Purpose: This meta-analysis study aimed to determine the optimal level of talker variability in training to maximize second-language speech learning. Method: We conducted a systematic search for studies comparing different levels of talker variability in nonnative speech training, published through July 2024. Two independent reviewers screened…

Purpose: Our audio--vocal system involves a negative feedback system that functions to correct for fundamental frequency (f[subscript 0]) errors in production. Therefore, automatic and opposing responses appear when an unexpected change in voice pitch is present in auditory feedback. This study explores following responses to pitch perturbation in…

Purpose: Null hypothesis significance testing is commonly used in audiology research to determine the presence of an effect. Knowledge of study outcomes, including nonsignificant findings, is important for evidence-based practice. Nonsignificant "p" values obtained from null hypothesis significance testing cannot differentiate between…

Purpose: This article presents a basic exploration of Bayesian inference to inform researchers unfamiliar to this type of analysis of the many advantages this readily available approach provides. Method: First, we demonstrate the development of Bayes' theorem, the cornerstone of Bayesian statistics, into an iterative process of updating priors.…

Purpose: Bayesian multilevel models are increasingly used to overcome the limitations of frequentist approaches in the analysis of complex structured data. This tutorial introduces Bayesian multilevel modeling for the specific analysis of speech data, using the brms package developed in R. Method: In this tutorial, we provide a practical…

Purpose: The aims of this study were (a) to assess the efficacy of the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) treatment and (b) to compare treatment outcomes for expressive vocabulary acquisition in late talkers in 2 conditions: 3 target words/90 doses per word per session versus 6 target words/45 doses per word per session.…

Purpose: A Bayesian adaptive procedure, that is, the quick auditory filter (qAF) procedure, has been shown to improve the efficiency for estimating auditory filter shapes of listeners with normal hearing. The current study evaluates the accuracy and test-retest reliability of the qAF procedure for naïve listeners with a variety of ages and hearing…

Purpose: We present functional logistic mixed-effects models (FLMEMs) for estimating population and individual-level learning curves in longitudinal experiments. Method: Using functional analysis tools in a Bayesian hierarchical framework, the FLMEM captures nonlinear, smoothly varying learning curves, appropriately accommodating uncertainty in…

Purpose: Generalized linear mixed-model (GLMM) and Bayesian methods together provide a framework capable of handling a wide variety of complex data commonly encountered across the communication sciences. Using language sample analysis, we demonstrate the utility of these methods in answering specific questions regarding the differences between…

Purpose: Evidence-based data analysis methods are important in clinical research fields, including speech-language pathology and audiology. Although commonly used, null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has several limitations with regard to the conclusions that can be drawn from results, particularly nonsignificant findings. Bayes factors…

Purpose: Scientists in the speech, language, and hearing sciences rely on statistical analyses to help reveal complex relationships and patterns in the data collected from their research studies. However, data from studies in the fields of communication sciences and disorders rarely conform to the underlying assumptions of many traditional…

Purpose: The purpose of this research note is to provide a performance comparison of available algorithms for the automated evaluation of oral diadochokinesis using speech samples from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Method: Four different algorithms based on a wide range of signal processing approaches were tested on a…

Purpose: Corpus analyses of spontaneous language fragments of varying length provide useful insights in the language change caused by brain damage, such as caused by some forms of dementia. Sample size is an important experimental parameter to consider when designing spontaneous language analyses studies. Sample length influences the confidence…

Purpose: This study introduces a framework to produce very short versions of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) by combining the Bayesian-inspired approach introduced by Mayor and Mani (2019) with an item response theory-based computerized adaptive testing that adapts to the ability of each child, in line with…

Purpose: This study reexamines the claim that difficulty forming memories of words comprising uncommon sound sequences (i.e., low phonological neighborhood density words) is a determinant of delayed expressive vocabulary development (e.g., Stokes, 2014). Method: We modeled communicative development inventory data from (N = 442) 18-month-old…