Effect of Signal Duration on the Auditory Sensitivity of Humans and Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Purpose Theoretical models and substantial research have proposed that general auditory sensitivity is a developmental foundation for speech perception and language acquisition. Nonetheless, controversies exist about the effectiveness of general auditory training in improving speech and language skills. This research investigated the relationships among general auditory sensitivity, phonemic speech perception, and word-level speech perception via the examination of pitch and lexical tone perception in children. Method Forty-eight typically developing 4- to 6-year-old Cantonese-speaking children were tested on the discrimination of the pitch patterns of lexical tones in synthetic stimuli, discrimination of naturally produced lexical tones, and identification of lexical tone in familiar words. Results The findings revealed that accurate lexical tone discrimination and identification did not necessarily entail the accurate discrimination of nonlinguistic stimuli that followed the pitch levels and pitch shapes of lexical tones. Although pitch discrimination and tone discrimination abilities were strongly correlated, accuracy in pitch discrimination was lower than that in tone discrimination, and nonspeech pitch discrimination ability did not precede linguistic tone discrimination in the developmental trajectory. Conclusions Contradicting the theoretical models, the findings of this study suggest that general auditory sensitivity and speech perception may not be causally or hierarchically related. The finding that accuracy in pitch discrimination is lower than that in tone discrimination suggests that comparable nonlinguistic auditory perceptual ability may not be necessary for accurate speech perception and language learning. The results cast doubt on the use of nonlinguistic auditory perceptual training to improve children's speech, language, and literacy abilities.

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Race Difference in Auditory Sensitivity

Journal of Speech and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.0704.389 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 389-393 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

David C. Shepherd ◽

Robert Goldstein ◽

Benjamin Rosenblüt

Keyword(s):

White Women ◽

White Men ◽

Sensitivity Study ◽

Auditory Sensitivity ◽

Race Difference ◽

Men And Women ◽

Auditory Thresholds ◽

Békésy Audiometry ◽

Method Of Adjustment ◽

Better Than

Two separate studies investigated race and sex differences in normal auditory sensitivity. Study I measured thresholds at 500, 1000, and 2000 cps of 23 white men, 26 white women, 21 negro men, and 24 negro women using the method of limits. In Study II thresholds of 10 white men, 10 white women, 10 negro men, and 10 negro women were measured at 1000 cps using four different stimulus conditions and the method of adjustment by means of Bekesy audiometry. Results indicated that the white men and women in Study I heard significantly better than their negro counterparts at 1000 and 2000 cps. There were no significant differences between the average thresholds measured at 1000 cps of the white and negro men in Study II. White women produced better auditory thresholds with three stimulus conditions and significantly more sensitive thresholds with the slow pulsed stimulus than did the negro women in Study II.

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