Date of Last Revision
2023-05-02 18:53:01
Major
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2016
Abstract
This study involved the development, implementation and analyzation of two qualitative case studies, with one involving a profoundly deaf individual who possesses a cochlear implant, the other with an individual who possesses normal hearing ranges. Participants were given two quantitative measures of observation, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire and the Thought Control Questionnaire, before participating in a semi-structured interview that was intended to gather information about the individuals, their life experiences, and the factors of psychological flexibility, adaptability and resiliency as applied to their lives. The semi-structured interview involved a set list of questions that were posed to the individuals; clarification or “follow-up” questions were added in as the need to understand the answers arose. The results of the quantitative measures showed that the individual with normal hearing scored slightly higher than the individual with the cochlear implant, which could show that normal hearing ranges enables an individual to be more psychologically flexible and better able to control unwanted thoughts. During the course of the semi-structured interview, the individual with the cochlear implant had a high rating of psychological flexibility, which may indicate a greater sense of self-awareness; more research is needed to validate this idea. However, considering that only two participants were involved in this particular study such a conclusion is difficult to come to.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Scott Palasik
First Reader
Dr. K. Todd Houston
Second Reader
Dr. James Steiger
Recommended Citation
Schwartzer, Sarah, "The Psychological Effects of Cochlear Implants: a Comparison of One Adult with a Cochlear Implant and One Without." (2016). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 249.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/249