An observer-based psychoacoustic procedure for use with young infants.

Abstract

This article describes an observer-based technique for assessing auditory capacities of infants from 3 to 12 months of age. This technique, referred to as the Observer-based Psychoacoustic Procedure (OPP), combines features of the Forced-choice Preferential Looking technique developed by Teller (1979) and of Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (Moore ; Thompson, & Thompson, 1975). The rationale behind the procedure and the specific techniques used in its application are detailed here. Psychometric functions and thresholds for pure-tone detection and frequency discrimination obtained with OPP are also presented. The results for 6-month-olds are compared with results from previous studies employing a visually reinforced head-turn procedure. 627

Assessing auditory capabilities in young children

“…However, this solution reduces the objectivity of the test. Future development may consider an observer-based psychophysical procedure [41], in which the masked observer documents possible child responses to the contrast. We also are interested in upgrading the VRASPAC software to interface with more up-to-date video reinforcers, which may improve attentiveness for infants over the age of 12 months.…”

Acoustic Temporal Modulation Detection in Normal-Hearing and Cochlear Implanted Listeners: Effects of Hearing Mechanism and Development

“…In adult listeners, intensity discrimination is an important factor in temporal modulation detection performance at low modulation frequencies for both CI users (Donaldson and Viemeister 2000) and NH listeners (Wojtczak and Viemeister 1999). In NH children, intensity resolution is markedly immature at birth, and does not become adult-like until 4-6 years old (Olsho et al 1987;Werner and Gillenwater 1990;Trehub et al 1991;Tharpe and Ashmead 2001). Development of intensity representation reflects maturation of external and middle ear structures as well as cochlear and auditory nerve development (Abdala and Keefe 2012).…”

Preliminary evaluation of a two-interval, two-alternative infant behavioral testing procedure

“…The effect of response bias on thresholds estimated adaptively using single-interval procedures has been a concern in the fields of developmental psychoacoustics (e.g., Olsho et al, 1987;Leibold and Werner, 2006) and clinical audiology (e.g., Marshall and Jesteadt, 1986). For example, Leibold and Werner (2006) examined infant-adult differences in detection thresholds estimated adaptively with the single-interval observer-based procedure.…”

“…This is an operant-conditioning procedure, based on the observer-based, single-interval procedure developed by Werner and colleagues (e.g., Olsho et al, 1987;Werner, 1995). An assistant sat to the right of the infant/parent in the sound booth and manipulated quiet toys in order to keep the infant facing toward midline.…”

“…Moreover, conditioned head-turn procedures such as VRA are generally not effective for typically developing infants younger than about 5 months (e.g., Moore et al, 1977), or for children with severe developmental disabilities (e.g., Gans and Gans, 1993), because these listeners do not reliably produce clear, short-latency head turns in response to sound. Olsho et al (1987) developed a single-interval, observerbased procedure for testing infants in the laboratory. This is an operant-conditioning procedure in which the examiner does not know whether or not a signal is presented on a given trial.…”