Audio Cassette Recorder Research Articles

Ogden R. Lindsley: I Followed the Idea of the Missoula Smokejumpers.

In 1990, Ogden R. Lindsley served as guest faculty for Ohio State University's Teleconference on applied behavior analysis. He captivated students and faculty with tales of his personal journey from experiences during World War II to studying under B. F. Skinner, and his development of precision teaching (PT) to preserve rate of response measurement in educational applications.Derived from an audio cassette recording of that seminar session, this article captures highlights of those stories and Dr. Lindsley's discussion of topics ranging from his opinion of the open classroom movement to critiques of Sesame Street and errorless learning.

Popular children’s songs and the display of Italian multilingualism in Australia

Italians in Australia have been shown to have a varied linguistic repertoire, due to the presence of a high number of regional languages/dialects spoken in Italy, which they brought with them upon migration. Yet, their own efforts to bring attention to their multilingualism have not been fully explored. This article examines an audiocassette recording of a collection of children’s songs produced at the end of the 1970s by an Italo-Australian association for local circulation. It focuses on the design of the audiocassette cover and the range of regional languages/dialects of the songs in the collection, showing how (often mixed-language) texts and images aid language display. The results bring to the surface a deliberate effort to shed light on the rich multilingualism of Italy, which is consistent with the changing role of community languages in the period when this audiocassette was produced. These Italians in Australia make visible their multilingualism, presenting a range of regional languages/dialects also through their use in traditional songs, thereby showing another way in which multilingualism can be acknowledged and valued.

The end of decay time

The digital’s inexorable annexing of the past has finally caught the attention of policymakers. Article 17 of the European proposal for a General Data Protection Regulation seeks a ‘right to be forgotten and to erasure’ (see also Rosen, 2012). But this ambition fails to recognize that today life is lived through hyperconnectivity – copying, editing, posting, sharing, linking, liking – these are not subject to the rules of what I call ‘decay time’ (Hoskins, forthcoming). Before the digital, the past was a rotting place. Its media yellowed, faded or flickered, susceptible to the obscuration of use and of age. And wherever it was collected and contained, the media archive concentrated emissions of volatile organic compounds: the fusty smell of a second-hand bookstore or library was a mark of age which accompanied the visible signs of use and decay. And the analogue recording and storage media, dominant for much of the late twentieth century – magnetic tape, film, vinyl records – stretched and scratched and wore out through physical contact with their capture and playback machines. These media’s finite forms marked the past’s decline, holding a proper distance between what was and what is now: making visible and audible society’s dissipating memory. And this distance was mediated through the scarcity (and sometimes fragility) that comes with machinic and artefactual decay, degradation and loss. The result was familiar deterioration. The passage of this decay time afforded value and made the past worthy of careful excavation, re-imagination and representation. And it was this media that reached its denouement of memorial power but also of decay in the late twentieth century with the mass market for the audio and video cassette recorder. It seems strange then to say that it was the media of deterioration, of decay time, that underpinned the contemporary ‘memory boom’ (Winter, 2000, 2006; Huyssen, 2003; Hoskins and O’Loughlin, 2010), the archival tendencies of which were driven by the principles of scarcity and the bounding of space. But today’s archive is a medium in its own right, liberated ‘from archival space into archival time’ (Ernst, 2004: 52). The avalanche of post-scarcity culture and the databasing of the multitude challenges decay time. Suddenly, the faded and fading past of old school friends, former lovers and all that could and should have been forgotten are returned to a single connected present via Google, Flickr, Ebay, YouTube and Facebook. By the mid 2000s, the fragments of one’s past selves variously scattered by time and mobility were suddenly searchable and minable without the need of private detective agencies. As Kevin Kelly (2005) says, ‘Only small children would have dreamed such a magic window could be real’.

Examining Students’ Perceptions of Computer-Assisted Interpreter Training

Audio-cassette recorders have traditionally been central to interpreter training facilities, including labs and interpreting suites. With the growing ubiquity of information and communication technologies, however, integrating computers in the interpreting classroom and exploring their pedagogical potential has moved higher up the research agenda of interpreter trainers. This study explores the effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Platform (CAP) in assisting student interpreters with their interpreting practice. Rather than examining the usefulness of this platform from the teacher’s viewpoint, this research focuses on the students’ perception of what computer-assisted training offers them, comparing it with their learning experience using audio-cassette recorders. Subjects in this study identified five attributes as central to their perceptions of CAP-based interpreting training. The findings also suggest that subjects prefer the computer-assisted approach to the traditional form of interpreting practice involving audio-cassette recorders. The paper articulates the reasons for their preferences, and explores the potential of the CAP as an alternative approach to interpreter training.

Examining Students’ Perceptions of Computer-Assisted Interpreter Training

AbstractAudio-cassette recorders have traditionally been central to interpreter training facilities, including labs and interpreting suites. With the growing ubiquity of information and communication technologies, however, integrating computers in the interpreting classroom and exploring their pedagogical potential has moved higher up the research agenda of interpreter trainers. This study explores the effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Platform (CAP) in assisting student interpreters with their interpreting practice. Rather than examining the usefulness of this platform from the teacher’s viewpoint, this research focuses on the students’ perception of what computer-assisted training offers them, comparing it with their learning experience using audio-cassette recorders. Subjects in this study identified five attributes as central to their perceptions of CAP-based interpreting training. The findings also suggest that subjects prefer the computer-assisted approach to the traditional form of interpreting ...

Impact of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life® system on anxiety after breast cancer surgery

The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life® (YIDL®) system on anxiety of breast cancer patients. The YIDL® system is a holistic system being practised and taught worldwide and has been proven to be highly effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The system aims to establish physical, mental, spiritual, and social health. Thirty-two patients at the Institute for Oncology Ljubljana were randomized to the experimental (n=16) and to the control groups (n=16). Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received 1-hour group relaxation training session according to the YIDL® system per day. At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced for 3 weeks individually at home. Anxiety measures were obtained by blinded assessors using standardized questionnaires. The results indicate that relaxation training according to the YIDL® system could be a useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for breast cancer patients experiencing anxiety.

Improved Auscultation Skills in Paramedic Students Using a Modified Stethoscope

BackgroundThe Ventriloscope® (Lecat's SimplySim, Tallmadge, OH) is a modified stethoscope used as a simulation training device for auscultation. ObjectiveTo test the effectiveness of the Ventriloscope as a training device in teaching heart and lung auscultatory findings to paramedic students. MethodsA prospective, single-hospital study conducted in a paramedic-teaching program. The standard teaching group learned heart and lung sounds via audiocassette recordings and lecture, whereas the intervention group utilized the modified stethoscope in conjunction with patient volunteers. Study subjects took a pre-test, post-test, and a follow-up test to measure recognition of heart and lung sounds. ResultsThe intervention group included 22 paramedic students and the standard group included 18 paramedic students. Pre-test scores did not differ using two-sample t-tests (standard group: t [16]=−1.63, p=0.12) and (intervention group: t [20]=−1.17, p=0.26). Improvement in pre-test to post-test scores was noted within each group (standard: t [17]=2.43, p=0.03; intervention: t [21]=4.81, p<0.0001). Follow-up scores for the standard group were not different from pre-test scores of 16.06 (t [17]=0.94, p=0.36). However, follow-up scores for the intervention group significantly improved from their respective pre-test score of 16.05 (t [21]=2.63, p=0.02). ConclusionSimulation training using a modified stethoscope in conjunction with standardized patients allows for realistic learning of heart and lung sounds. This technique of simulation training achieved proficiency and better retention of heart and lung sounds in a safe teaching environment.

Impact of Relaxation Training According to Yoga in Daily Life®System on Self-Esteem After Breast Cancer Surgery

The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life(®) system on the self-esteem of patients with breast cancer. This is a parallel-groups design. Baseline interventions took place at the Institute for Oncology of Ljubljana (Slovenia). At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing the instructions for relaxation training to be practiced individually at home for an additional 3 weeks. The convenience sample of 32 patients with breast cancer was recruited from an accessible population of hospitalized women. Patients were randomized to the experimental (n=16) and to the control group (n=16). Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received a group relaxation training sessions according to the Yoga in Daily Life(®) system. At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced individually at home for an additional 3 weeks. Outcome measures were obtained by blinded investigators (physiotherapists) using standardized questionnaires (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) at baseline (after the surgery); at 1 week (1 week postattendance; at discharge); and at 4 weeks (4 weeks postattendance); prior the commencement of radiation. Analysis of variance showed that there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control group in all measuring self-esteem scores over the study period (p<0.0005). At the same time, the control group's scores remained unchanged over the study period (p>0.05). The results indicate that relaxation training according to the Yoga in Daily Life system could be a useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for patients who have breast cancer and who are experiencing low self-esteem. Although this kind of relaxation training can be applied to clinical oncology in Slovenia, more studies need to be done.

Impact of Relaxation Training According to Yoga in Daily Life® System on Perceived Stress After Breast Cancer Surgery

The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to Yoga In Daily Life(®) (YIDL) system on the psychological distress of breast cancer patients. 32 patients at the Institute for Oncology of Ljubljana were randomized to the experimental (N=16) and to the control group (N=16). Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received a group relaxation training sessions according to YIDL(®) system. At discharge the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing the similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced individually at home (for further 3 weeks). An experimental repeated measures design was used to investigate the differences over 1 month period in stress levels, changes in mental health and psychological parameters. Measures were obtained at three time points during the study period: baseline, at 1 week, and at 4 weeks, by blinded investigators using standardized questionnaires General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) psychological subscale, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Patients who received relaxation training reported feeling significantly less distressed during hospitalization and after discharge-period than did the controls that did not receive relaxation training. The results indicate that relaxation training according to Yoga in Daily Life(®) system could be useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for breast cancer patients experiencing psychological distress. Although this kind of relaxation training can be applied to clinical oncology in Slovenia, more studies need to be done.

Congregating by cassette

A single communications device has transformed interactions between members of widely dispersed transnational Haitian religious communities: the audiocassette recorder. Messages, hymns and prayers taped on them crisscross the sea between Haiti and its diaspora, engaging distantly separated co-religionists in sporadically sequenced, yet effectively intimate conversations and rituals. For both Vodouist and Catholic religious congregations, tape recordings in Haitian Creole effectively circumvent scriptural French and help cement transnational ties by creating vast transnational performative spaces. This article draws on ethnographic research in Haiti and Florida to describe and theorize the important role that audiocassettes have played, in the transnational Haitian case, in cementing `assembled groups' and recreating `certain mental states of those groups' in ways that Durkheim might not have imagined when developing his epic argument about the socially cohesive function and essence of religion, an argument from which we take our theoretical orientation.

Uncovering the Potential: The Role of Technologies on Science Learning of Middle School Students

There is, no doubt, untapped potential in using technological tools to enhance the understanding of science concepts. This study examines the potential by observing 7th and 8th grade middle school students’ (n = 23) use of portable data collection devices in a nine-week elective class, Exploring Technologies. Students’ use of the data collection devices and subsequent interactions were traced through audiocassette and videocassette recordings, field notes, and student artifacts. The culminating activity for the course was a scientific investigation that required students to use the technologies to answer student-selected research questions. To illustrate the use of technology as a mediatory tool, an inquiry investigation of three student groups is described. In examining the three groups of middle school students the researchers encountered specific evidence of technology maximizing students’ science learning. The students were able to use the portable data collection devices in their investigations as they discussed scientific ideas related to temperature and heat. The study’s findings indicated that the three student groups were able to use the tools to conduct scientific inquiry and engage in scientific discourse. Further research on instructional approaches that allow students to develop expertise by using technology as tools to construct knowledge about complex phenomena is encouraged.

Reading Aloud with Tom Hanks: A Reader's Perspective

This article traces D. Thomas Hanks, Jr.'s skill as a reader of fourteenth-and fifteenth-century Middle English texts, with special attention to his research into reading Malory aloud and his patience in teaching others to read Le Morte Darthur in the received pronunciation of late-fifteenth-century English.

Recording and environmental effects in sociolinguistic interviews: Implications for sociophonetic analysis

Sociophonetians are often interested in examining speech that has been recorded in acoustically diverse conditions. Sociolinguistic methodology is centrally concerned with combating the observer’s paradox, finding ways to minimize informant’s awareness that they are under investigation, and often the requirements needed to ensure high-quality recordings conflict with this theoretical focus. While sociophoneticians are aware of some potential problems when comparing different speakers, with only rare exceptions have they examined the potential problems on both inter- and intraspeaker analyses due to recording and environmental effects. Meanwhile, other fields (especially computer speech recognition) have investigated the acoustic effects of environmental noise and recording equipment and have demonstrated that these factors impact the resulting speech signals in ways that are possibly significant for sociophonetics. This study emulates a number of traditional sociolinguistic interview recording techniques by taking an array of recordings for single interviews. Each interview is simultaneously recorded with a wired lavalier microphone connected to an audiocassette recorder, a unidirectional vocal microphone placed 2 ft from the speaker connected to an audiocassette recorder, and a wireless lavalier to a digital video camera. The results of phonetic analyses of these recordings, along with the implications for sociophonetic analysis, are explored.

MODERN STRATEGIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

It is envisaged that these exercises will assist in the development of general strategies in predict ion and anticipation that are transferable to the speci fic fields of study in which the students are engag ed. To facilitate this transfer the teacher involved in pr oviding English assistance for students who are non native speakers of the language could progressively incorp orate into the program tape recordings of actual le ctures and seminars and use these as the basis for the activit ies outlined above; e.g., an audio cassette recordi ng or a videotape of a classroom lecture might be stopped a t various points and the students asked to suggest what would come next. In this way the students could be trained to use prediction and anticipation strategi es in real- life situations.

Better Supervision: Hit Record

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ViewpointsFull AccessBetter Supervision: Hit RecordTomer Levin, M.D.Tomer LevinSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:21 Oct 2005https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.40.20.00400017It was only after I started listening to audio recordings of trainees' therapy sessions, prior to their supervision, that I began to realize how easy it was to fudge the story being presented to me. By fudge, I mean spruce up, exaggerate, lie, or highlight the high points while glossing over the low points, either consciously or unconsciously.Traditional supervision methods have built-in biases. Trainees have an insatiable desire to please their supervisor and a vested interest in receiving a favorable performance report. Often process notes are not written immediately after the session but later that evening or even the next day, subjecting the notes to recall error.To make matters worse, every supervisor has a different way of measuring a trainee's performance and has his or her own teaching style. Not infrequently, supervisees, among them graduates of top psychiatric programs, have surprised me with lapses in therapy technique. I often wonder what transpired in their previous supervisions. One observation is that “eclectic” supervisors are vulnerable to leaving a trail of half-baked techniques that lack a coherent theoretical conceptualization. The words “My old supervisor thought that it might be a good idea to try a few mindfulness techniques” still make me cringe. Worse still, residents with narcissistic traits can lie their way through training because no one realizes the true extent of their difficulties in empathizing. Another misguided trainee was taught (by an analytic supervisor) to answer his beeper during therapy, presumably because of medico-legal neurosis.There is a better method for improving the reliability and efficacy of supervision. The trainee tapes each session using a highquality audiocassette recorder. The supervisor listens to the audiocassette and, via the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (or similar objective measure), rates the various components of the therapy on a Likert Scale. The Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale is made available to the trainee and thus, in addition to evaluation of competency, is also used for a second purpose—teaching the trainee exactly what is required for him or her to be deemed competent.The main advantages of audiotaping trainees' sessions are having an objective record of what actually happened and being able to identify more accurately where teaching efforts should be focused. Boundary violations and deviations from the defined setting (for example, starting late, going overtime) can be observed with greater ease, even if they are subtle. For example, a supervisee noted that her Medicaid patient was wearing a new designername outfit and made a joking comment about it without realizing the countertransference implications. Because it was on tape, it could be explored.Another advantage is that two supervisors can rate the same therapy session, increasing the interrater reliability. Thus, regular therapy sessions can be evaluated in a naturalistic setting as a quasi-examination.For trainees, learning and skill acquisition occur rapidly. This adds a certain excitement and pace to the supervision that trainees seem to enjoy. Because they know what the supervisor is looking for, they are motivated to read about and practice the techniques.Supervisors should address preconceived notions (or distorted automatic thoughts, in the terminology of cognitive therapy) about recording and privacy with both patients and trainees from the outset. Cassettes must be carefully guarded and erased once the supervision is over.One disadvantage of audio recording is that for every hour of supervision that the supervisee puts in, the supervisor puts in two. This must be taken into account when budgeting and allocating the teaching load. Another factor to consider is that it takes time to learn to supervise with this method; I underwent formal training through the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, which offers a program for supervisors.While cognitive therapists have been pioneers of this form of supervision, it can be adapted to all forms of therapy.After five years of using audiotaped sessions for supervision, I am convinced that traditional supervision should be relegated to a formaldehyde jar on the museum shelf. The learning advantages to this system outweigh the technical and organizational extras that it requires.Could we judge the competence of student drivers by their personal description of their skills? Most of us would want an objective driving test. We should not be surprised that an objective method for teaching psychotherapy has advantages. The real surprise is why it has taken so long for this method to be widely implemented. ▪Tomer Levin, M.D., is the head of psycho-oncology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. ISSUES NewArchived

MINIDISC RECORDERS VERSUS AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDERS: A PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

ABSTRACT MiniDisc (MD) digital audio recorders have the potential to benefit bioacoustics research, but concerns about the ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) compression method employed by MD recorders have prevented their widespread acceptance in the research community. We compared the performance of MD recorders with that of professional grade audiocassette recorders. Test sounds were synthesized or recorded directly onto a computer hard drive and then transferred to each of two MD recorders and three cassette recorders. The sounds were then transferred back to a computer and compared to the original versions to quantify degradation caused by the recorders. MD recorders proved superior to cassette recorders in the accurate reproduction of mean frequency and the reproduction of low amplitude signals when a high amplitude signal occurred at a nearby frequency. Unlike audiocassette recorders, MD's did not generate artefactual variance in signal frequency and amplitude. The new MD recorder used in our study consistently outperformed all other units in the ability to reproduce natural sounds, as quantified by two automated sound comparison techniques. We found, however, that MD recorders introduced acoustic artefacts after the rapid offset of signals. Artefact duration was not affected by signal duration, resulting in a positive relationship between signal duration and signal-to-noise ratio. The artefacts' periodicity, duration, and amplitude depended on the frequency of the signal; high-frequency signals produced more periodic, shorter, and quieter artefacts than did low frequency signals. Recording amplitude has little to no effect on signal-to-noise ratio. Cassette recorders introduced non-periodic offset artefacts that were similar to the artefacts introduced by MD recorders after low frequency signals. We conclude that researchers should base their choice of a recording device on the types of sounds they intend to record and the relative importance of accurate reproduction of sound offset versus other aspects of recording fidelity. Overall, however, we see no compelling reason to avoid MD recorders for most field recording and playback applications, and we suggest that the study of bioacoustics stands to benefit from the many practical advantages and novel research methods afforded by this technology.

The addition of an audiocassette recording of a consultation to written recommendations for patients with advanced cancer

The addition of an audiocassette recording of a consultation to written recommendations for patients with advanced cancer

The addition of an audiocassette recording of a consultation to written recommendations for patients with advanced cancer

Communication between physicians and advanced cancer patients is frequently difficult. Patients often report poor levels of satisfaction with communication. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact on patients' recall of and overall satisfaction with their consultation by the addition of an audiocassette recording of a consultation to written recommendations. Sixty patients with advanced cancer were randomized to either receive a tape recording of their consultation or receive no tape in addition to written recommendations in this randomized, double-blind trial. Patients gave their global ratings of the clinic, were tested for their recall of information given, and responded to questions about the utilization and role of the cassette in influencing family communication. The addition of the audiocassette to written communications significantly increased patient satisfaction with the clinic (8.7 +/- 1.7 vs. 7.7 +/- 2.0 on a scale of 0-10; P = 0.04) and significantly improved recall of the information given during the consultation (88% +/- 8.7% vs. 80% +/- 15.5%; P = 0.02). Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the audiocassette. Patients listened to the tape a median of 2 (range 1-4) times, whereas family members and friends listened to the cassette a median of 2 (range 1-3) times. The addition of an audiocassette recording of an outpatient consultation to written recommendations for patients with advanced cancer is capable of increasing both the overall patient recall of the visit and satisfaction with the outpatient clinical setting. Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the audiocassette.

Braille Communication Skills: What Teachers Teach and Visually Impaired Adults Use

The study reported here investigated which braille-related communication skills 233 teachers of students with visual impairments taught and 531 adults who are visually impaired used. It found that the teachers taught the use of braillewriters, computers, audiocassette recorders, and typewriters but rarely taught the use of slates and styli and sighted readers’ services. The visually impaired adults used a variety of communication modes, primarily braillewriters, slates and styli, sighted readers’ services, and sighted writers’ services.

Are patients with mastalgia anxious, and does relaxation therapy help?

Forty-five women with mastalgia severe enough to warrant investigation and treatment were recruited to a randomized clinical trial of daily pain diary keeping and relaxation therapy (RT) versus diary keeping on its own (control). All patients kept a pain diary during the study which lasted 12 weeks; women assigned to RT practised daily with an audio-cassette recording during weeks 5–8. Women who received RT improved significantly more than control patients as assessed by the Cardiff Breast Scale ( P = 0.05); of those patients staying in the trial for at least 8 weeks, 61 % of the women receiving RT, compared with 25% of the control patients, showed a complete or substantial response. Moreover, for women receiving RT, the mean number of pain-free days rose from 9.6 in the first (baseline) month to 14.2 in the third (post-treatment) month ( P < 0.05) (cf a non-significant increase from 9.2 to 10.5 days in the control patients). Because patients were asked to rate pain in the previous month at all visits, including the first, it was possible to carry out an ‘intention to treat’ analysis for this variable for all 45 patients: patients allocated to RT reported significantly less pain at week 12 than at trial entry ( P = 0.009) whereas this was not the case for women in the control group. Although the numbers are small, patients with cyclical mastalgia who received RT showed a significantly greater improvement on the Cardiff Breast Scale at the end of the trial than those with cyclical mastalgia in the control group ( P = 0.05). Furthermore, patients with cyclical mastalgia who received RT rated their pain as less severe during weeks 5–8 (when they were practising relaxation daily) than did the patients with cyclical mastalgia in the control group ( P < 0.04). This suggests that women with cyclical pain may show a greater response to RT. Moreover, women receiving RT, but not control patients, were significantly less anxious after treatment. The results of this pilot study suggest that RT may be useful in the management of mastalgia.