A study of the effectiveness of pitch discrimination training as a method of sound discrimination training

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Annette H. Parrish (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Lawrence Vanella

Abstract: A review of studies reported in the literature concerning subjects with articulatory problems and voice problems and their ability to make speech-sound discriminations has been presented. Evidence relating articulatory ability and voice problems to pitch discrimination ability has been cited. This study was designed to investigate the effect of pitch discrimination training on speech-sound discrimination ability. Fifty-four Ss, 32 boys and 12 girls, were selected from the speech therapy caseload of four elementary schools in rural North Carolina communities. They were randomly assigned to two groups, an experimental group of 27 Ss receiving pitch discrimination training, and a control group of 27 Ss receiving no training. The Ss received the training in groups of three and four, for 20 minutes, twice a week for five consecutive weeks. The experimental group had fewer errors in phonetic discrimination (adjusted mean, 2.78) after treatment than did the control group (adjusted mean, 6.72). Statistical analysis of the results obtained by Forms I and II of the Wepman Auditory Discrimination Test revealed significance at the .01 level of confidence. Since the experiment satisfied the demands of the design and method of analysis used (analysis of covariance), it can be concluded that the improvement in speech-sound discrimination ability was due to the pitch discrimination training, and not to differences existing among the subjects prior to the experiment.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1970
Subjects
Intonation (Phonetics)
Speech therapy for children
Auditory perception in children
Articulation disorders in children $x Treatment
Phonetics, Acoustic
Speech perception in children

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