Influence of Gender on Auditory Temporal Processing: A Cross-sectional study in Security Personnel in Puducherry, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction: It is no wonder that men and women have their fair share of differences. Scientific evidences are scarce to justify the clear-cut role of gender differences on the human brain. It is a well-known fact that perception and accurate processing of sound stimuli in the auditory pathway is a necessary skill for efficient learning and language development. This study aimed to investigate the role of gender on auditory processing by comparing the temporal resolution ability of healthy, adult males and females. Methods: Forty-three apparently healthy individuals (F = 18; M = 25) in the age group of 25–60 years with a normal hearing threshold on audiometry participated in this study. Audiometry and random gap detection test (RGDT) were used to assess hearing threshold and auditory temporal processing ability. In RGDT, a pair of pure tones was presented to participants’ ears at different frequencies (500–4000 Hz) and they were instructed to identify a silent-gap (in milliseconds) between each pair of tones. Values were compared using an unpaired student “t” test. Results: The mean age of participants was 40.5 ± 8.45 years. The average hearing threshold levels (in dB) of male and female participants were 15.6 ± 2.5 and 14.5 ± 2.8, respectively (P-value = 0.1293). Temporal processing values of males and females were 10.48 ± 0.49 and 10.67 ± 0.51, respectively (P-value = 0.2338). Conclusion: The temporal processing ability was slightly higher in males than the females. However, the difference was insignificant. Therefore, it can be concluded that gender does not affect auditory temporal processing ability in middle-aged adults.