AUDITORY DEVELOPMENT

IN INFANCY

ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF COMMUNICATION AND AFFECT

Volume 1 • NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Edited by Lester Krames, Patricia Pliner, and Thomas Alloway

Volume 2 • NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION OF AGGRESSION Edited by Patricia Pliner, Lester Krames, and Thomas Alloway

Volume 3 • ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR Edited by Thomas Alloway, Patricia Pliner, and Lester Krames

Volume 4 • AGGRESSION, DOMINANCE, AND INDIVIDUAL SPACING Edited by Lester Krames, Patricia Pliner, and Thomas Alloway

Volume 5 • PERCEPTION OF EMOTION IN SELF AND OTHERS Edited by Patricia Pliner, Kirk R. Blankstein, and Irwin M. Spigel

Volume 6 • ASSESSMENT AND MODIFICATION OF EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR Edited by Kirk R. Blankstein, Patricia Pliner, and Janet Polivy

Volume7 • SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-MODIFICATION OF EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR Edited by Kirk R. Blankstein and Janet Polivy

Volume 8 • AGING AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES Edited by F. I. M. Craik and Sandra Trehub

Volume 9 • INFANT MEMORY Edited by Morris Moscovitch

Volume 10. AUDITORY DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY Edited by Sandra E. Trehub and Bruce Schneider

A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.

COMMUNICATION AND AFFECT

Volume 10

AUDITORY DEVELOPMENT

IN INFANCY Edited by

Sandra E. Trehub and

Bruce Schneider Center jor Research in Human Development

Erindale College Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC

IN THE STUDY OF ADVANCES

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under title:

Auditory development in infancy.

(Advances in the study of communication and affect; v. 10) Based on the proceedings of a symposium held at Erindale College, University of

Toronto in spring of 1981. Includes bibliographies and index. 1. Auditory pathways- Congresses. 2. Auditory perception in children- Congresses.

3. Hearing disorders in children-Congresses. I. Treimb, Sandra, 1938- . II. Schneider, Bruce, 1941- . III. Series. [DNLM: l. Auditory Pathways-growth & development-congresses. 2. Auditory Perception-in infancy & childhood-con­gresses. 3. Auditory Perception- physiology- congresses. 4. Hearing Disorders- in in­fancy & childhood-congresses. Wl AD8801 v.IO/WV 272 A9126 1981) RF291.5.C45A84 1985 618.92'0978 84-26422 ISBN 978-1-4757-9342-0 ISBN 978-1-4757-9340-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4 757-9340-6

© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1985

AII rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,

recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher

Softcover reprint of the hardcover edition 1985 1st

Contributors

W. KEITH BERG

Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

P. A. BERNARD

Children's Hospital, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario

GORAN BREDBERG

Department of Audiology, Sadersjukhuset, S-IOO, 64, Stockholm, Sweden

RACHEL KEEN CLIfTON

Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachu­setts

HALLOWELL DAVIS

Central Institute for the Deaf, 818 South Euclid Street, St. Louis, Missouri

v

vi Contributors

J. J. EGGERMONT

Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Nijmegen, Nij­megen, The Netherlands

REBECCA E. EILERS

Mailman Center of Child Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychol­ogy, University of Miami, Miami, Florida

DAVID M. GREEN

Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Iv AN HUNTER-DuVAR

E. N. T. Department, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

NEIL A. MACMILLAN

Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York

GEORGE T. MENCHER

Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Clinic, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

LENORE S. MENCHER

Co-ordinator Hearing Screening Program, Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Clinic, Halifax, Nova Scotia

PHILIP A. MORSE

Department of Neuropsychology, New England Rehabilitation Hospital, Woburn, Massachusetts

Contributors vii

DARWIN W. MUIR

Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario

D. KIMBROUGH OLLER

Mailman Center for Child Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychol­ogy, University of Miami, Miami, Florida

BRUCE A. SCHNEIDER

Centre for Research in Human Development, Erindale College, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario

SANDRA E. TREHUB

Centre for Research in Human Development, Erindale College, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario

Preface

The small but growing body of information about auditory processes in infancy is a tribute to the ingenuity and persistence of investigators in this realm. Undeter­red by the frequent expressions of boredom, rage, and indifference in their subjects, these investigators nevertheless continue to seek answers to the intrigu­ing but difficult questions about the course of auditory development.

In the spring of 1981, a group of leading scholars and researchers in audi­tion gathered to discuss the topic, Auditory Development in Infancy, at the 11th annual psychology symposium at Erindale College, University of Toronto. They came from both sides of the Atlantic and from various disciplines, including audiology, neurology, physics, and psychology. They shared their views on theory and data, as well as their perspectives from the laboratory and clinic. One unexpected bonus was an unusually distinguished audience of researchers and clinicians who contributed to lively discussion within and beyond the formal sessions.

The principal goal of the symposium was to stimulate interdisciplinary communication on developmental issues in audition, particularly as these relate to the human infant. We would like to share the fruits of this endeavor with a wider audience by means of this volume, which contains edited versions of papers presented at the symposium. The papers are grouped in four parts, each concluding with a brief commentary. Part I concerns anatomical and physiologi­cal perspectives on auditory processes in infancy and the possible relations between underlying mechanisms and observed abilities. Contributors to Part II outline the development of some basic auditory abilities and describe behavioral approaches to the measurement of auditory sensitivity. In Part III, contributors focus on pathology, outlining demographic perspectives and the application of auditory-brainstem-response procedures to the diagnosis of auditory and non-

ix

x Perface

auditory disorders. Lastly, in Part IV, attention is focused on complex auditory patterns, as well as models and mechanisms to account for the infants' process­ing of such patterns.

This volume and the symposium on which it is based would not have been possible without generous financial assistance from The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, The Laidlaw Foundation, and Erin­dale College. We would also like to express gratitude to several individuals for their assistance in the organization and operation of the symposium: Dale Bull, Leigh Thorpe, Shannon Thompson, and Betty MacKenzie. Finally, we apolo­gize to the contributors for unforeseen delays, primarily at the editorial level, in the publication of this volume.

SANDRA E. TREHUB

BRUCE A. SCHNEIDER

Contents

PART I. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE DEVELOPING EAR

CHAPTER 1

The Anatomy of the Developing Ear

Go RAN BREDBERG

3

The Gross Anatomy of the Ear ............................ 4 The Cochlear Duct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Implications for Auditory Development ..................... 18 References ............................................ 19

CHAPTER 2

Physiology of the Developing Auditory System

J. J. EGGERMONT

Introduction Maturation in the Cat Maturation in Humans

21

21 23 34

General Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 References ............................................ 43

xi

xii Contents

COMMENTARY

Introductory Comments on the Anatomy and Physiology of the Developing Auditory System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

IVAN HUNTER-DuvAR

PART II. BASIC AUDITORY PROCESSES IN INFANCY

CHAPTER 3

The Development of Infants' Auditory Spatial Sensitivity

DARWIN W. MUIR

51

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Responses to Sounds in the Horizontal Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Responses to Sounds in the Vertical Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Auditory Localization of Infants with Auditory or Visual

Handicaps ........................................... 69 Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

CHAPTER 4

The Precedence Effect: Its Implications for Developmental Questions 85

RACHEL KEEN CLIFTON

General Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Hypothesis 1: Directional Responding toward Precedence-Effect

Stimuli Will Be Slower to Develop in Infancy Than the Responding to Sounds from a Single Source ............... 88

Hypothesis 2: Temporal Parameters Influencing the Precedence Effect Will Differ among Infants, Preschoolers, and Adults ... 91

Summary .............................................. 96 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Contents xiii

CHAPTER 5

Behavioral Assessment of Basic Auditory Abilities 101

BRUCE A. SCHNEIDER AND SANDRA E. TREHUB

Measuring Absolute Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 102 Masking in Infants ...................................... 105 Incremental Thresholds and Binaural Phenomena . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Toward a Theory of Auditory Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 References ............................................ 113

CHAPTER 6

Physiological Measures of Auditory Sensitivity: Near-Threshold Intensity Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

W. KEITH BERG

References

COMMENTARY

Commentary on Chapters 3, 4,5, and 6

DAVID M. GREEN

PART III. CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC PERSPECTIVES

CHAPTER 7

Auditory Pathologies in Infancy

GEORGE T. MENCHER AND LENORE S. MENCHER

124

127

133

Hearing Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Results of the Nova Scotia Newborn Hearing Screening Project 148 Associated" Auditory" Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 References ............................................ 154

xiv Contents

CHAPTER 8

The Efficacy of Brainstem Response Audiometry in the Diagnosis of Meningitis and Other CNS Pathology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

P. A. BERNARD

Introduction ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . Method .............................................. . Results Discussion Conclusion References

CHAPTER 9

Electric Response Audiometry in Young Children

HALLOWELL DAVIS

157 158 160 161 163 164

165

Introduction ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Auditory Screening in the Neonatal Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 The Infant's ABR Audiogram ............................. 169 Juvenile Sensory Hearing Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Perspective ............................................ 174 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

COMMENTARY

To BER or Not to BER: That Is the Question 177

J. J. EGGERMONT

References 179

Contents

PART IV. AUDITORY PATTERN PERCEPTION

CHAPTER 10

Auditory Pattern Perception in Infancy

SANDRAE. TREHUB

Relations within Patterns

xv

183

185 Relations between Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Concluding Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 References ..................................... . . . . . .. 192

CHAPTER 11

Infant Speech Perception: Environmental Contributions

REBECCA E. EILERS AND D. KIMBROUGH OLLER

Backdrop ............................................ . An Interpretative Model ................................ . The Data ............................................ . Conclusion References

CHAPTER 12

Infant Speech Perception: Nature's Contributions

PHILIP A. MORSE

Nature's Contributions: From Human Adults to Infants to

197

197 199 207 211 212

215

Nonhumans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 216 Cross-Language Studies: The Importance of Salience .......... 221 Auditory Information Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 223 Infant Speech Perception and Human Nature ................. 225 References .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

xvi Contents

COMMENTARY

What Sort of Psychophysics Is Infant Psychophysics? 231

NEIL A. MACMILLAN

Discrimination and Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Training and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 234 Scaling and Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 236 References .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 238

INDEX 241