Age, sex, and delay time as factors affecting reaction to delayed auditory feedback

Five groups of 10 males and 10 females each, aged 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 yr., recited a nursery rhyme under normal delay and 113, 226, 306-m 403-, and 520-msec, delayed auditory-feedback conditions. Speaking rate and disfluency count changes from normal delay to each delayed auditory feedback condition were calculated as indicators of reaction to delayed auditory feedback. Analyses of variance and post hoc comparisons indicated that 5-yr.-olds reacted with greater change in rate at 520-msec. delayed auditory feedback than did older subjects. Five- and 7-yr.-olds were more disfluent at 413-and 520-msec. delayed auditory feedback than were older subjects. Sex differences were found in the 7-, 11-, and 13-yr.-old groups, using speaking rate as a measure of delayed auditory-feedback reaction. No significant sex differences were noted when disfluencies were used as indicators of delayed auditory-feedback reaction.