Graeme Clark Collection

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    Cognitive processing in children using cochlear implants: the relationship between visual memory, attention, and executive functions and developing language skills
    Surowiecki, Vanessa N. ; SARANT, JULIA ; MARUFF, PAUL ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Clark, Graeme M. ( 2002)
    We performed this study to determine whether children using a cochlear implant performed differently from age- and gender-matched hearing aid users on 8 neuropsychological measures of visual memory, attention, and executive functioning. The study also examined whether differences in cognitive skills could account for some of the observed variance in speech perception, vocabulary, and language abilities of hearing-impaired children. In contrast to previous studies, our results revealed no significant cognitive differences between children who use a cochlear implant and children who use hearing aids. Partial correlation analysis indicated that the children’s visual memory skills, i.e., their recognition memory, delayed recall, and paired associative learning memory skills, correlated significantly with their language skills. When examined at a significance level of .01, attention and executive functioning skills did not relate to the children’s developing speech perception, vocabulary, or language skills. The results suggested that differences in visual memory skills may account for some of the variance seen in the language abilities of children using implants and children using hearing aids.
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    Studies of prosody perception by cochlear implant patients
    Richardson, Louise M. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Clark, Graeme M. ( 1998)
    Prosodic information is conveyed to normally-hearing listeners by variations in acoustic fundamental frequency, amplitude envelope, and duration of speech segments. This study measured cochlear implant patients' sensitivity to these parameters in electrically coded speech. The psychophysical discrimination of electric parameters used to code prosodic information, were examined, together with prosody perception using speech processing strategies which modified the contributions of these parameters. Patients were implanted with the Cochlear Limited prosthesis and used the MPEAK speech processing strategy. In the psychophysical studies, difference limens were measured for steady-state and time-varying stimuli, of different pulse rates and pulse durations, over a series of different stimulus durations. These limens were obtained using an adaptive procedure which converged on the 50 per cent correct point. In the prosody perception studies, performance was measured for the MPEAK strategy and for strategies which modified the contributions of pulse rate and pulse duration. Data were collected for five tests of prosodic contrasts. Difference limens for steady-state pulse rates were larger at higher rates (17 per cent at 400 pulses/s) than at lower rates (6 per cent at 100 pulses/s). For some patients, limens for the time-varying pulse rates were larger than those for the steady-state pulse rates while for the other patients, the limens were similar. Difference limens for pulse duration were 0.3 dB, corresponding to 4 per cent of the dynamic range, for steady-state stimuli and doubled in size for the time-varying stimuli. Prosody perception performance was generally poorer for the modified strategies than for the MPEAK strategy, suggesting that the removal of information coded by pulse rate and pulse duration reduced the perception of prosodic contrasts.
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    Pitch perception for different modes of stimulation using the Cochlear multiple-electrode prosthesis
    Busby, P. A. ; Whitford, L. A. ; Blamey, P. J. ; Richardson, L. M. ; Clark, Graeme M. ( 1994)
    Abstract not available due to copyright.
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    Cochlear implants in children, adolescents, and prelinguistically deafened adults: speech perception
    Dawson, Pam. W ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Rowland, Louise C. ; Dettman, Shani J. ; Clark, Graeme M. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Brown, Alison M. ; Dowell, Richard C. ; Rickards, Field W. ( 1992)
    A group of 10 children, adolescents, and prelinguistically deafened adults were implanted with the 22-electrode cochlear implant (Cochlear Pty Ltd) at the University of Melbourne Cochlear Implant Clinic and have used the prosthesis for periods from 12 to 65 months. Postoperative performance on the majority of closed-set speech perception tests was significantly greater than chance, and significantly better than preoperative performance for all of the patients. Five of the children have achieved substantial scores on open-set speech tests using hearing without lipreading. Phoneme scores in monosyllabic words ranged from 30% to 72%; word scores in sentences ranged from 26% to 74%. Four of these 5 children were implanted during preadolescence (aged 5:5 to 10:2 years) and the fifth, who had a progressive loss, was implanted during adolescence (aged 14:8 years). The duration of profound deafness before implantation varied from 2 to 8 years. Improvements were also noted over postoperative data collection times for the younger children. The remaining 5 patients who did not demonstrate open-set recognition were implanted after a longer duration of profound deafness (aged 13:11 to 20:1 years). The results are discussed with reference to variables that may affect implant performance, such as age at onset of loss, duration of profound loss, age at implantation, and duration of implantation. They are compared with results for similar groups of children using hearing aids and cochlear implants.
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    Cochlear implants in children, adolescents, and prelinguistically deafened adults: speech perception
    Dawson, Pam W. ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Rowland, Louise C. ; Dettman, Shani J. ; Clark, Graeme M. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Brown, Alison M. ; Dowell, Richard C. ; Rickards, Field W. ( 1992)
    A group of 10 children, adolescents, and prelinguistically deafened adults were implanted with the 22-electrode cochlear implant (Cochlear Ply Ltd) at the University of Melbourne Cochlear Implant Clinic and have used the prosthesis for periods from 12 to 65 months. Postoperative performance on the majority of closed-set speech perception tests was significantly greater than chance, and significantly better than preoperative performance for all of the patients. Five of the children have achieved substantial scores on open-set speech tests using hearing without lipreading. Phoneme scores in monosyllabic words ranged from 30% to 72%; word scores in sentences ranged from 26% to 74%. Four of these 5 children were implanted during preadolescence (aged 5:5 to 10:2 years) and the fifth, who had a progressive loss, was implanted during adolescence (aged 14:8 years). The duration of profound deafness before implantation varied from 2 to 8 years. Improvements were also noted over postoperative data collection times for the younger children. The remaining 5 patients who did not demonstrate open-set recognition were implanted after a longer duration of profound deafness (aged 13:11to 20:1 years). The results are discussed with reference to variables that may affect implant performance, such as age at onset of loss, duration of profound loss, age at implantation, and duration of implantation. They are compared with results for similar groups of children using hearing aids and cochlear implants.
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    Preliminary results for the Cochlear Corporation multielectrode intracochlear implant in six prelingually deaf patients
    Clark, Graeme M. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Roberts, Susan A. ; Dowell, Richard C. ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Mecklenburg, Dianne J. ; Webb, Robert L. ; Pyman, Brian C. ; Franz, Burkhard K. ( 1987)
    The preliminary results from this study indicate that some prelingually deaf patients may get worthwhile help from a multiple-electrode cochlear implant that uses a formant-based speech processing strategy. It is encouraging that these improvements can occur in young adults and teenagers. The results for two children are also encouraging. A 10-year-old child obtained significant improvement on some speech perception tests. It was easy to set thresholds and comfortable listening levels on a 5-year-old child, and he is now a regular user of the device. There are, however, considerable variations in performance among the prelingual patients, which may be related to the following factors: whether they have had some hearing after birth, the method of education used, the motivation of the patient, and age at implantation.
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    A multiple-electrode intracochlear implant for children
    Clark, Graeme M. ; Blamey, Peter J. ; Busby, Peter A. ; Dowell, Richard C. ; Franz, Burkhard K-H. ; Musgrave, Gaye Nicholls ; Nienhuys, Terry G. ; Pyman, Brian C. ; Roberts, Susan A. ; Tong, Yit C. ; Webb, Robert L. ; Kuzma, Januz A. ; Money, David K. ; Patrick, James F. ; Seligman, Peter M. ( 1987)
    A multiple-electrode intracochlear implant that provides 21 stimulus channels has been designed for use in young children. It is smaller than the adult version and has magnets to facilitate the attachment of the headset. It has been implanted in two children aged 5 and 10 years. The two children both lost hearing in their third year, when they were still learning language. Following implantation, it was possible to determine threshold and comfortable listening levels for each electrode pair. This was facilitated in the younger child by prior training in scaling visual and electrotactile stimuli. Both children are regular users of the implant, and a training and assessment program has been commenced.