Speech-Processing Fatigue in Children: Auditory Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Measures

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Speech processing fatigue is understudied but impacts children in educational settings.
• Sustained listening demands in classrooms can lead to significant fatigue.
• Objective measures are needed to assess listening fatigue in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using auditory P300 responses and behavioral indices to measure speech processing fatigue.
• To assess fatigue in children after demanding listening tasks.
• To correlate neural and behavioral fatigue markers.

Main Methods:

• Auditory P300 event-related potentials were recorded.
• Behavioral measures included attention lapses and self-reported fatigue.
• 27 children (mean age 9.28 years) participated in listening tasks.

Main Results:

• Increased attention lapses and self-reported fatigue were observed post-task.
• Reduced P300 amplitudes and longer reaction times indicated fatigue.
• Neural responses correlated significantly with behavioral measures of fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Auditory P300 responses show potential as objective markers of listening fatigue in children.
• Behavioral indices, including attention lapses, are reliable indicators of fatigue.
• Combined neural and behavioral measures offer a promising approach to assess pediatric listening fatigue.