Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026
Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
A comparison of threshold estimation methods in children 6-11 years of age
1University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Chapel Hill 27599, USA. ebuss@med.unc.edu
Insights
Estimating auditory detection thresholds in children is challenging. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and the Levitt adaptive staircase procedure offer stable threshold estimates for both simultaneous and backward masking in children aged 6-11.
Area of Science:
- Auditory perception
- Psychoacoustics
- Developmental audiology
Background:
- Estimating auditory detection thresholds in children is difficult due to attention lapses and time constraints.
- Previous research indicates variability in threshold estimation methods for pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the stability of different threshold estimation procedures in children aged 6 to 11 years.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive staircase and maximum likelihood methods under simultaneous and backward masking conditions.
Main Methods:
- A three-alternative, forced-choice paradigm was used to test 79% correct thresholds.
- Stimuli included a 1-kHz tonal signal and a Gaussian noise masker at 25-dB spectrum level.
- Procedures compared were 3-down, 1-up adaptive staircase (Levitt), maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), and method of constant stimuli.
Main Results:
- Both MLE and Levitt procedures demonstrated equally stable threshold estimates across simultaneous and backward masking conditions.
- Threshold estimates remained stable for both tested age groups (6-11 years).
- Considerable variability was observed in backward masking thresholds despite stable estimation procedures.
Conclusions:
- MLE and Levitt adaptive staircase methods are reliable for estimating auditory detection thresholds in children.
- These methods provide stable results even with challenging conditions like backward masking and age-related variability.
- Findings support the use of MLE and Levitt procedures in pediatric audiological assessments.
Abstract:
Estimating detection threshold for auditory stimuli in children can be problematic because of lapses in attention and the time limits usually imposed by scheduling restrictions or fatigue. Data reported here were collected to compare the stability of threshold estimation procedures in testing children ages 6 to 11 in a three-alternative, forced-choice paradigm. Stimuli consisted of a 1-kHz tonal signal and a Gaussian noise masker, bandpass filtered between 500-2,000 Hz and presented at 25-dB spectrum level. The signal was either presented for 400 ms in the presence of a continuous masker (simultaneous masking) or for 10 ms just prior to a 400-ms masker (backward masking). For each masking paradigm the 79% correct threshold was assessed via each of three procedures: 3-down, 1-up adaptive staircase (Levitt), maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), and method of constant stimuli. Percent correct was measured at the end of the study for a signal 10 dB above the previously determined threshold in order to estimate the most appropriate psychometric function asymptote for fitting data collected via the method of constant stimuli. Both the MLE and Levitt procedures produced equally stable threshold estimates for both conditions and age groups. This was the case despite considerable variability in backward-masking thresholds.
