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Strategies for increasing response behavior of 1- and 2-year-old children during visual reinforcement audiometry
G Thompson1, M Thompson, A McCall
1Speech and Hearing Sciences, Child Development and Mental Retardation Center, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
Insights
Using two reinforcers increases responses in young children during visual reinforcement audiometry. One-year-olds showed more responses after a break, while two-year-olds habituated faster.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Child Development
Background:
- Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) is crucial for pediatric hearing assessments.
- Habituation can limit the number of responses obtained from young children during VRA.
- Optimizing VRA protocols is essential for accurate hearing evaluations in infants and toddlers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify strategies for enhancing response rates in young children during VRA.
- To investigate the impact of reinforcer conditions and age on habituation during VRA.
- To determine the effectiveness of repeated testing sessions after a break for eliciting further responses.
Main Methods:
- The study involved normal hearing 1- and 2-year-old children.
- Response rates before habituation were analyzed based on age, reinforcer type, and testing session.
- Habituation and re-engagement were assessed across multiple test sessions with a short break.
Main Results:
- Employing two visual reinforcers yielded significantly more responses before habituation compared to a single reinforcer.
- Following an initial habituation and a 10-minute break, most 1-year-olds provided at least five additional responses in a subsequent session.
- Two-year-olds exhibited more rapid habituation to the visual stimuli than 1-year-olds.
Conclusions:
- Dual reinforcer strategies can improve the efficiency of VRA in young children.
- Repeated VRA sessions with breaks may be beneficial for re-engaging 1-year-olds.
- Age-related differences in habituation rates should be considered when administering VRA to toddlers.
Abstract:
This study investigated strategies for increasing the number of responses that can be obtained from young children during visual reinforcement audiometry. Subjects included normal 1- and 2-yr-old children. Responses before habituation were studied as a function of age, reinforcer conditions, and test sessions. It was found that: (1) using two reinforcers led to more responses before habituation than use of a single reinforcer; (2) after habituation in test session 1 and a 10-min break, most 1-yr-olds demonstrated a minimum of five additional responses in test session 2; and (3) 2-yr-olds habituated more rapidly than 1-yr-olds.