Purpose: Despite the recommendation for cochlear implant (CI) processor use during all waking hours, variability in average daily wear time remains high. Previous work has shown that objective wear time is significantly correlated with speech recognition outcomes. We aimed to investigate the causal link between daily wear time and speech…

Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to amass large data sets to enable statistical comparisons of communication outcomes for infants receiving cochlear implants (CIs) before 9 months of age compared to groups who received their first CI between 9 months and 3.5 years of age. Method: Speech perception scores and experienced clinicians'…

Purpose: Three experiments were conducted to better understand the role of between-word coarticulation in masked speech recognition. Specifically, we explored whether naturally coarticulated sentences supported better masked speech recognition as compared to sentences derived from individually spoken concatenated words. We hypothesized that…

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of visually presented speech envelope information with various modulation rates and depths on audiovisual speech perception in noise. Method: Forty adults (21.25 ± 1.45 years) participated in audiovisual sentence recognition measurements in noise. Target speech sentences were auditorily presented in…

This study examined the effect of increasing visual perceptual load on auditory awareness for social and non-social stimuli in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 63) and typically developing (TD, n = 62) adolescents. Using an inattentional deafness paradigm, a socially meaningful ('Hi') or a non-social (neutral tone) critical…

The role of the right hemisphere in phonetic processing is thought to be relatively minimal, at least in comparison to the role of the left hemisphere. However, the right hemisphere is known to play a critical role in vocal identity processing, a fact that is striking given that the acoustic-phonetic details of the speech signal can differ…

A child's success in school relies on their ability to quickly grasp language and reading skills, the foundations of which are acquired even before entering a formal classroom setting. Previous studies in preschoolers have begun to establish relationships linking beat synchronization, preliteracy skills, and auditory processing. Beat…

Purpose: The aims of the study were (a) to evaluate the effects of systematically varied factors of stimulus duration, interaural-level difference (ILD), and direction on perceptual and electrophysiological metrics of lateralization for fixed versus moving targets and (b) to evaluate the hemispheric activity underlying perception of fixed versus…

Purpose: Gradual and sudden perturbations of vocal fundamental frequency (f[subscript o]), also known as adaptive and reflexive f[subscript o] perturbations, are techniques to study the influence of auditory feedback on voice f[subscript o] control mechanisms. Previous vocal f[subscript o] perturbations have incorporated varied setup-specific…

Purpose: Spatially separating speech and background noise improves speech understanding in normal-hearing listeners, an effect referred to as spatial release from masking (SRM). In cochlear implant (CI) users, SRM has often been demonstrated using asymmetric noise configurations, which maximize benefit from head shadow and the potential…

Research examining the outcome of pediatric cochlear implantation consists of certain limitations, including the use of assessments that are often restricted to auditory-spoken skills, biased recruitment practices, and lack of consideration for identity development. To better understand the long-term outcome of implantation, it is vital to seek…

Purpose: Auditory processing measures have been used in an attempt to understand the relationship between neurological mechanisms and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology in school-age children. The focus of the current study was to understand neural auditory processing in 2- to 3-year-olds with ASD. Method: Auditory processing measures…

Infant vocal production has been studied mainly from the perspective of language development. We studied it from the perspective of singing development by analyzing a 15-month-old's imitations of songs. The infant wore a recording device that yielded a continuous, 16-hr audio recording of all the sounds produced by him and around him throughout…

Purpose: Approximately 30% of adults over the age of 50 years present with altered vocal function. Our understanding of how these changes manifest acoustically and perceptually is derived from relatively modest-sized studies using a diversity of tools. Voice changes can arise from the onset of disease or disorder, but also age-related…

Purpose: Theoretical models and substantial research have proposed that general auditory sensitivity is a developmental foundation for speech perception and language acquisition. Nonetheless, controversies exist about the effectiveness of general auditory training in improving speech and language skills. This research investigated the…