HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) CEUs available Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal My Folders Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ingham, R. J. Articles by Cotton, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ingham, R. J. Articles by Cotton, J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Speech Effort Measurement and Stuttering: Investigating the Chorus Reading Effect

Contact author: Roger J. Ingham, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. Email: rjingham{at}speech.ucsb.edu

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate chorus reading's (CR's) effect on speech effort during oral reading by adult stuttering speakers and control participants. The effect of a speech effort measurement highlighting strategy was also investigated.

METHOD: Twelve persistent stuttering (PS) adults and 12 normally fluent control participants completed 1-min base rate readings (BR–nonchorus) and CRs within a BR/CR/BR/CR/BR experimental design. Participants self-rated speech effort using a 9-point scale after each reading trial. Stuttering frequency, speech rate, and speech naturalness measures were also obtained. Instructions highlighting speech effort ratings during BR and CR phases were introduced after the first CR.

RESULTS: CR improved speech effort ratings for the PS group, but the control group showed a reverse trend. Both groups' effort ratings were not significantly different during CR phases but were significantly poorer than the control group's effort ratings during BR phases. The highlighting strategy did not significantly change effort ratings.

CONCLUSION: The findings show that CR will produce not only stutter-free and natural sounding speech but also reliable reductions in speech effort. However, these reductions do not reach effort levels equivalent to those achieved by normally fluent speakers, thereby conditioning its use as a gold standard of achievable normal fluency by PS speakers.

KEY WORDS: stuttering, speech effort, chorus reading, speech naturalness

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. De Nil Stuttering: Imagining a Solution to the Riddle Fluency and Fluency Disorders, November 1, 2009; 19(3): 80 - 89. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Ingham, A. K. Bothe, E. Jang, L. Yates, J. Cotton, and I. Seybold Measurement of Speech Effort During Fluency-Inducing Conditions in Adults Who Do and Do Not Stutter J Speech Lang Hear Res, October 1, 2009; 52(5): 1286 - 1301. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Prins and R. J. Ingham Evidence-Based Treatment and Stuttering--Historical Perspective J Speech Lang Hear Res, February 1, 2009; 52(1): 254 - 263. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Franic and A. K. Bothe Psychometric Evaluation of Condition-Specific Instruments Used to Assess Health-Related Quality of Life, Attitudes, and Related Constructs in Stuttering Am J Speech Lang Pathol, February 1, 2008; 17(1): 60 - 80. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]