Development of Basic Auditory Discrimination in Preschool Children

Abstract

Intensity (loudness), frequency (pitch), and duration discrimination were examined in 41 normal-hearing children, aged 4 to 6 years, and 9 adults. A second study retested 25 of the youngest children 12 to 18 months later. Intensity discrimination showed the least improvement with age and was adultlike by age 5 for most of the children. In contrast, frequency and duration discrimination showed highly significant improvement with age, hut remained poorer than adults' discrimination for many 6-year-olds. Large individual differences were observed within alt tasks and age groups.