Five studies examined the contributions of syllable-ordering and rhythmic properties of syllable strings to 6- and 9-month-old infants' speech segmentation. Results indicate that the capacity for integrating multiple sources of information in speech perception emerges between 6 and 9 months, in rough synchrony with the emergence of integration in…

Twenty subjects (ages 7-13) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were administered a battery of tests (including the Auditory Continuous Performance Test and the Token Test for Children) twice, first when not taking and then when taking methylphenidate. Results indicated significant improvement in performance on all measures when subjects…

In a study of 24 preterm and 24 full-term infants at 8 months, infants who reacted to a novel stimulus with increased vagal tone showed more focused examination and exhibited greater exploratory play range than those whose vagal tone decreased with the stimulus. (LB)

This study examined the abilities of 18 adults with familial dyslexia to use steady state, dynamic, and temporal cues in synthetic speech continua. Although subjects were able to label and discriminate the continua, they did not necessarily use acoustic cues in the same manner as did normal readers, and their overall performance was less accurate.…

Three psychophysical auditory processing tests, varying in emphasis on speed of processing and pitch discrimination, and tests of verbal and nonverbal ability were administered to 108 13-year olds. A structural equation model suggests that information processing speed and pitch discrimination ability are significantly associated with nonverbal and…

First and fifth graders and college students were presented with pictures or spoken names of common objects and asked to make judgments about the comparative size of the objects. Judgment response times were faster with pictures than with words and varied with the ratio of the sizes of the objects. (BC)

Describes several ways to demonstrate the relationship between various aspects of auditory stimulation and sensation. Discusses the equipment required to hear and to visualize simultaneously a variety of auditory signals. States that these demonstrations allow students to learn more about sensory processing in general and auditory function in…

This article discusses findings concerning the plasticity of auditory cortical processing mechanisms in adults, including the effects of restricted cochlear damage or behavioral training with acoustic stimuli on the frequency selectivity of auditory cortical neurons and evidence for analogous injury- and use-related plasticity in the adult human…

A bird study found that with sufficient time and training after hair cell and hearing loss and hair cell regeneration, the mature avian auditory system can accommodate input from a newly regenerated periphery sufficiently to allow for recognition of previously familiar vocalizations and the learning of new complex acoustic classifications.…

After computerized training on visual-visual identity matching, a 5-year old with autism was given visual-visual and auditory-visual matching-to-sample tests with new stimuli. He performed poorly on matching visual stimuli until the stimulus array was changed to resemble the computer-stimulus arrangement, indicating the influence of small…

Expresses concern over the apparent deprivation among young children of the important range of sensory experiences that are found in quiet places. Argues that classrooms have so much inviting play that time and space for quiet reflection are lacking. Provides specific "quiet" ideas and practices for use in child care settings. (SD)

Studied whether patterns of developmental progression in reality monitoring were present in visual and auditory modalities and the role of cross-modal imagery in reality-monitoring tasks. Found scores revealed evidence of developmental progression in both auditory and visual source-monitoring tasks, but no effect of cross-modal imagery. (Author)

When presented with stimuli that contain illegal consonant clusters, Japanese listeners tend to hear an illusory vowel that makes their perception conform to the phonotactics of the language. Assesses an alternate hypothesis that this illusion is due to a top-down lexical effect. (Author/VWL)

This study examined 4- and 6-month-olds' responses to static or dynamic stimuli using behavioral and heart-rate-defined measures of attention. Infants looked longest to dynamic stimuli with an audio track and least to a static stimulus that was mute. Overall, look duration declined with age to the different stimuli. The amount of time spent in…

The human peripheral auditory system is fully developed at birth; however, myelination continues for several years in the higher auditory pathways. The aim of the present study was to assess the maturation course of the frequency and duration pattern tests and the middle latency response (MLR). One hundred and fifty normal participants ranging…