Psychoacoustic performance in children: a developmental study

Abstract

This study investigated the development of psychoacoustic behavior in normal children between 4 and 12 years of age. Three psychoacoustic tasks—difference limen for intensity (DLI), difference limen for frequency (DLF), and temporal integration—as well as pure tone sensitivity were evaluated among groups of children aged 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Results showed (a) significant increase in pure tone sensitivity, (b) significant decrease in DLI size and (c) significant decrease in DLF size between 4 and 12 years. The configurations of the functions were similar to those of normal adults, and approached adult values with increasing age. The threshold‐duration functions for temporal integration were similar to adult norms—10 dB threshold shift for every decade change in duration—but fell at increasingly lower intensity levels—dB SPL—between 4 and 12 years. In general, there was an improvement in psychoacoustic performance with increased age. The data were also reconstructed with reference to a predicted performance model.