Obtaining Text

Listening to and Typing the Tape-Recorded Speech Sample

Since the typed audio transcript of the verbal sample is of primary significance in verbal behavior research, its accuracy is of extreme importance to the reliability and validity of the results. In the process of typing a recorded speech sample, for a number of reasons there may be words that cannot be heard clearly.

1. Remove the earphones and attempt to distinguish words by playing the sound directly to the room at large.
1. Vary the volume. Words sometimes become more easily distinguishable at a lower or higher volume.
2. Use a second person to listen.
3. When all else fails, do not guess. Try to determine how many words are being omit ted. Indicate the approximate number of words omitted in parentheses at the appropriate point in the transcript (see ).
4. Ask the person who took the verbal sample for assistance. Especially if the word or phrase is difficult to perceive because of the use of unusual names or words, or odd sentence construction, the person who obtained the verbal sample can frequently be helpful.
5. While in rough draft form, the verbal sample may be relistened to by an independent observer to check its accuracy. This step is especially crucial for those verbal samples where many nonverbal vocalizations have been used or where there has been difficulty with indistinct words..