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Research
Get Involved
Interested in working with an instructor as a volunteer researcher? Need a thesis idea or an honors project of your own? Contact S H S to learn more about opportunities and resources that are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Work with an instructor in an ongoing study, or find help in getting your own research up and running.
2008
Three Cognitive Tasks in Seven Year Old Children
Angie Pardee
March, 2008- Honor student Angie Pardee is working with Dr. John Muma in this study of a group of 7 year olds, 40 males and 40 females. Angie examined differences among these youngsters in terms of perceptual salience, cognitive tempo, and rule/non-rule governed learning.
You can learn more about the results of this research at Angie's presentation to members of the College of Health on Wednesday, March 26th in Union Room A.
Angie is from the Gulfport area and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2009. We're sure that her parents, Mark and Sharon, are as proud of her as we are. Nice job!
2007
Theory of Mind: Pass it on
Holly Spigener
Hilliary Walters
May, 2007: Holly Spigener, an S H S senior, completed her honors project in the spring semester under the guidance of her thesis adviser, Dr. John Muma. Hilliary Walters, also an S H S honors senior, is currently working on a similar study with Dr. Muma.
Both students observed children as they participated in a sentence repitition procedure called the Gossip Task. The children were evaluated according to several factors that included their use of 'self,' 'shared,' and 'others' sentences. Holly's subjects were in the five year old age group, while Hilliary's are in the 7 year old group.
Holly is the daughter of Robert and Nancy Spigener of Gulfport, Mississippi; she graduates this semester. Hilliary is the daughter of Joe and Vicki Walters of Ellisville, Mississippi; she graduates in May of 2008. We congratulate both students and hope they continue their research efforts in graduate school.
Analysis of Hearing Instrument Use, Satisfaction, and Operation in Independent Elderly Male Veterans
Brett Kemker
Holly Kaplan
Lisa Scott
Brett E. Kemker*, Holly Kaplan1 and Lisa Scott2
*University of Southern Mississippi; 1University of Georgia, 2Florida State University
(Submitted for review to AJA)
Abstract
Purpose: This study examines whether relationships exist between self-reported hearing instrument use and self-reported satisfaction with objective measures of hearing instrument operation, at both the initial fitting and one year post-fitting.
Methods: This correlational study examines relationships between ease of hearing aid manipulation, hours of use and self-reported satisfaction with the fitting. At the fitting and one year post-fitting, twenty elderly veterans with binaural sensorineural hearing loss operated the components of a hearing instrument while being timed; following the Hearing Instrument Operation Checklist (HIOC). A questionnaire regarding hours of use and user satisfaction was given at each visit.
Results: Significant findings include a strong positive correlation between individuals’ estimates of use immediately post-fitting with estimates one year later; a moderate inverse correlation between the estimates of use immediately post-fitting with operation speed one year later; and, a moderate correlation between the estimates of use and satisfaction one year post-fitting.
Conclusions: Results emphasize the need for audiologic rehabilitation protocols encouraging immediate post-fitting continuous hearing instrument use. Areas for further investigation, e.g. manipulation of digital programs, age of the subject, and the effects of intensive pre and/or initial hearing aid use counseling are discussed.
Effects of a response format modification on the diagnostic rhyme test
Ed Goshorn
Goshorn, E. L.
Poster accepted for presentation at the 154th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, November 2007, New Orleans, Louisiana
Summary: This paper showed that a revision to the standard Diagnostic Rhyme Test format permits measures of signal detection parameters to be gathered but alters the phonemic contrast structure of the test.
Psychological and Physiological Acoustics
Goshorn, E. L.
Poster Session Chair, 154th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, November 2007, New Orleans, Louisiana.
John Muma
Steve Cloud
Advancing Communication Disorders: 60 Basic Issues
John Muma and Stephen Cloud
Dr. John Muma and Dr. Stephen Cloud announced the publication of their new book entitled Advancing Communication Disorders: 60 Basic Issues. The needs for this book were triangulated as follows:
- the issues were substantiated by the scholarly literature;
- three of the foremost scholars in language acquisition (Brown, Bruner, Nelson) wrote laudatory letters for addressing the initial 40 issues;
- a national survey of school SLPs verified the need to address these issues toward advancing clinical services. Also, 85% of the SLPs requested in-service on these issues.
This new release is available through Natural Child Publisher, 38 Pirate Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 [ day 601-266-5227, night 601-296-1721 ]. Email inquiries