Exam 1 Study Guide Flashcards
Which value of d’ prime indicates a more sensitive test, a higher value or a lower value?
Higher
The further the distributions are, the more sensitive the test is
What is the advantage of using d’ as a measure of test sensitivity?
It is independent of the pass-fail criteria
What is the TEN test?
A test that aids in the identification of cochlear dead regions
What does the TEN test stand for?
Threshold equalizing noise
At what dB HL can cochlear dead regions be present?
55 dB HL or greater
What audiometric configurations are more likely to be a result of cochlear dead regions?
Sloping loss as a certain frequency region and a reverse sloping SNHL
What is a theory?
A statement about a particular phenomenon, incorporating underlying principles and assumptions
What is a model?
A simplification of a system
Representation of the system that can be used to test theories or explain phenomena
What are models used for?
Used to explain phenomena and test theories
What are theories used for?
To make predictions based on what we know
What are the 3 types of theories used in speech and hearing research?
Bottom up and top down processing
Active vs passive
What is top down processing?
We are using the information that we already know
What is bottom up processing?
Everything that we need to know is in the signal
What is active processing?
Requires knowledge of how speech is produced
What is passive processing?
Speech perception is almost entirely sensory
What are the 4 categories of behavioral evidence that speech perception involves both cognition and hearing?
Perceptual grouping of speech sounds
Segmentation of speech into meaningful units
Comprehension of distorted and degraded speech
Categorical perception
What is perceptual grouping of speech sounds?
We hear speech as continuous instead of separate sounds
We can find speech even in sounds that are not speech
What is an example of perceptual grouping of speech sounds?
Hearing the word “mom” when a cat meows
What is segmentation of speech into meaningful units?
Segmenting speech into individual words
Only done with languages we know
What is comprehension of distorted and degraded speech?
Learning to understand speech that is perceptually different than the speech we are familiar with
What is an example of comprehension of distorted and degraded speech?
Accents
What is categorical perception?
We can distinguish the acoustic properties of sound
What is an example of categorical perception?
Voice onset time
What are three ways in which speech production and speech perception are linked?
Babbling during speech development
Interrupting auditory feedback changes production
Speakers change to minimize or maximize differences with conversation partner
What are the 8 factors that contribute to speech understanding?
The speech signal itself
Environment (noise, reverberation)
Listener’s familiarity with the speaker’s accent and language
Context/predictability
Listener’s sensory and cognitive abilities
Hearing aid features
Individual’s intention/motivation
Masking type (informational vs. energetic)
What is attention?
The ability to attend to a desired target in the presence of a distractor
How is attention assessed?
Presenting a group of items that differ in some way and instructing the subject to attend to the item meeting a particular description
Why is attention important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
The listener needs to be able to attend to the person who is speaking
What is processing speed?
The amount of time it takes to process and react to a stimulus
How is processing speed assessed?
Measured as reaction time
Why is processing speed important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
Need to be able to process a lot of speech information quickly to understand what is being said
What is inhibition?
Ability to inhibit extraneous information when responding to target stimuli
Goes hand in hand with selective attention
How is inhibition assessed?
Variation of the stroop test
Why is inhibition important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
Need to be able to inhibit unnecessary information, such as noise or another talker
What is short term memory?
The number of items able to be stored in memory for a short period of time
How is short term memory assessed?
Number of items a person can correctly recall in order
Numbers, letters, or word span
Why is short term memory important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
Need to be able to remember what was said by the talker
What is executive function?
Control of cognitive processes
Includes planning, adapting to situations, monitoring behavior, etc.
How is executive function assessed?
Depends on the researchers use and definition of the term
Circle number/letter test
Why is executive function important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
Need to be able to monitor all of our cognitive processes in conversation
What is semantic knowledge?
General knowledge that has been acquired or accumulated through lived experiences
Common knowledge
How is semantic knowledge assessed?
Category fluency (naming things in a category)
Picture naming
Word to picture matching
Picture sorting
Word sorting
Why is semantic knowledge important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
Need to have a general idea of what is being said by the talker
Is cognition important for speech/language processing in general, and not just when talking about cognitive decline?
Yes
What is working memory?
Simultaneously store and process information
The greater the working memory span, the greater the number of items that can be maintained and manipulated
How is working memory assessed?
Task specific
Math in head and remembering instructions and performing them
Why is working memory important for understanding speech in complex listening situations?
You need to be able to think about what someone is saying in a conversation to be able to respond
What is the ELU model?
Ease of language understanding model
Multimodal language input goes in and we look for a match for it in long term memory, if there is a match, then we go to understanding (implicit processing).
Multimodal language input goes in and we look for a match in our long term memory, if we don’t get one, we need to go into explicit processing and expend effort to reach understanding.
What is implicit processing?
Automatic
No conscious thought required
What is explicit processing?
Deliberate or intentional
What is the predictive role in working memory of speech and language processing?
The longer the speech signal, the less options it can be
Happens before the rest of the signal occurs
What is the postdictive role in working memory of speech and language processing?
Figuring out what the mismatch was after the signal is over
How can hearing aids can increase the amount of working memory capacity required for a listener?
By increasing audibility and making a larger SNR value
How can hearing aids can reduce the amount of working memory capacity required for a listener?
Unwanted distortion
