Participants sought for research study Participants sought for research study

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is recruiting research participants between 65 and 96 years of age for a study on motor performance of the lip and jaw during speech. Data collection will take about one to one-and-a-half hours. Participants will receive $20 compensation for their time. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, contact Antje Mefferd at (301) 633-2525 or antje.mefferd@wichita.edu.

Specifically, the study aims to identify aging effects on lip and jaw performance.

The WSU speech science lab is located in the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

For more information about the WSU speech science lab, go to http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=csd&p=/faculty/mefferd/.

Study description
Small reflective stickers will be placed on your face and forehead using small amounts of hypoallergenic tape. These reflectors can be tracked by special infra-red cameras (used in Hollywood to produce movie animations such as "The Polar Express"). We use these cameras to examine speech movements of the lips and jaw.

During the experimental session, you will be asked to pronounce some syllables and words, repeat sentences and read a short passage. You will also be asked to silently move your lower lip and your jaw at various metronome paces. Further, we will take measurements to estimate your physical fitness (i.e. blood pressure, grip and tongue strength, air volume during exhalation, height and weight). This study is approved by the WSU Institutional Review Board. All data is confidential.