at 250-1000 Hz with a 40-45 dB HL notch at 2000 Hz with a return to 10 dB HL at 8000 Hz. Air conduction and bone conduction thresholds were equivalent. Word recognition in quiet was ≥92 percent correct for both ears, whereas the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) hearing loss measured with the Words-in-Noise test was high normal in the left ear with a mild SNR hearing loss in the right ear. Tympanometry and acoustic reflex thresholds were normal. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions were reduced in the 1000-3000 Hz region for both ears, which is consistent with cochlear hearing loss. The hearing loss has remained unchanged for the past 19 months. Conclusions: The possible etiologies, including insults to the cochleae by vibration trauma and through alterations in the blood supply to the cochleae, are considered.