Negative MEP substantially decreases DPOAE level for low frequencies and some mid-frequencies but tends to increase DPOAE level for high frequencies. Results suggest that any degree of negative MEP should be corrected to obtain an accurate outcome of DPOAE measurement. The MEP compensation procedure is effective in restoring normal DPOAEs in ears with negative MEPs. Examining changes in DPOAE level under negative MEP allows for further study of the transmission of acoustic signals through an altered middle ear system. A minimal change of DPOAE level at 2000 Hz indicates that the primary resonant frequency of the middle ear is lower than 2000 Hz. The variation in DPOAE change in the middle to high frequency range implies multiple resonances of the middle ear system.

The wideband energy reflectance (ER) technique has become popular as a tool for evaluating middle ear function. Negative middle ear pressure (MEP) is a prevalent form of middle ear dysfunction, which may impact application of ER measurements in differential diagnosis. A negative MEP may be countervailed by application of an equivalent negative ear canal pressure. The present study examined ER in the same ears under normal and experimentally induced negative MEP conditions. Thirty-five subjects produced at least one negative MEP each (-40 to -225 daPa). Negative MEP significantly altered ER in a frequency-specific manner that varied with MEP magnitude. ER increased for low- to mid-frequencies with the largest change (~0.20 to 0.40) occurring between 1 and 1.5 kHz. ER decreased for frequencies above 3 kHz with the largest change (~-0.10 to -0.25) observed between 4.5 and 5.5 kHz. Magnitude of changes increased as MEP became more negative, as did the frequencies at which maximum changes occurred, and the frequency at which enhancement transitioned to reduction. Ear canal pressure compensation restored ER to near baseline values. This suggests that the compensation procedure adequately mitigates the effects of negative MEP on ER. Theoretical issues and clinical implications are discussed.

Peer review of teaching is relatively new in many academic programs. Primarily focused on formative, rather than summative, assessment, peer reviews differ in types of artifacts and teaching behaviors observed during the review. The purpose of this study was to begin a preliminary investigation of peer review of teaching among internal faculty. Two faculty members in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at Wichita State University participated in this study. Both instructors agreed to have one class session each videotaped within the same week. Two comparable 10-minute presentation segments were selected and edited from the recordings. The recordings were then viewed and rated in counter-balanced order by 17 faculty peers in CSD programs. Ratings were collected using a 5-point Likert scale rating form, which was created for the study. Results were found to be generally positive with mean ratings of 2.23 (s.d = 1.19) and 2.41 (s.d. = 1.19) for the two instructors. Interestingly, both videotapes exhibited an order effect when low responses were removed. These findings are presented as well as questions to be examined in future studies.