Computer simulation technique for assessing pediatric auditory test protocols.

Adaptive testing procedures are widely used for evaluating the hearing of young children. A standard protocol for such testing, however, has not been recommended and, as a result, many variations of the procedure are used clinically. This study, by utilizing computer simulations, varied several test parameters and examined the resulting test outcomes. We evaluated the effects of starting level, stimulus step size, and the use of conditioning trials on test outcome, while also varying the hearing levels and false positive and and negative rates of our simulated subjects. Results indicated that a low starting level, with a 20-dB down 10-dB up step size, and no conditioning trials produced the most accurate estimates of thresholds under most conditions.

[1]  G. Thompson,et al.  Visual reinforcement of head-turn responses in infants under 12 months of age. , 1977, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[2]  L. W. Olsho,et al.  An Observer-Based Psychoacoustic Procedure for Use with Young Infants. , 1987 .

[3]  L. Werner,et al.  Psychoacoustic development of human infants , 1992 .

[4]  R. Folsom,et al.  Hearing Assessment of At-risk Infants , 1981, Clinical pediatrics.

[5]  M. Primus.  Repeated infant thresholds in operant and nonoperant audiometric procedures. , 1991, Ear and hearing.

[6]  H Levitt,et al.  Adaptive testing in audiology. , 1978, Scandinavian audiology. Supplementum.

[7]  M. Thompson,et al.  Auditory localization of infants as a function of reinforcement conditions. , 1975, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[8]  Martin Fn,et al.  Survey of current audiometric practices. , 1985 .

[9]  L W Olsho,et al.  Pure-tone sensitivity of human infants. , 1988, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[10]  Virginia M. Richards,et al.  Stimulus step size and heterogeneous stimulus conditions in adaptive psychophysics , 1989 .

[11]  F. N. Martin,et al.  Survey of current audiometric practices. , 1985, ASHA.

[12]  G. Thompson,et al.  A comparison of two conditioning procedures in the use of visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA). , 1984, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[13]  H. Levitt.  Transformed up-down methods in psychoacoustics. , 1971, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[14]  R C Folsom,et al.  Auditory responsiveness of premature infants utilizing visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA). , 1992, Ear and hearing.

[15]  D. Ashmead,et al.  Sound localization and sensitivity to interaural time differences in human infants. , 1991, Child development.

[16]  J. Moncur,et al.  Stimuli and intensity factors in testing infants. , 1969, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[17]  R J Nozza,et al.  Masked and unmasked pure-tone thresholds of infants and adults: development of auditory frequency selectivity and sensitivity. , 1984, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[18]  G. Thompson,et al.  Clinical Application of Visual Reinforcement Audiometry , 1984 .

[19]  O Ozdamar,et al.  Optimization of automated hearing test algorithms: simulations using an infant response model. , 1991, Ear and hearing.

[20]  M. Primus.  Response and reinforcement in operant audiometry. , 1987, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[21]  B Kollmeier,et al.  Adaptive staircase techniques in psychoacoustics: a comparison of human data and a mathematical model. , 1988, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[22]  Evaluation of stopping rules for audiological ascending test procedures using computer simulations. , 1989, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[23]  C. Rovee-Collier,et al.  Advances in infancy research , 1981 .

[24]  M. Thompson,et al.  A comparison of audiometric test methods for 2-year-old children. , 1989, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[25]  S. Trehub,et al.  Developmental changes in infants' sensitivity to octave-band noises. , 1980, Journal of experimental child psychology.