The problems involved in testing speech-reading ability are studied here from two aspects; first, from that of logical validity of some test procedures, second, from that of applicability of analytical methods to the following two tests. One of these two tests (test A) uses a list of 20 nonsense monosyllables, the other (test B) a list of mutually unrelated 30 words as speech material. The purpose of test B consisting of three sub-tests is to evaluate the effect of word-association upon speech-reading.
Subtest 1: For exemple, a group of subjects (55 lower secondary deaf school pupils) receives a speech word “ito (thread)”, after having been shown a written stimulus ward “hati (needle)”. The speech intelligibility of the word “thread” is counted, and respresented by the symbol “b (thread-needle)”. Similarly “b (water-ice)” etc. are derived.
Subtest 2: The control group (n=54) receives only speech words such as “thread”,“water” etc. The speech intelligibility of each words are represented as “c (thread)”,“c (water)” etc.
Subtest 3: Each subject is made to give an association-response to the word “needle”. The symbol “a (thread-needle)” represents the percent of “thread” responses to “needle”. Similarly,“a (water-ice)” etc. are derived.
results: (see Table 5, 6.)(a, b, c, in two Tables are above-stated symbols.)
Judging from these Tables, the correlation between “a” and “b-c” is doubtful. It is frequently observed that the interacting process of the informations obtained by two different processes, i. e. by the anticipation of succeeding words, and by the visival perception of oral movement, is not a. linear function of these two processes.
