Students

SPH 312 – Speech Perception and Hearing Science

2019 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer (Speech Perception), Tutor, Coordinator
Titia Benders
Australian Hearing Hub; Office 3.501
Fridays 1pm-2pm (pre-register via e-mail)
Administration
Margaret Wood
Contact via 02 9850 8740
C5A-12 SECOND WAY 502
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above including (6cp in LING units at 200 level including (LING210 or LING217))
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is a detailed examination of speech perception and hearing, and provides training in the scientific methods required to expand knowledge in both domains. This unit is based around interactive lectures that present the theoretical content, and practical workshops that support students in completing research projects and proposals. Essential topics in speech perception include the (categorical) perception of segments and the perception and processing prosody. These are introduced from the perspective of monolingual adults, and further explored in a range of other populations, including bilinguals and listeners with hearing loss. The discussion of hearing covers the structure of the outer, middle and inner ear, the auditory nerve, the auditory brainstem and the auditory cortex, as well as the mechanisms of hearing and the physiology of the auditory system. A final focus of this unit is the psychoacoustics of hearing and speech perception.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ear to the cortex
  • Demonstrate and communicate an understanding of neural anatomy and physiology as this relates to sound encoding
  • Analyse the processes involved in successful hearing, and evaluate what factors may lead to compromised audition
  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques
  • Demonstrate understanding of psychoacoustic phenomena
  • Apply an advanced understanding of speech perception as a mapping of auditory information on linguistic representations
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

General Assessment Information

The assessment tasks have been designed to enable students to demonstrate critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills in the understanding of how the auditory system works, psychoacoustics and speech perception.

Completion of All Assessment Tasks:

All assessment tasks are compulsory. It is a requirement of this unit that students make a serious attempt to complete all assessment tasks. Failure to make a serious attempt to complete all assessment tasks may result in failure in the whole unit even if the total marks for completed tasks add up to more than 50%. In such cases, failure results from the learning outcomes of the unit not being met.

Assignment Submission:

All assignments must be submitted via turnitin. For each assignment, you MUST submit the assignment in pdf format. Add a footer to each page of the assignment, with page numbering, your name and student number, “SPH312 2019”, and the assignment number clearly marked. Assignments without a footer may be returned late, may be marked incorrectly, or may not be accepted at all. Students must keep a copy of each assignment as proof that it was completed and submitted in the event that a submitted assignment is misplaced or damaged.

Return of Marked Assignments:

Students’ marked assignments will, in general, be returned to them within 3 weeks of submission. Students may receive letter grades (and not marks) for their assignments. Any marks that students may receive, see, or infer from a Turnitin rubric are only approximations, and cannot for the basis for an appeal. 

How to apply for late submission of an assignment

All requests for special consideration, including extensions, must be submitted via ASK.mq.edu.au and provide suitable supporting documentation.

Please make us aware of any circumstance that may affect your ability to complete an assessment on time. We are often able to help you manage your study load if we are aware of the situation before the assignment deadline. Requests for special consideration must always be submitted via ASK.mq.edu.au, within 5 days after the assignment deadline.

Late Assignment Submission

Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and the student is two days late their mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)

  • Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class. Any student with unsubmitted work at this date will receive a mark of 0 for the assessment task.
  • Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
  • Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.
  • For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration\
  • If a student fails the unit due to non-submission of an assignment or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.

Unit convenors have the discretion to determine whether or not students should fail a unit on the basis of lateness penalties alone if other learning outcomes of the unit have been met.

Appeals Against Grades

If a student has a problem with the mark given for a particular assessment, the student should contact the Unit Convenor directly. A request for a re-mark must be lodged within two weeks of the date of receipt of the assessment. If a remark is granted, the final mark can be sustained, raised or lowered.

If a student wishes to appeal against a final grade for a unit, then the student should lodge their appeal via ask@mq.edu.au.

http://students.mq.edu.au/support/complaints_appeals/appeals/

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Categorical Perception Report 20% No Week 5
Experiment Proposal 25% No Break week 2
DPOAE Practicum and Report 20% No Week 12
Exam 35% No Within Exam Period

Categorical Perception Report

Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%

Categorical Perception is a benchmark phenomenon in the study of speech perception. This practicum will introduce you to the experimental procedures involved in measuring Categorical Perception. You will be asked to interpret the data collected in the practicum and write a concise lab report outlining the findings. Submission of this assignment is compulsory.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply an advanced understanding of speech perception as a mapping of auditory information on linguistic representations
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

Experiment Proposal

Due: Break week 2
Weighting: 25%

Speech perception research, as all science, is an incremental process. This assessments invites you to formulate a follow-up experiment on a speech perception study published in an international scientific journal, in 2016 or 2017. You will be asked to write a concise experiment proposal, in which you 1) critically evaluate the original paper; 2) formulate a question and hypothesis; 3) outline appropriate methods and predicted results; 4) discuss implications of predicted outcomes. Submission of this assignment is compulsory.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply an advanced understanding of speech perception as a mapping of auditory information on linguistic representations
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

DPOAE Practicum and Report

Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%

In this practicum, you will develop an understanding of the clinical use of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), the clinical equipment used to measure them and the procedure undertaken for this. You will also develop an appreciation for physiological and non-physiological factors that could result in an absent evoked emission.  Submission of this assignment is compulsory.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques

Exam

Due: Within Exam Period
Weighting: 35%

The aim of the final exam is to assess the learning outcomes related to hearing science and psychoacoustics. This exam will be 3 hours in duration.

The following website provides details of the university examination policy: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/examination/policy.html Only in exceptional circumstances will supplementary exams be available. Request for supplementary exams are submitted as special consideration to ask@mq.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ear to the cortex
  • Demonstrate and communicate an understanding of neural anatomy and physiology as this relates to sound encoding
  • Analyse the processes involved in successful hearing, and evaluate what factors may lead to compromised audition
  • Demonstrate understanding of psychoacoustic phenomena

Delivery and Resources

Students will have access to weekly lectures, weekly readings on Leganto, weekly tutorials, and the resources on the iLearn page to support their learning.

All required readings and lecture materials are assessable content for the exam, and provide the necessary content knowledge for successful completion of the assignments.

Tutorials are specifically designed to develop the skills required for successful completion of the assignments.

We welcome all your questions during lectures, during tutorials, and during the 15 minutes before and after lectures/tutorials. Please never hesitate to come talk to us! We strictly adhere to posting all written student questions and answers on iLearn. Our aim in doing this is providing all students with access to the same information. You can ask questions directly on the iLearn discussion fora, for your peers, tutor, or lecturer to answer. Questions of a personal nature are of course excluded from this procedure. Please contact Titia Benders (the unit convenor) directly if you have any personal questions or concerns.

Unit Schedule

1. Categorical Perception

2. Categorisation Boundaries

3. Second Language Speech Perception

4. The Perception of Prosody

5. Speech Perception by Listeners with Hearing Loss

6. First Language Acquisition of Speech Perception.

7. The Ear

8. Cochlear Anatomy and Physiology

9. Cochlear Non-Linearity

10. Auditory Nerve - Anatomy and Physiology

11. Stimulus encoding and Central Auditory Nervous Pathway

12. Auditory Cortex, Localisation, and the Acoustic Reflex Pathway

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Communication about the unit

We welcome all your questions during lectures, during tutorials, and during the 10 minutes before and after lectures/tutorials. Please never hesitate to come talk to us! We strictly adhere to posting all written student questions and answers on iLearn. Our aim in doing this is providing all students with access to the same information. You can ask questions directly on the iLearn discussion fora, for your peers, tutor, or lecturer to answer (recommended option). You may also e-mail your lecturer or tutor, with the request that they post the question (anonymously) with the answer on iLearn. Questions of a personal nature are of course exclude from this procedure. Please contact Titia Benders (the unit convenor) directly if you have any personal questions or concerns.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ear to the cortex
  • Demonstrate and communicate an understanding of neural anatomy and physiology as this relates to sound encoding
  • Analyse the processes involved in successful hearing, and evaluate what factors may lead to compromised audition
  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques
  • Demonstrate understanding of psychoacoustic phenomena
  • Apply an advanced understanding of speech perception as a mapping of auditory information on linguistic representations
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

Assessment tasks

  • Categorical Perception Report
  • Experiment Proposal
  • DPOAE Practicum and Report
  • Exam

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse the processes involved in successful hearing, and evaluate what factors may lead to compromised audition
  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques
  • Apply an advanced understanding of speech perception as a mapping of auditory information on linguistic representations
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

Assessment tasks

  • Categorical Perception Report
  • Experiment Proposal
  • DPOAE Practicum and Report
  • Exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

Assessment tasks

  • Categorical Perception Report
  • Experiment Proposal
  • DPOAE Practicum and Report

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques
  • Evaluate, make informed decisions regarding, and report on the methods, data, and results from speech perception experiments
  • Communicate on methods, results, and theories of speech perception within typical and special populations.

Assessment tasks

  • Categorical Perception Report
  • Experiment Proposal
  • DPOAE Practicum and Report
  • Exam

Changes from Previous Offering

Learning outcome 4 has been changed from:

4. Analyse, interpret and report on audiometric data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques

to

4. Analyse, interpret and report on clinical auditory data to engage with theoretical issues relating to clinical assessment techniques

Changes have gone through the University's Quality Assurance mechanism (FSQC) for approval.