Tag: Communication Disorders and Sciences

Breathing based meditation to decrease stress and improve symptoms in persons with COPD

Presenter: Autumn Mosley – Communication Disorders and Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Samantha Shune

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Health and Social Science, Poster Presentation

Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), struggle with dyspnea and dysphagia which can increase their stress and anxiety levels having a quality-of-life impact. The aim of this study was to explore the impact that breathwork meditation has on anxiety and perceived stress levels in persons with COPD. It was hypothesized that participation in a Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) meditation program would lower stress and anxiety resulting in a decrease in the severity of symptoms associated with COPD. 9 participants diagnosed with COPD were recruited from across the United States. Participants engaged in a 3-day group SKY meditation program together through zoom. Data were collected from each participant through open-ended zoom interviews where they discussed their experiences during and after the SKY meditation program. Results indicated that participants had decreased severity in their symptoms and in overall stress and anxiety levels. Some participants reported a significant improvement in their quality of life and personal outlook. The SKY program improved stress and anxiety through several avenues. Improved sleep, emotional regulation, and feelings of social connectedness led to improved symptoms. Improved symptoms led to additional improved mental states. SKY intervention served to reverse the feedback loop exacerbating symptoms and negative emotions. Findings hold promise for future research into meditation as a holistic treatment option for this population.

Do we perceive when they deceive? Effect of pauses and dialect on the perception of deception

Presenter: Zoë Haupt − Communication Disorders and Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Baese-Berk

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

When attempting to detect a lie, numerous social and linguistic factors influence the perception of whether the speaker is telling the truth or lying. The current study investigates how pausing and dialect influence listeners’ judgments of truthfulness. Pauses are often associated with deceptive behavior, but it is unclear how the specific acoustic qualities of pauses affect the listeners’ perception of deception. An additional factor that has been shown to influence listener judgments is the dialect of the speaker. Speakers who use African American English (AAE) dialects, for example, are perceived as less credible than speakers who use a Standard American English (SAE) variety. In this study, bidialectal speakers recorded several narratives using both AAE and SAE. Listeners were asked to rate how truthful each speaker is after listening to a recording of a narrative via an online survey. Pause duration and the dialect used by the talker were manipulated to investigate the contributions of each factor to the perception of deception. The findings of this study will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between social biases and speech perception, linguistic markers associated with deception, and listeners’ perceptions and judgments of pausing and dialects.

 

Acquisition of Second Language Vocabulary for Kindergartners with Speech Sound Disorders

Presenter: Tracy Zapf, Spanish

Poster: D-7

Mentor: Karen McLaughlin, Communicatgion Disorders and Sciences

Researchers and educators alike have raised concerns over the potential lack of inclusion of children with speech and language disorders in immersion programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if children with speech sound disorders acquired Spanish vocabulary at a similar rate as a typical peer when learning in an immersion program, and if there was a difference between rates of acquisition for expressive versus receptive vocabulary. Participants included five kindergartners attending a partial, early elementary immersion school, one control participant and four participants with speech sound disorders. Expressive and receptive vocabulary probes were used to test the number of Spanish vocabulary words children could produce and comprehend within an eight-week period. Results showed that children with speech sound disorders acquired expressive Spanish vocabulary at a similar rate as their typical peer, but had lower levels of acquisition overall; rates of receptive vocabulary acquisition varied across participants. The results of this pilot study suggest that children with speech sound disorders are able to acquire Spanish vocabulary and, as a result, should continue to be included in immersion programs in the future.

Coffee, Climate, and Society: Can Fair Trade Benefit Both Human and Plant?

Presenter: Laura Vigeland

Communication Disorders and Sciences

Poster Presentation

C11

Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world, with Central and South America producing the majority of this product. This study explores the effects of climate change on coffee production in these regions and the implications this has for people whose livelihood depends on this commodity. Furthermore, it examines the potential benefits of Fair Trade farming practices for both coffee yield and coffee farm workers experiencing climate change. Large coffee plantations often exploit workers; paying them salaries below subsistence level. Climate change raises concerns about people who work on these plantations, for if increased temperatures adversely affect coffee production, their wages may diminish even further. This study analyzes research articles and secondary sources about climate change and coffee production, treatment of plantation workers, and the environmental and economic aspects of Fair Trade practices. Results indicate that increased temperatures due to climate change decrease coffee production, which leads to lower wages for plantation workers. Research also shows that Fair Trade farming practices mitigate the effects of climate change on coffee yield, and that Fair Trade economic policies ensure that workers earn adequate salaries. While climate change may negatively affect cof- fee production and farmers, Fair Trade practices combat these issues. These findings indicate that small coffee farms that use sustainable methods will cope with climate change better than large plantations.

Electronic Media Exposure and Early Vocabulary Acquisition in Spanish-Speaking Homes

Presenter(s): Ashley Goussak − Communication Disorders and Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Lauren Cycyk

Oral Session 1S

Research Area: Communication Disorders and Sciences

The purpose of this study is to describe the electronic media exposure of young children from Mexican immigrant backgrounds in their home and to investigate the association between media exposure and children’s vocabulary development. Thirty children between the ages of 15 and 24 months participated. Audio recordings of children’s home environment were completed through LENA technology and information on children’s productive vocabulary was collected through the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory and MacArthur Inventario Del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas (Inventario). The electronic media captured on the audio recordings was categorized by frequency (i.e., percentage of total minutes of recording time), type of programming (i.e., child directed versus adult directed, cartoons, or educational child-directed media), and language (i.e., Spanish or English). These characteristics of children’s media exposure were described. Then, the association of these characteristics to children’s English and Spanish productive vocabulary was examined through nonparametric, rank order correlation analyses. The findings indicated that children were more likely to be exposed to adult directed electronic media rather than child directed media and were more likely to be exposed to programs in Spanish than English. No significant associations were found between children’s vocabulary and any characteristic of electronic media exposure for toddlers from these backgrounds. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the development of language for bilingual Spanish-English speakers and helps speech-language pathologists best understand clients from these linguistic backgrounds.

How Smartforks Regulate Rate of Eating in People with Dysphagia Recovering from Stroke

Presenter(s): Anyasha Aragon – Communication Disorders and Sciences, German Language

Faculty Mentor(s): Samantha Shune

Oral Session 1S

Research Area: Communication Disorders and Sciences (College of Education)

Funding: Clark Honors College Thesis Grants for Extraordinary Expenses

Individuals recovering from stroke have a very high incidence of swallowing problems (dysphagia). One way to reduce rates of aspiration and choking in this population is by reducing rate of eating. Current methods for reducing rate, such as verbal cueing, often decrease quality of life. With advances in technology, smartforks provide a potentially novel method for reducing eating rate while maintaining increased autonomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a smartfork on eating rate and quality of meals in stroke survivors with dysphagia. The research was conducted at Oregon Rehabilitation Center over the course of two meals: one meal was eaten without the use of the smartfork’s feedback and the second meal was eaten with the vibrotactile and visual feedback turned on. Results indicated that the fork was effective for two out of the three participants. Specifically, for those two participants, their rate of eating decreased and the percentage of bite intervals when the target rate of eating was met increased with the use of the smartfork feedback. The visual feedback provided by the fork was more effective than the vibrotactile feedback. All participants felt the fork maintained or improved the quality of their meal. These results indicate that a smarkfork is potentially a helpful device to make eating a safer and more enjoyable experience for people with dysphagia.

Language Proficiency and Lexical-Semantic Processing in Bilingual Toddlers

Presenter(s): Abbey Ward—Communication Disorders and Sciences; Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Stephanie De Anda

Session 6: Interact & React

Prior research suggests that language systems are not entirely separate but interact in bilingual individuals . The current study seeks to extend prior work by investigating whether or not bilingual toddlers organize vocabulary words and their meanings (i .e ., lexical-semantic networks) within and across languages as early as 2 years of age . Of interest is how the words a toddler hears (i .e ., language exposure) versus the words that they say (i .e ., language proficiency) influence this organization of dual vocabulary systems . This study presents findings from a group of Spanish- English bilingual toddlers (N = 20, Mage = 24 .65 months) to examine the association between (a) language exposure and (b) language proficiency with lexical-semantic processing . Four measures were used: the Language Exposure Assessment Tool (LEAT) captured exposure, whereas the Computerized Comprehension Task (CCT) and the English-Spanish Vocabulary Inventories (ESVI) measured vocabulary size in both languages . Lastly, eye-tracking measures assessed lexical- semantic processing within and across Spanish and English . Consistent with prior literature, results suggest that vocabulary systems interact in bilingual toddlers by 24 months of age . As a group, toddlers with larger vocabulary sizes and faster speed of word recognition in their stronger language (Spanish) demonstrated inhibition, such that they were more likely to efficiently discard words similar in meaning (i .e ., semantic competitors) in order to correctly identify the target . When processing semantic relationships between words in their weaker language (English), toddlers with slower speed of word recognition demonstrated facilitation in order to continue ongoing activation of their sparse vocabulary networks . However, language exposure was not associated with lexical- semantic processing . Together these findings demonstrate that the words bilingual toddlers say and understand (and not necessarily what they hear) influence the organization of dual language systems . Ultimately, our findings contribute to the current understanding of bilingual first language acquisition and emerging theoretical models on bilingual language development .

Differences in respiratory-swallowing patterns across eating conditions among healthy older adults

Presenter(s): Eric Graboyes—Communication science and disorders

Co-Presenter(s): Carissa Hartmann, Natalie Hanson

Faculty Mentor(s): Samantha Shune

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

Safe and efficient eating relies on the precise coordination of the respiratory and swallowing systems . It is necessary for the airway to be briefly closed during the swallow itself in order to prevent food/liquid from entering the lungs (aspiration) . Previous research has suggested that an exhale before and after the swallow is the most protective pattern . Yet, little is known about the effects of aging and sensory environment on these patterns . The purpose of the current study was to characterize the pre- and post-swallow respiratory patterns in older adults across different eating environments . A total of 18 older adults participated (age range 65-90; 11 females) . Participants consumed water (via straw) and applesauce (via spoon) under three different conditions: typical self-feeding, assisted feeding (being fed by someone else), and sensory loss assisted feeding (being fed by someone else while blindfolded) . Across all three conditions, exhalations prior to the swallow were commonly observed; 58-61% of swallows were preceded by an exhale across the three conditions . Inhales were most commonly observed after the swallow, with a trend for increasing percentages given increased sensory loss (59% self-feeding, 64%, assisted feeding, 71% blindfolded assisted feeding) . Future analyses will continue to explore the differences across conditions within the individual participants and differences across the consistency types (i .e ., water—drink and applesauce—eat) . These findings preliminarily support that various factors can influence respiratory- swallow coordination, potentially increasing risk during eating for older adults .

Post-stroke Dysphagia’s Impact on Survivors and Spousal Caregivers: The Importance of Perceptual Congruence

Presenter(s): Kayla Davis—Communication Disorders and Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Samantha Shune

Session 1: Human Behavior—I am Who I Am

Previous studies have shown a link between survivors’ stroke severity and family caregiver burden, however other factors may contribute to this burden . Burden specific to post-stroke dysphagia and the consequences of incongruence between care recipient and care partner in their perception of the impacts of the care recipient’s dysphagia are potential variables that are unexplored . The present study aimed to determine the role of partner congruence of the perceived mealtime impacts of post- stroke dysphagia on caregiver burden . Twenty-seven spousal dyads consisting of a stroke survivor experiencing post-stroke dysphagia and their spousal caregiver were surveyed concerning their perceptions of the logistical and social impacts of dysphagia on mealtimes and stroke and dysphagia severity . Dyadic congruence in perceptions of mealtime logistical impacts, but not mealtime social impacts, was associated with increased caregiver burden . Additionally, increased survivor dysphagia severity and caregivers’ perceived mealtime logistical impacts were also associated with increased caregiver burden . These results can guide speech-language pathologists and other health professionals in their interventions for clients with dysphagia and their families .