Development of binaural temporal fine structure sensitivity in children
Sheila A Flanagan1, Brian C J Moore1, Angela M Wilson1
1Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|October 31, 2021
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Developmental Audiology
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Binaural temporal fine structure (TFS) comparison is crucial for sound localization and speech intelligibility.
- Young normal-hearing adults (YNHA) can typically compare TFS up to 1400 Hz.
- Understanding TFS development in children is essential for auditory development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate binaural temporal fine structure (TFS) sensitivity in typically developing children.
- To determine the age at which children achieve adult-like TFS sensitivity.
- To assess the impact of age on binaural TFS perception.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the temporal fine structure-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF) test.
- Tested 63 children aged 5 years 6 months to 9 years 4 months.
- Assessed sensitivity to interaural phase differences (IPDs) of 30° and 180° starting from 200 Hz.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited significantly lower (worse) TFS thresholds compared to YNHA.
- A significant age effect was observed, with higher performance (better thresholds) at older ages.
- Adult-like TFS thresholds were predicted to be achieved around 10 years 2 months of age for 180° IPDs.
Conclusions:
- Binaural TFS sensitivity develops significantly throughout childhood.
- Children's ability to perceive binaural TFS improves with age, approaching adult levels in late childhood.
- Findings have implications for understanding auditory development and spatial hearing in children.
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