The Indiana Test of Auditory Memory and Processing Rate (ITAMPR)

Abstract

The Indiana Test of Auditory Memory and Processing Rate (ITAMPR) is designed to measure children’s abilities to identify sequences of speech elements. Subtests determine whether identification performance is primarily limited by the rate at which the stimuli are presented or by the number of stimuli in a sequence. Stimuli consist of 80-ms syllables, /ba/ and /da/, produced using a Klatt synthesizer. Listeners respond by repeating the sequence that they heard. The first subtest determines the fastest rate at which three-syllable sequences can be correctly identified, with rate manipulated by reducing the inter-syllable intervals. The second subtest determines the largest number of syllables that can be correctly repeated, using an intersyllable interval of 400 ms. A third subtest intentionally covaries number of syllables and rate of presentation, to determine the combined effects of these two variables. ITAMPR data are reported for approximately 330 normal-hearing children who were entering first grade, but were otherwise unselected. Lack of significant associations between rate and memory thresholds and several measures of language development suggests that auditory temporal processing and auditory memory, as measured by the ITAMPR, are not primary factors in language skills or disorders. [Work supported by Indiana University and the Benton County School Corporation.]