SPHS 6730: Seminar in Speech PerceptionDepartment of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

University of North TexasSpring, 2019

Instructor: Jeffrey A. Cokely, Ph.D. Class Time: Thursday 5- 6:50 p.m. Office: Speech and Hearing Center Office Hours: Thursday 4 – 5:00 p.m.Telephone: 565-7488 And By AppointmentEmail: cokely@unt.edu Teaching Gabrielle Ballard

Assistants: Jaron Thomas

"WE HEAR WITH OUR BRAINS, NOT OUR EARS."

Course DescriptionThe course is a seminar designed to ensure that students have a robust understanding of human listeners' perception of speech and factors influencing it. Students learn and master the course content through reading, discussing, presenting, and summarizing in written form peer-reviewed research published within the past three to five years. The course begins with a review of the speech chain, a classic model of human communication, and overview of contemporary models of speech perception, focusing on the Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening Model, and follows with an in-depth discussion of sensory and cognitive processes underlying the perception of speech. Thereafter, the seminar centers on the influences of aging, amplification, bilingualism, competing noise, dementia, explosive noise bursts, hearing loss, and music on listeners' ability to hear, process, and perceive speech. In addition, it explores the biological and cognitive bases of the difficulties in noise reported by listeners who have normal auditory sensitivity. Interwoven in the aforementioned topics are audiologic-rehabilitation strategies and approaches for addressing impaired speech perception.

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Learner Outcomes1. Students will be able to define and describe terms specific to speech perception (e.g., auditory-selective

attention, auditory-perceptual grouping, auditory-stream segregation, auditory-object formation, and auditory- scene analysis).

2. Students will be able to name and describe cognitive-executive functions as well as their contributions to speech perception.

3. Students will be able to describe the sensory and cognitive processes underlying speech perception, both bottom-up (analytic) and top-down (synthetic) processes.

4. Students will be able to describe the Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening model, including its contributions to our understanding of speech perception.

5. Students will be able to describe the influences of aging, amplification, bilingualism, competing noise, dementia, explosive noise bursts, hearing loss, and music on listeners' perception of speech in quiet and noise.

6. Students will be able to explain why some listeners who have normal pure-tone sensitivity report difficulties understanding speech in noise, but not in quiet.

7. Students will be able to explain to listeners who have sensorineural hearing loss and those who have auditory processing disorders reasons why they experience speech-perception problems in noise.

8. Students will be able to identify and describe audiologic-rehabilitation strategies and approaches for managing listeners' ability to perceive speech in noise.

9. Students will be able to identify, by name and specific expertise, scholars who study speech perception.10. Students will be able to discuss contemporary speech-perception research in a manner consistent with scholars

and clinicians in the discipline and profession, respectively, and at levels appropriate for clients in hearing clinics.

Format

The course is a seminar that requires students to complete required readings before class and to prepare to describe, discuss, present, and summarize them in writing during every class period. Because students enrolled in the course are in their third year of doctoral study, the format is a seminar rather lecture series. The first few weeks of the course include lectures and power-points to help ensure that students understand the fundamentals of speech perception and its terms and processes; note that lectures are not intended to introduce topics as students ought to have a reasonable understanding of the information subsequent to their having completed the associated required readings. To facilitate mastery and retention of the course content through active learning and encourage attendance, rather than disseminate power-points, the instructor intends to provide students tools to guide learning. To help ensure student success, students who do not attend class, are unprepared, or exhibit appreciable difficulty understanding the material must meet with the instructor or teaching assistant during office hours to demonstrate their mastery of the topics addressed during that class.

Requirements and Grading Policies

Requirements and Weights Course Grades

Paper 20% (Week 3) A (90.0 to 100)Oral Presentation 20% (Weeks 5 and 6) B (80.0 to 89.9) Examination 1 20% (Week 8) C (70.0 to 79.9)Examination 2 20% (Week 13) F (0 to 69.9) Comprehensive Final 20% (Week 17)

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology cooperates with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities (cf. Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504, Rehabilitation Act). We encourage all students with disabilities to register with ODA. If you need any accommodation for a disability, present your written request to your instructor on or

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before the 12th class day. If you experience any problems in getting reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department Liaison or the ODA.

Course Outline and Required Readings

Week 1 (January 17)

Background Information

For about five decades audiologists have used Denes' and Pinson's (1963, 1993) speech chain, a model of human communication, to describe the events and processes underlying spoken communication. Their model starts with a speaker's brain formulating and encoding a message and ends with the listener's brain decoding the message and determining whether to respond. In that model, they depict speech perception as a bottom-up process; that is, the listener's auditory system transmits and processes the speech signal (physiological level of the listener) and his or her brain then decodes it (linguistic level of the listener). In contrast, contemporary models also address the brain's contributions to the processing of the speech signal at the levels of the cochlea, auditory nerve, and brainstem. Specifically, current models address bottom-up, auditory processes (hearing sensitivity and temporal processing) at the physiologic level of the listener as well as underscore the influences of cognitive factors (working memory, attention, speed of processing, and executive functioning) on physiological processes (i.e., top-down processing).

Required Readings

Kraus, N. and Nicol, T. (2017). "The power of sound for brain health," Nature Human Behavior, 11: 700-702.

Pichora-Fuller, M.K. and Phillips, N. (July, 2017). "Tackling the toll of hearing loss on executive function," The ASHA Leader, 6-11.

Shinn-Cunningham, B. (2017). "Cortical and sensory causes of individual differences in selective attention ability among listeners with normal hearing thresholds," Journal Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60: 2976-2988.

Sussman, E. (2017). "Auditory scene analysis. An attention perspective. Journal Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60: 2989-3000.

Lesica, N. (2018). "Why do hearing aids fail to restore normal auditory perception?," Trends in Neurosciences, 41: 174-185.

Preparation for First Class

1. Read required readings and be prepared to address the following topics.

a. Describe the difference between passive hearing, passive listening, and active listening.b. Summarize the roles of bottom-up and top-down processing as they relate to speech perception.c. Identify, define, and describe the sensory and cortical processes involved in speech perception.d. Define the following terms: auditory-selective attention, auditory-perceptual grouping, auditory-stream

segregation, auditory-object formation, and auditory-scene analysise. Define the following terms: executive function, working memory, attention, and speed of processingf. Relate neural synchrony, auditory sensitivity, and temporal processing to speech perception in noise.

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g. Create a top ten list (ranked ordered) of what you learned from reading the Pichora-Fuller and Phillips (2017) and Kraus and Nicol (2017) articles.

Week 2 (January 24)

Required Readings

Pichora-Fuller, M. (2014). "Auditory and cognitive processing in aural rehabilitation," Chapter 26 in Adult Audiologic Rehabilitation, 2nd ed. (Montano and Sptizer, eds.). San Diego: Plural Publishing. pp. 535-551.

Pichora-Fuller, M. (2016). "Hearing impairment and cognitive energy: the framework for understanding effortful listening," Ear and Hearing, 37, (Suppl 1):5S-27S.

Peelle, J. (2018). "Listening effort: how the cognitive consequences of acoustic challenge are reflected in brain and behavior," Ear and Hearing, 39: 204-214.

Trembly, K. and Backer, K. (2016). "Listening and learning: cognitive contributions to the rehabilitation of older adults with and without audiometrically defined hearing loss," Ear and Hearing, 37(Suppl 1): 155S-162S.

Top: Listening effort: cognitive consequences of acoustic challenge in the brain and behavior (Peelle, 2018).Bottom: A hypothetical model of the various dimensions that can interact with aging (Tremblay and Backer, 2016).

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings.2. Be prepared to describe the above illustrations to classmates without the illustrations.3. Be prepared to take a ten-item, multiple-choice, quiz that addresses the Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening Model. You must earn a score of at least 70% or your homework for next week will include writing a paragraph that describes the model.4. Review your notes from last week's class and required readings, than draft a one-page, single-spaced, summary

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of the combined information, using 0.7-inch margins and 11-point Times New Roman font. Week 3 (January 31)

Course Requirement: Paper (20%)

Write and type a three-page, single-spaced, paper that integrates information offered in the required readings for the first three weeks; use 0.7-inch margins and 11-point, Times New Roman font. Do not write a paper that summarizes each article; instead, complete the readings, consider the information presented, identify an area that interests you, and then write a paper that focuses on that specific topic or issue. The paper is due at the outset of class.

Required Readings

Castellanos, I. et al. (2018). "Questionnaire-based assessment of executive functioning: psychometrics," Applied Neuropsychology Child, 7: 93-109.

Heinrich, A. et al. (2016). "Only behavioral but not self-report measures of speech perception correlate with cognitive abilities," Frontiers in Psychology, 23: 1-16.

McCreery, R. et al. (2015). "Speech recognition and parent-ratings from auditory development questionnaires in children who are hard of hearing," Ear and Hearing, 36: 60S-75S.

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings.2. Prepare to generate and lead a 15-minute discussion about the three required readings. During class, three to five

students will be assigned responsibility for class discussion and student learning. 3. Prepare to describe and discuss the essence of the required paper that you submitted at the outset of class.

Week 4 (February 7)

Heinrich, A. et al. (2016). "Effective communication as a fundamental aspect of active aging and well-being: paying attention to the challenges older adults face in noisy environments," Social Inquiry Well-Being, 2: 51-69.Rimmele, J. et al. (2015). "The role of temporal structure in the investigations of sensory memory, auditory scene analysis, and speech perception: a healthy-aging perspective," International Journal of Psychophysiology, 95: 175-183.Pichora-Fuller, M. (2008). "Use of supportive context by younger and older adult listeners: balancing bottom-up and top-down information processing," International Journal of Audiology, 47 (Suppl. 2): S72-S82.David, M. et al. (2018). "Effect of age and hearing loss on auditory stream segregation of speech sounds," Hearing Research, 364: 118-128.Helfer, K. et al. (2017). "Age-related changes in objective and subjective speech perception in complex listening environments," Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60: 3009-3018.

WHO-ICF Model (2001)

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings.2. Be prepared to describe the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health's (ICF) model (WHO, 2001), and the ways that Heinrich and colleagues (2016) applied the model in their journal article.

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3. Be prepared to describe the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale Questionnaire (Gatehouse and Noble, 2004) that Helfer and colleagues (2017) used in their research article.4. Be prepared for a quiz about the required readings. People earning less than 70% will have additional homework.

Weeks 5 and 6 (February 14 and 21)

Course Requirement: Student Presentation (20%)

Each student needs to prepare and present a 20-minute instructional session that addresses his or her assigned material. The grade each student earns will reflect the quality of his or her presentation (80%) and the group's overall performance (20%). Everyone in the class will be assigned the same group score.

Required Readings

Kraus, N. and White-Schwoch, T. (2016). Confident, concise communication. The Hearing Journal, 69: 44-46.

Kraus, N. and White-Schwoch ,T. (2015). Unraveling the biology of auditory learning: a cognitive-sensorimotor-reward framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 19: 642-654.

Poeppel, D. (2014). "The neuroanatomic and neurophysiological infrastructure for speech and language," Current Opinions Neurobiologyl, **: 142-149.

Hickok, G. and Poeppel. (2015). "Neural basis of speech perception," Chapter 8 in Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 129 (3rd Series),The Human Auditory System, Elsevier. pp. 149-160.

Corballis, M. (2015). "What's left in language? Beyond the classical model," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, **: 1-16.

Zhe-Meng, W. et al. (2014). "Interaction between auditory and motors systems in speech," Neuroscience Bulletin, 10: 1-7.

Brefczynski-Lewis, J. and Lewis, J. (2018). "Auditory object perception: a neurobiological model and prospective review," Neuropsychologia, Oct: 223-242. Preparation for Class

The eleven students who are enrolled in the course are responsible for the two class periods during the fifth and sixth weeks. Specifically, everyone needs to read the required readings; then, as a class, you need to divide the topics addressed in the last six articles amongst yourselves. (The first article by Kraus and White-Schwoch offers advice for making professional presentations.) I suggest that you divide yourselves into three groups, assign each group information that it needs to address, and then, within each group, decide what aspects of that topic each member will present--ensure that every group member understands the material. Also, verify that the two weeks of

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presentations are cohesive, well-organized, and presented as a unit rather than eleven students presenting the same or disjointed content. Prior to the fifth week, groups collectively ought to ensure that the content of the articles will be described in a logical manner with minimal overlap.

Dual-stream Model of Speech Processing(Hickok and Poeppel, 2015)

Modified Auditory-Motor Interaction Model (Zhe-Meng, 2014)

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Week 7 (February 28)

Required Readings

None

Preparation for Class

Be prepared to discuss the following essay items. Some will be included on the first examination.

a. Describe the cochlea's contributions to speech perception in noise, being certain to address both sensory and cortical processes and their associated anatomic and physiologic underpinnings.

b. Describe cochlear synaptopathy, including its causes, anatomic and physiologic manifestations, influences on the auditory nerve and brainstem, effects on speech perception in noise, and finally, ways knowledge of the condition can be of value in the case management of people report difficulties understanding speech in noise.

c. Describe the sensory and cognitive processes that occur at the brainstem during speech perception in noise.d. Describe the cocktail-party effect and its relation to auditory-selective attention, visual-selective attention, and

cortical networks.e. Provide a comprehensive review of auditory-scene analysis.

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f. Compare (five similarities) and contrast (five differences) the speech-chain model of human communication and contemporary models of speech perception.

g. Distinguish between passive hearing and active listening, including the processes underlying them.h. Summarize the adverse effects of aging, hearing loss, competing noise, and noise blasts on speech perception

in noise.i. Provide a comprehensive description of the Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL) model.j. Describe ways that the FUEL model can be used in audiologic rehabilitation.k. Describe the role of the auditory cortex, visual cortex, and prefrontal cortex in speech perception in noise.l. Define executive function, and then, identify describe the roles of executive functioning and three executive

functions on speech perception in noise.m. Summarize the importance of spectrotemporal processing at the levels of the cochlea, auditory nerve,

brainstem, and brain for speech perception in noise.n. Define the following terms: auditory-selective attention, auditory-perceptual grouping, auditory-stream

segregation, auditory-object formation, and auditory-scene analysis.o. Provide a comprehensive description of the Dual-Stream model of speech processing.p. Provide a comprehensive description of the Modified Auditory-Motor Interaction model.q. Describe seven acoustic challenges that listeners confront, and then, their affects on brain and behavior.r. Describe the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health's (ICF) model (WHO, 2001),

See page 9 for opportunity to earn bonus points for first examination.

Week 7 (February 28--continued)

Optional Bonus-Points: Examination 1

Background and Instructions: You have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 7 points that will be added to your grade for the first examination. To earn points, write a one-page, single-spaced paper that has 0.7 inch margins, 11-point, Times New Roman font and that summarizes the seven articles listed below these instructions. The publications describe influences of music and bilingualism on speech perception in noise. All stem from the pioneering works of Nina Kraus and her colleagues at Northwestern University, and attest to neuroplasticity of the human brain. Papers that are written in a manner consistent with scientific journals, as well as integrate information across the findings, methods, and rationales, cite sources to support claims, and address the clinical implications of the research will be assigned the higher number of points. Understand that the points assigned will reflect the quality of your work; poorly written papers will earn 0 to 2 points, good-to-very good papers will be assigned 3 to 5 points, and only exceptional works will receive scores of 6 or 7. Students wishing to submit the paper must do so at the outset of the class on the day of the examination.

Kraus, N. and Nicol, T. (2018). "Brainstem encoding of speech and music sounds in humans,” in Neuroscience Handbook Series volume: The Auditory Brainstem: Organization, Function, and Plasticity (Karl Kandler, Ed), Oxford University Press. pp. 1-21.

Kraus, N. and White-Schwoch, T. (2017). "Neurobiology of everyday communication: what have we learned from music?," The Neuroscientist, 23: 287-298.

Kraus, N. and Slater, J. (2016). "Beyond words: how humans communicate through sound," Annual Review of Psychology, 67: 83–103.

Krizman, J., Skoe, E., Marian, V., and Kraus, N. (2014). "Bilingualism increases neural response consistency and attentional control: evidence for sensory and cognitive coupling," Brain and Language, 128: 34–40.

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Krizman, J., Bradlow, A.., Lam, S., and Kraus, N. (2017). "How bilinguals listen in noise: linguistic and non-linguistic factors," Bilingualism: Language and Cognition.

Krizman, J et al. (2015). "Neural processing of speech in children is influenced by extent of bilingual experience," Neuroscience Letters, 5: 48-53.

Zhao, T. and Kuhl, P. (2018). "Linguistic effect on speech perception observed at the brainstem," Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 115: 8716-8721.

Week 8 (March 7)

Course Requirement: Examination 1 (20%)

The examination will consist of multiple-choice and essay items. Students will have two hours to complete examination.

Week 9 (March 14)

Week 10 (March 21)

Course Requirement: Examination 1

Return, review, and discuss graded examination.

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Required Readings

Lin, F., Metter, J., O’Brien, R., Resnick, S., Zonderman, A., and Ferrucci, L. (2011). "Hearing loss and incident dementia," Archives of Neurology, 68: 214-220.

Hardy, C. et al. (2016)."Hearing and dementia," Journal of Neurology, 263: 2329-2354.

Babkoff, H. and Fostick, L. (2017). "Age-related changes in auditory processing and speech perception: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses," European Journal of Aging, 14: 269-281.

Humes, L. and Young, L. (2016). "Sensory-cognitive interactions in older adults," Ear an Hearing, 37: 52S-61S.

Phillips, N. (2016). "The implications of cognitive aging for listening and thee Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening," Ear and Hearing, 37: 44S-51S.

Davis, A. et al. (2016). "Aging and hearing health: the life-course approach," The Gerontologist, 56: S256-S267.

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings.2. Write a paragraph that describes the relation between dementia and hearing loss as well as other co-morbid

conditions associated with dementia. Be certain to address the question, "Does hearing loss cause dementia?".3. Be prepared to describe the effects of aging on the sensory and cognitive processing of speech.4. Be prepared to describe and discuss audiologic-rehabilitation strategies and approaches for managing elderly

people who have hearing loss.5. Be prepared to lead the discussion of the readings. Two students will be selected randomly to lead discussion of

dementia and hearing loss, another two for age-related sensory and cognitive changes in hearing abilities, and an additional two for audiologic-rehabilitation strategies and approaches for treatment of age-related hearing loss.

Week 11 (March 28)Required Readings

Anderson, S. et al. (2015). "Development of subcortical speech representation in infant humans," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 137: 3346-3355.

White-Schwoch, T. et al. (2015). "Auditory-neurophysiological responses to speech during early childhood: effects of background noise," Hearing Research, 328: 34-47

Thompson, E. et al. (2017). "Individual differences in speech-in-noise perception parallel speech processing and attention in preschoolers," Hearing Research, 344: 148-157.

Werker, J. and Hensch, T. (2014). "Critical periods in speech perception: new directions," Annual Review of Psychology, 13: 173-196.

Preparation for Class

1. Read all required readings.2. Be prepared to take a ten-item, multiple-choice, quiz that addresses the four readings. You must earn a score of at

least 70% or your homework for next week will include writing two paragraph, one describing the first three articles and the other addressing the last article.

3. If you did not lead a discussion last week, then you will be responsible for leading on this week. Two students will focus on the first three articles, and the remaining two will lead discussion of the last article.

Week 12 (April 4)

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Required Readings

Kraus, N. and Anderson, S. (2016). "Auditory processing disorder: biological basis and treatment efficacy," Chapter 3 in Translational Research in Audiology: Neurotology and the Hearing Sciences (Le Prell, Lobarinas, Popper, and Fay,eds.). Berlin: Springer Science+Business Media, pp. 51-80.

Kraus, N. and Smith, S. (in press). "Thinking outside the sound booth: assessing and managing auditory processing disorder in an auditory-cognitive neuroscience framework," Geffner D, Ross-Swain, D (3rd Ed.) Auditory Processing Disorders: Assessment, Management, and Treatment. Plural Publishing

DeBonis, D. (2015), "It is time to rethink central auditory processing disorder protocols for school-age children," American Journal of Audiology, 24: 124-136.

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings.2. Student Responsibilities (11 students--divide the five topics, then work in groups of two or three as indicated.)

a. Three students prepare a power-point presentation that addresses Kraus and Anderson.b. Two students prepare a power-point presentation that address Kraus and Smith as well as DeBonis.c. Two students write a one- to two-page paper that addresses Kraus and Anderson.d. Two students write a one- to two-page paper that addresses Kraus and Smith, and DeBonis.e. Two students prepare one class handout that addresses Kraus and Smith, and DeBonis.

Week 13 (April 11)

Course Requirement: Examination 2 (20%)

The examination will consist of multiple-choice and essay items. Students will have two hours to complete it.

Some of the essays below will be included on the second examination.

1. Provide a comprehensive description of the relation between dementia and hearing loss as well as other co-morbid conditions associated with dementia. Be certain to address the question, "Does hearing loss cause dementia?".

2. Describe the anatomic and physiologic effects of aging on the cochlea, auditory nerve, brainstem, and brain.3. Provide a comprehensive description of the effects of normal aging on speech perception.4. Describe audiologic-rehabilitation strategies and approaches for managing elderly people who have hearing loss.5. Provide a summary of the development of subcortical speech representation in infant humans.

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6. Describe the cABR and its utility in studying speech perception in noise and it contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of auditory-processing disorders in children.

7. Describe the effects of noise on children's processing of speech, being certain to address both bottom-up and top-down processes as well as individual differences across children.

8. Summarize current knowledge regarding neural plasticity of the brain, research evidence documenting it, and its importance in the treatment of auditory processing disorders in children.

9. Explain and develop the following statement: research fails to support use of current test protocols to evaluate auditory-processing disorders and suggests a need to expand the approach to treating such disorders; instead, clinicians ought to assess overall listening abilities, and intervention needs to be conceptualized and functional.

Week 14 (April 18)

Course Requirement: Examination 2

Return, review, and discuss graded examination 2.

Required Readings

McCreery, R. et al. (2015). "Longitudinal predictors of aided speech audibility in infants and children," Ear and Hearing, 36: 24S-37S.

McCreery, R. et al. (2017). "Perceptual implications of level- and frequency-specific deviations from hearing aid prescription in children," Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 28: 851-875.

Walker, E. et al. (2016). "Children with ANSD fitted with hearing aids applying the AAA Pediatric amplification guidelines: Current practice and outcomes," Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 27: 204-218.

Pisoni, D. et al. (2018). "Three challenges for future research on cochlear implants," World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, 3: 240-254.

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings and be prepared to discuss them.

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Week 15 (April 25)

Required Readings

Pichora-Fuller, M. et al. (2016). "Hearing impairment and cognitive energy: the framework for understanding effortful listening (FUEL)," Ear and Hearing, 37: 5S-27S. [Reread; it was also required reading in week 2.]

Edwards, B. (2016). "How social psychological factors may modulate auditory and cognitive functioning during listening," Ear and Hearing, 37: 85S-91S.

Pichora-Fuller, M. (2016). "A model of auditory-cognitive processing and relevance to clinical applicability," Ear and Hearing, 37: 92S-100S.

Preparation for Class

1. Read required readings and be prepared to discuss them.2. Prepare to provide written definitions for about twenty terms associated with speech perception.

Week 16 (May 2)Required Readings

None

Preparation for Class

1. In groups of two, write three essay items that address the content of weeks 14 and 15.2. Be prepared to insightfully address the items written by your classmates, as well as my five essay items that will

focus on the course content across the first thirteen weeks.

Week 17 (May 9)

Comprehensive Final Examination (20%)

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