Standardized Mandarin Sentence Perception in Babble Noise Test Materials for Children
- VernacularTitle:嘈杂语噪声下普通话儿童语句测听表的标准化
- Author:
Xin XI
;
Aiting CHEN
;
Jia LI
;
Mengdi HONG
;
Dongyi HAN
;
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Children;
Speech audiometry;
Noise;
Validity;
Reliability;
Gender
- From:
Journal of Audiology and Speech Pathology
2009;17(4):318-322
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To examine among preschool children the validity, reliability and sensitivity of a new assessment tool of Mandarin sentence recognition in babble noise, consisting of twenty-seven equivalent lists, as well as to investigate the effect of age and gender on children's speech recognition. Methods Fifty-four normalhearing children aged 4 to 6 years were recruited from Beijing and were divided into three age groups (4~, 4.5~,and 5.0~6.0 years) containing 18 children each, half boys and half girls. According to randomized split-plot design, we examined their speech recognition ability with 27 sentence-in-babble-noise lists in a sound-treated booth in a kindergarten (ambient noise <40 dB). The sentences were presented at fixed intensity of 65 dB SPL, paired with competing babble noise at three different signal to noise ratios (SNR= +1, -2, -5 dB) by the same loudspeaker with 0° azimuth. Speech recognition score were calculated based on the children's repetition of keySNR functions exhibited that the threshold was -1.96±0. 19 dB SNR and the slope was 15.8%±1.1%/dB for of variance and Post- Hoc Scheffe test indicated that significant differences in performance were most pronounced between the 4~ year group and the other two groups (P<0.001), while there was no significant difference between 4.5~ year group and 5.0~6. 0 year group (P=0. 90). The girls' performance was also significantly better than boys' (P<0. 001). Conclusion The 27 lists of Mandarin speech recognition in babble noise were equivalent among children, and the sensitivity of performance versus SNR was 15.8%/dB. Both of them were below the adult averchildren aged 4.5~ up years. Even though the performance differed between boys and girls, the difference was relatively small compared to 24.6%, the critical difference as the reliability indicator.