Assessment of spatial acuity in typically developing children: a comparative study of sound-field and closed-field sound source identification paradigms

Abstract

Objective Two main techniques to assess auditory spatial acuity include real-source localisation in the sound-field and virtual-source localisation under headphones.The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of the two assessment paradigms (sound-field localisation and closed-field lateralisation) to measure the spatial abilities of normal-hearing school-aged children. Methods Spatial acuity was assessed in twenty-seven normal-hearing children aged 7–13 years (Mage: 10.4; SD: 1.6) using two paradigms; 1) localisation test (a sound field paradigm) and 2) virtual auditory space identification test (VASI,a closed-field paradigm). The accuracy scores and error rates were calculated from confusion matrices for each participant in both paradigms. Results The Wilcoxon sign rank test showed no statistically significant difference between the two tests in the error rates. However, there was a significant difference in the accuracy scores between the two paradigms for azimuths/locations: Right45°, Right135°, Left45°, and Left135°. Spearman correlation showed a mild to moderate positive correlation between all the measures of the two paradigms. Conclusion The results show that VASI and sound-field localisation paradigms are comparable in assessing spatial acuity in children. A further experiment is warranted to establish its validity in the clinical population as a test for spatial acuity.