Module 1

Question 1

What is deterministic?

Answer 1

Obeys physical laws. Nothing is random

Question 2

What is predictive?

Answer 2

If you do this… Then that will happen

Question 3

What is parsimonious?

Answer 3

Uses the simplest explanation possible.

Question 4

Why do we need experienced ears?

Answer 4

It is the ultimate test of: does this sound right? No instrument can replace the experienced SLP, but there are tools to help us.

Question 5

Why do we use technology?

Answer 5

To overcome listener bias and receive a consistent, reliable measurement. Severity is described objectively, and progress is tracked over time. EBP! Provides biofeedback to client.

Question 6

What do we need to do with the numbers we receive from technology?

Answer 6

Understand the data, and examine both quantitively and qualitatively. We have to interpret the data, because without that, numbers may be meaningless.

Question 7

Why do we need to understand technology?

Answer 7

SLP needs to know normal and disordered physiology. MUST know what numbers represent and provide expert interpretation.

Question 8

What are the three key arenas?

Answer 8

Acoustic phonetics
Physiologic phonetics: kinematics, aerodynamics, electromyography
Speech perception

Question 9

What is frequency? What is it measured in? What are the simplest sounds? What are they if not that?

Answer 9

How frequently a waveform repeats. Hertz. Pure tones/sine waves are the simplest sound, with complex tones coming from blended sine waves with a fundamental frequency.

Question 10

What is pitch? How do we measure it?

Answer 10

The psychological aspect of frequency. Can’t be measured with instruments, we match perceived pitch to that of a pure tone of natural frequency.

Question 11

What is a frequency difference limen? (DL). When do they increase? At what frequency must they differ more to be heard as different in pitch?

Answer 11

The smallest detectable change in frequency. Increase as stimulus frequency increases, and also when intensity decreases. Higher frequency sounds must differ more to notice a difference.

Question 12

What occurs most often in everyday life? Complex or pure tones?

Answer 12

Complex, pure are rare.

Question 13

How many frequencies do complex tones have?

Answer 13

Many!

Question 14

What are periodic sounds? What happens if a sound is not periodic?

Answer 14

A harmonic series, with harmonics being integer multiples of fundamental. Sound is more jarring/Makes large difference in quality.

Question 15

As fundamental frequency goes up, so do ___

Answer 15

Harmonics

Question 16

What is the missing fundamental? What is it aka? Example in life?

Answer 16

When a harmonic series is missing the fundamental frequency. Ex: 200, 300, 400, 500… But missing 100. Auditory system fills in gaps. AKA residue pitch. An example is cheap audio equipment!

Question 17

What is an octave?

Answer 17

Doubling or halving the frequency- ex: 400 hz base going to 800 an octave up or 200 down.

Question 18

What does dissonant mean?

Answer 18

No clean, mathematical relationship.

Question 19

What is a semitones? Are they equal in step size?

Answer 19

Nonlinear step by 5.9% higher frequency each time. There are 12 semitones in one octave. No they are not equal in step size, but they SOUND equal.

Question 20

What is intensity? What is it measured in? What are the different intensity measurements?

Answer 20

The amplitude of size of a sound AKA volume. Measured in dB with a logarithmic scale. Measure SPL Sound pressure level, and IL intensity level. Measure with a sound level meter.

Question 21

What is the scale for dB for human hearing?

Answer 21

1 to 1 trillion in scale

Question 22

What is loudness? How can we connect this on a scale?

Answer 22

Perceptual characteristic of sound. No correct value, cannot be measured by equipment. We can connect this with a psychophysical scale by combining amplitude with human perception.

Question 23

What is recruitment?

Answer 23

Abnormal growth in loudness. Uncomfortable for people with unhealthy hearing.

Question 24

What is the effect of frequency on loudness? What is the lowest threshold for human hearing?

Answer 24

Hearing is sensitive at some frequencies. Lowest threshold is 1000 to 5000 hertz for humans.

Question 25

Why do we use HL scale instead of SPL scale?

Answer 25

To constantly adjust for the known differences in human hearing sensitivity.

Question 26

What are equal loudness contours? What happens at low frequencies?

Answer 26

Person hears tone of a different frequency, and the person adjusts by turning a volume knob, the amplitude of the second sound until it appears to be equal in loudness to the tone they began with. Start off low, then go higher. When sounds are played back, they sound same in loudness to listener. At low frequencies, uneven response in how we perceive loudness according to frequency.

Question 27

How are dB and loudness linked?

Answer 27

Individual responses vary/cannot be wrong, but general rule is that 6-10 dB increase is perceived as twice as loud.

Question 28

When does duration affect perception? How do we study this? Why does this happen?

Answer 28

Under 500 ms, especially 15 to 150 ms. Vary duration, intensity and record responses. Ear integrates energy- a brief burst of sound at high amplitude = same energy as longer sound at lower amplitude—– cake ex.

Question 29

What is empirical science?

Answer 29

Based on data, interpret to make sense