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Response and reinforcement in operant audiometry
1Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie 82071.
The Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders
|August 1, 1987
Summary
This study explored operant conditioning techniques for assessing young children's hearing. Complex auditory tasks and animated toys increased child responses, aiding audiometric assessment development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Developmental psychology
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Accurate hearing assessment in young children is challenging.
- Operant conditioning techniques show variable success.
- Need for systematic evaluation of assessment methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate response and reinforcement features in operant discrimination paradigms.
- Examine techniques for audiometric assessment in 17-month-old children.
- Identify effective methods for improving engagement and response rates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two operant discrimination paradigms with 17-month-old children.
- Compared complex central processing tasks (auditory/visual spatial localization) with simple detection tasks.
- Assessed the impact of animated toy reinforcers versus standard reinforcers.
Main Results:
- Complex tasks elicited more responses before habituation compared to simple detection.
- Animated toy reinforcers more than doubled the number of subject responses.
- No significant differences in response conditioning rate or consistency were found across tasks or reinforcement types.
Conclusions:
- Task complexity and engaging reinforcers significantly impact young children's participation in auditory assessments.
- Animated toys show promise for enhancing engagement in pediatric audiology.
- Further research can refine operant conditioning methods for reliable hearing evaluations in infants and toddlers.
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