Speech perception skills in cochlear-implant users are often measured with simple speech materials. In children, it is crucial to fully characterize linguistic development, and this requires linguistically more meaningful materials. The authors propose using the comprehension of reflexives and pronouns, as these specific skills are acquired at different ages. According to the literature, normal-hearing children show adult-like comprehension of reflexives at age 5, while their comprehension of pronouns only reaches adult-like levels around age 10. To provide normative data, a group of younger children (5 to 8 yrs old), older children (10 and 11 yrs old), and adults were tested under conditions without or with spectral degradation, which simulated cochlear-implant speech transmission with four and eight channels. The results without degradation confirmed the different ages of acquisition of reflexives and pronouns. Adding spectral degradation reduced overall performance; however, it did not change the general pattern observed with non-degraded speech. This finding confirms that these linguistic milestones can also be measured with cochlear-implanted children, despite the reduced quality of sound transmission. Thus, the results of the study have implications for clinical practice, as they could contribute to setting realistic expectations and therapeutic goals for children who receive a cochlear implant.
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November 2013
November 01 2013
Perception of spectrally degraded reflexives and pronouns by children
Deniz Başkent;
Deniz Başkent
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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Jacolien van Rij;
Jacolien van Rij
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Seminar für Sprachwissenschaft/Quantitative Linguistik, Wilhelmstraße 19
, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
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Zheng Yen Ng;
Zheng Yen Ng
University of Groningen, Center for Language and Cognition Groningen
, P.O. Box 716, 9700 AS Groningen, The Netherlands
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Rolien Free;
Rolien Free
b)
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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Petra Hendriks
Petra Hendriks
University of Groningen, Center for Language and Cognition Groningen
, P.O. Box 716, 9700 AS Groningen, The Netherlands
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: d.baskent@umcg.nl
b)
Also at: University of Groningen, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 3844–3852 (2013)
Article history
Received:
December 20 2012
Accepted:
September 23 2013
Citation
Deniz Başkent, Jacolien van Rij, Zheng Yen Ng, Rolien Free, Petra Hendriks; Perception of spectrally degraded reflexives and pronouns by children. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 November 2013; 134 (5): 3844–3852. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4824341
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