Title: “Psychophysical and Psychometric Properties of Visual Analog Scales: An Auditory-Perceptual Study Applied to Hypokinetic Dysarthria”
Speaker: Deepthi S. D. Crasta, M.Sc. SLP, 3rd year PhD Student, SPeaK lab, University of Iowa Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Auditory-perceptual ratings are central to dysarthria assessment, yet the measurement properties of rating scales are largely unknown, and their psychometric properties underexamined. This pre-dissertation project investigated the level of measurement, reliability, and criterion validity of the visual analog scale (VAS) in the context of hypokinetic dysarthria associated with Parkinson’s disease. By comparing VAS to direct magnitude estimation (DME), an established ratio-level scale, this study examined whether VAS was a reliable and valid ratio-level measure for salient hypokinetic speech features such as reduced loudness, articulatory imprecision, short rushes of speech, monotony, and overall severity. The findings have important implications for the design of perceptual experiments, the analysis of research data, and for clinical training related to motor speech disorders.
The seminars take place every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom.
Zoom link for online seminars (used throughout the semester): https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/97359327852?pwd=0HDya18oxt4Yg8FiBr4WAn0F5jnzMw.1
Meeting ID: 973 5932 7852 Passcode: 219629