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Speech and Language Lab

Facilities

The Speech & Language Lab facilities are equipped for studio-quality audio/video/physiological recording, high-tech computing, and hardware fabrication. Research team members collect original data, write software, and prototype hardware in the lab.  Frequent collection of data collected in the field (by wearable computers collecting speech data, for example) is managed and analyzed in the lab. The lab is also used for pedagogical purposes by faculty lab members teaching and advising students in speech and hearing sciences.

Speech and Language Lab

Audio/Video/Physiological recording

The lab is equipped with a large IAC sound booth with multi-channel HD video I/O, multi-channel wired and wireless audio I/O, and physiological voice recording equipment (electroglottography, accelerometry). The sound booth is used for data collection in a highly controlled environment, and is convertible for adults or children.  Audio and video data are managed by a computer workstation and dedicated high-quality rack recording hardware located in the control room outside the recording booth.  In addition, four fully-equipped audiometry booths, 11 clinical therapy rooms, and several adult-rehab rooms are situated nearby in the department.

High-tech computing

The lab is equipped with two modern desktop workstations, several laptop computers, and a dedicated network server. Workstations are outfitted with studio audio monitors and large video displays for analysis and experimentation. The server is used for very large database (VLDB) storage/management and massively-parallel super-computing (3k+ GPU cores). Computers are equipped with software including LENA, MATLAB, PRAAT, R, Python, and Perl.

Speech and Language Lab

Speech and Language Lab

Hardware fabrication

The lab is equipped with (electronic) hardware fabrication areas including stations for soldering, testing peripheral I/O hardware sensors (piezoelectric, electroglottographic, acoustic, etc.), and miniaturization. Arduino and Raspberry Pi systems are used for prototyping and rapid implementation. Field testing of hardware and software prototypes are analyzed in the lab.

Behavioral Tests and Evaluations

The lab maintains legacy and the most modern clinical and behavioral tests in our library. Tests include the following:

    1. Test of Early Reading Ability – Deaf or Hard of Hearing (TERA-D/HH)
    2. Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT 2 & 3)
    3. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, (PPVT 4 & 5)
    4. Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT)
    5. Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP 2)
    6. Primary Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (PTONI)
    7. Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL)
    8. Woodcock Johnson Tests of Early Cognitive Development (ECAD IV)
    9. Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
    10. Rice Wexler Test of Early Grammatical Impairment
    11. Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA 2 & 3)
    12. Wug-Wugs Test

In addition, the SLL has access to the testing materials of the UPCD Speech & Hearing Clinic with an additional wide variety of tests and evaluation materials.

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