Visual reinforcement audiometry using digital video disc and conventional reinforcers

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatric audiology
• Hearing assessment

Background:

• Visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) is a standard hearing test for infants and young children.
• Conventional VRA utilizes flashing lights or animated toys for reinforcement.
• Novel video technology offers a new approach to visual reinforcement in VRA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of video images versus animated toys as reinforcers in VRA.
• To assess auditory localization behavior in 2-year-old children using different VRA reinforcement methods.
• To determine which type of visual reinforcer yields better engagement during VRA.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 40 two-year-old children undergoing VRA.
• Twenty children received reinforcement via a video monitor, while the other twenty received reinforcement from a conventional animated toy.
• Auditory localization was measured by the number of head turns until habituation.

Main Results:

• The video-reinforced group demonstrated an average of approximately 15 head turn responses before habituation.
• The conventional toy-reinforced group averaged approximately 11 head turn responses before habituation.
• Results suggest video images may be more reinforcing than animated toys in VRA.

Conclusions:

• Video reinforcement appears to be more effective than conventional animated toys for VRA in 2-year-old children.
• The increased novelty and engagement of video stimuli may enhance VRA outcomes.
• Further research could explore the impact of video reinforcement across different age groups and auditory stimuli.