ERIC Number: EJ971990
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1058-0360
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Experience in the Perception of Phonetic Detail in Children's Speech: A Comparison between Speech-Language Pathologists and Clinically Untrained Listeners
Munson, Benjamin; Johnson, Julie M.; Edwards, Jan
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, v21 n2 p124-139 May 2012
Purpose: This study examined whether experienced speech-language pathologists (SLPs) differ from inexperienced people in their perception of phonetic detail in children's speech. Method: Twenty-one experienced SLPs and 21 inexperienced listeners participated in a series of tasks in which they used a visual-analog scale (VAS) to rate children's natural productions of target /s/-/[theta]/, /t/-/k/, and /d/-/g/ in word-initial position. Listeners rated the perceived distance between individual productions and ideal productions. Results: The experienced listeners' ratings differed from the inexperienced listeners' ratings in four ways: They had higher intrarater reliability, showed less bias toward a more frequent sound, and were more closely related to the acoustic characteristics of the children's speech. In addition, the experienced listeners' responses were related to a different set of predictor variables. Conclusion: Results suggest that experience working as an SLP leads to better perception of phonetic detail in children's speech. Limitations and future research are discussed. (Contains 4 figures, 2 tables and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Phonetics, Predictor Variables, Speech Language Pathology, College Students, Stimuli, Young Children, Pupil Personnel Workers, Measurement Techniques, Accuracy, Comparative Analysis, Expertise, Novices, Diagnostic Tests, Statistical Analysis, Federal Aid, Experience, Child Language, Child Development, Language Acquisition, Listening, Listening Skills, Clinical Diagnosis, Clinical Experience, Rating Scales, Questionnaires, Oral Language, Speech Communication
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://ajslp.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A