Ralph R. Rupp

Bio: Ralph R. Rupp is an academic researcher from University of Michigan. The author has contributed to research in topics: Sone & Loud music. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 5 publications receiving 60 citations. Previous affiliations of Ralph R. Rupp include University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

A study of the central auditory processes in stutterers using the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) Test battery.

Abstract: The performance of a group of stutterers (n = 14) and a group of nonstutterers (n = 14) was compared on the Synthetic Sentence Identification Test (Speaks and Jerger, 1965). The test is designed to...

Effects of Too-loud Music on Human Ears But, Mother, Rock'n Roll HAS to be Loud!

Abstract: Constant or recurrent exposure to high intensity sound can permanently damage hearing. Pediatricians and otologists are becoming increasingly aware of this danger, especially to teenagers who listen to rock'n roll music and entertainment—"the louder the better."

Hearing Testing in Young Children Simple Technics Adaptable to Pediatric Office Practice for Screening Neonates, Infants and Young Children

Abstract: * Coordinator of the Audiology Area, University of Michigin Speech Clinic, 1111 East Catherine Street, Ann Arbor. Mich. 48104. **Chief, Department of Speech and Hearing, C. S. Mott Foundation Children’s Health Center, 806 West Sixth Avenue, Flint, Mich. 48503. 4~~.i~I~:L hearing is vital to the acquisition of normal speech and language. Conversely, delayed or aberrant speech, language and learning patterns may be related to reduced hearing efficiency. In such situations,

Oral Rote Sequencing Abilities of Kindergarten and Fourth-Grade Students

Abstract: A population of 300 Kindergarteners and fourth graders were asked to perform a series of rote sequencing language tasks which included naming the days of the week, the months of the year, saying the alphabet and counting. The subjects were also asked to name as many colors as they could. Provisional norms for the performance on these tasks were proposed from the data. The data suggest no difference in performance between the sexes in either grade population. Marked improvement in rote sequencing abilities appeared for all tasks between the two grade levels except for naming colors.

An Adaptive Bias in the Perception of Looming Auditory Motion

Abstract: Rising acoustic intensity can indicate movement of a sound source toward a listener. Perceptual overestimation of intensity change could provide a selective advantage by indicating that the source is closer than it actually is, providing a better opportunity for the listener to prepare for the source's arrival. In Experiment 1, listeners heard equivalent rising and falling level sounds and indicated whether one demonstrated a greater change in loudness than the other. In 2 subsequent experiments listeners heard equivalent approaching and receding sounds and indicated perceived starting and stopping points of the auditory motion. Results indicate that rising intensity changed in loudness more than equivalent falling intensity, and approaching sounds were perceived as starting and stopping closer than equidistant receding sounds. Both effects were greater for tones than for noise. Evidence is presented that suggests that an asymmetry in the neural coding of egocentric auditory motion is an adaptation that p...

Ear damage caused by leisure noise.

Abstract: Noise is a health risk. Recent findings suggest that leisure noise is a substantial danger especially to children, teenagers and young adults. Epidemiological studies of teenagers with no occupational noise exposure show an increasing number with a substantial and measurable irreversible inner ear damage. This is basically due to the wide spread exposition to very loud toys (pistols and squibs), crackers and exposure to electronically amplified music, e.g. from personal cassette players (PCP), at discos or concerts etc. Protection against irreversible ear damage by leisure noise has an important impact in preventive medical care. Therefore the general public must be informed that loud leisure activities may cause damage to the ear. In order to protect children, young people and adults, the legislature ought to set limits for sound levels in discos, concert halls and for music equipment and toys by establishing the necessary standards and regulations.

Stuttering as a trait or state - an ALE meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

Abstract: Stuttering is a speech disorder characterised by repetitions, prolongations and blocks that disrupt the forward movement of speech. An earlier meta-analysis of brain imaging studies of stuttering (Brown et al., 2005) revealed a general trend towards rightward lateralization of brain activations and hyperactivity in the larynx motor cortex bilaterally. The present study sought not only to update that meta-analysis with recent work but to introduce an important distinction not present in the first study, namely the difference between ‘trait’ and ‘state’ stuttering. The analysis of trait stuttering compares people who stutter (PWS) with people who do not stutter when behaviour is controlled for, i.e., when speech is fluent in both groups. In contrast, the analysis of state stuttering examines PWS during episodes of stuttered speech compared with episodes of fluent speech. Seventeen studies were analysed using activation likelihood estimation. Trait stuttering was characterised by the well-known rightward shift in lateralization for language and speech areas. State stuttering revealed a more diverse pattern. Abnormal activation of larynx and lip motor cortex was common to the two analyses. State stuttering was associated with overactivation in the right hemisphere larynx and lip motor cortex. Trait stuttering was associated with overactivation of lip motor cortex in the right hemisphere but underactivation of larynx motor cortex in the left hemisphere. These results support a large literature highlighting laryngeal and lip involvement in the symptomatology of stuttering, and disambiguate two possible sources of activation in neuroimaging studies of persistent developmental stuttering.

Functional lateralization of speech processing in adults and children who stutter.

Abstract: Developmental stuttering is a speech disorder in fluency characterized by repetitions, prolongations and silent blocks, especially in the initial parts of utterances. Although their symptoms are motor related, people who stutter show abnormal patterns of cerebral hemispheric dominance in both anterior and posterior language areas. It is unknown whether the abnormal functional lateralization in the posterior language area starts during childhood or emerges as a consequence of many years of stuttering. In order to address this issue, we measured the lateralization of hemodynamic responses in the auditory cortex during auditory speech processing in adults and children who stutter, including preschoolers, with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We used the analysis-resynthesis technique to prepare two types of stimuli: (i) a phonemic contrast embedded in Japanese spoken words (/itta/ vs. /itte/) and (ii) a prosodic contrast (/itta/ vs. /itta?/). In the baseline blocks, only /itta/ tokens were presented. In phonemic contrast blocks, /itta/ and /itte/ tokens were presented pseudo-randomly, and /itta/ and /itta?/ tokens in prosodic contrast blocks. In adults and children who do not stutter, there was a clear left-hemispheric advantage for the phonemic contrast compared to the prosodic contrast. Adults and children who stutter, however, showed no significant difference between the two stimulus conditions. A subject-by-subject analysis revealed that not a single subject who stutters showed a left advantage in the phonemic contrast over the prosodic contrast condition. These results indicate that the functional lateralization for auditory speech processing is in disarray among those who stutter, even at preschool age. These results shed light on the neural pathophysiology of developmental stuttering.