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Published on: January 23, 2017
Infant thresholds with enhanced attention to the signal in visual reinforcement audiometry
1Dept. of Speech Pathology & Audiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie 82071.
Insights
Modified Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) improved infant auditory threshold testing by 5.5 dB. This enhancement helps address discrepancies between infant and adult hearing thresholds, improving VRA
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Hearing Assessment
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Discrepancies exist between estimated infant and measured adult auditory thresholds.
- The precise reasons for this threshold gap remain unclear.
- Attentional and procedural variations in testing likely contribute to the observed differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of enhanced infant attention on auditory threshold measurement.
- To modify the Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) procedure to improve infant engagement.
- To quantify the attentional effect on infant auditory thresholds.
Main Methods:
- A modified Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) technique was developed to increase infant attention to auditory stimuli.
- 16 infants were tested using both conventional VRA and the modified VRA procedure.
- Thresholds obtained from the modified VRA were compared to those from the conventional VRA.
Main Results:
- The modified VRA technique resulted in an average improvement of 5.5 dB in auditory thresholds.
- Correction for adult performance in similar tasks suggested a 3.3 dB attentional effect.
- The findings indicate a significant influence of attention on infant hearing threshold determination.
Conclusions:
- Modifying VRA to enhance infant attention can significantly improve threshold measurement accuracy.
- The modified technique offers a more reliable method for assessing infant hearing.
- Addressing attentional factors is crucial for accurate pediatric audiological assessments.
Abstract:
Experimental data show a discrepancy between adult auditory thresholds and best estimates of infant thresholds. The source of the discrepancy has not been determined. Attentional differences between infants and adults and procedural differences to accommodate infant attentional behavior may account at least in part for the discrepancy. A standard operant procedure, Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA), was modified to enhance infant attention to impending auditory signals. Results on 16 infants evaluated with conventional VRA and modified VRA revealed an average 5.5 dB improvement in threshold with the modified technique. Correction for adult performance in similar tasks indicated a 3.3 dB attentional effect between infant and adult thresholds. The shift in threshold reflects on the adequacy of VRA as a threshold procedure.
