Voice onset time (VOT) was measured for voiced and voiceless velar stop consonants across three vowel contexts (/i, a, u/) in healthy young adult and older subjects. Analysis showed that mean VOT values for both /k/ and /g/ across the three vowel contexts did not differ between the two groups; however, differences in VOT variability (standard deviation) approached significance; the older subjects exhibited increased variability. This apparent increase in variability may be related to the subtle anatomical and physiological changes with age.
Effects of duration of stimulus exposure on lingual vibrotactile thresholds were examined across three groups of 10 subjects each (n = 30). Subjects were grouped according to age (child group, mean age = 10.1 yr.; young adult group, mean age = 21.9 yr.; elderly group, mean age = 76.0 yr.). Lingual vibrotactile threshold measurements were obtained for all subjects under 5 conditions of exposure (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 sec.). Results showed statistically significant differences in threshold among all three age groups. As age increased, thresholds of lingual sensitivity increased (became poorer). Stimulus duration also created significant differences in threshold for all age groups. As stimulus duration increased, thresholds of lingual sensitivity decreased (became better). The children appeared to be the most stable across conditions whereas the elderly group appeared to be the most affected by stimulus duration.
Speaking fundamental frequency (SFF), the average fundamental frequency (lowest frequency of a complex periodic sound) measured over the speaking time of a vocal or speech task, is a basic acoustic measure in clinical evaluation and treatment of voice disorders. Currently, there are few data on acoustic characteristics of different sociolinguistic groups, and no published data on the fundamental frequency characteristics of Arabic speech. The purpose of this study was to obtain preliminary data on the SFF characteristics of a group of normal speaking, young Arabic men. 15 native Arabic men (M age = 23.5 yr., SD=2.5) as participants received identical experimental treatment. Four speech samples were collected from each one, Arabic reading, Arabic spontaneous speech, English reading, and English spontaneous speech. Speaking samples, analyzed using the Computerized Speech Lab, showed no significant difference for mean SFF between language and type of speech and none for mean SFF between languages. A significant difference in the mean SFF was found between the types of speech. The SFF used during reading was significantly higher than that for spontaneous speech. Also Arabic men had higher SFF values than those previously reported for young men in other linguistic groups. SFF then might differ among linguistic, dialectical, and social groups and such data may provide clinicians information useful in evaluation and management of voice.
The purpose of the presence study was to examine the effect of preference for rock music on magnitude-production scaling behavior in young adults as an attempt to validate further the 1993 magnitude-estimation scaling results obtained by Fucci, Harris, Petrosino, and Banks. Two groups of young adults, 20 who liked rock music and 20 who disliked rock music, were tested. Subjects were instructed to adjust the intensity of a 10-sec. sample of rock music in response to seven written stimuli presented in random order. Analysis indicated that there was a significant difference in performance by the two groups of subjects on the magnitude-production scaling task. Those subjects who liked rock music adjusted the intensity of the music to higher levels than did the subjects who disliked rock music.
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