The effect of presentation level on the Gaps-In-Noise (GIN) test

The Gaps-In-Noise (GIN) test is a new procedure used in the diagnosis of central auditory processing disorders. Performance on the GIN is recorded as approximate gap detection threshold and percent correct. In order to utilize the GIN test clinically, it is important to know how presentation level influences performance on the GIN. To this end, ten normal-hearing adults were administered the GIN at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 50 dB SL with regard to threshold to GIN noise. Results indicated that performance for both the approximate gap detection threshold (A.th) and percent correct improved with increasing presentation level. Performance at 35 dB SL was not significantly different from the standard clinical presentation level (50 dB SL). Gaps that were between 5 and 8 msec in duration tended to show more variation across presentation levels. Although an influence of presentation level was noted, this influence should not be manifested at the standard clinical presentation level.