Localization of visual targets inside and outside the field of view: the effect of hearing loss.
In two experiments the eye and head localization responses of auditorially handicapped children to visual targets in a surrounding circular display were compared with the corresponding responses of age-matched controls (Experiment 1, mean age: 131 months, hearing loss of auditorially handicapped children greater than 90 dB; Experiment 2, two age groups with mean ages: 72 and 123 months, hearing loss of auditorially handicapped greater than 50 dB). It was hypothesized that an auditory deprivation results in a deficient spatial orientation to the regions outside the visual field. This in turn should affect the actual localization behaviour to visual targets situated within those regions. Differences between the auditorially handicapped and non-handicapped children were found with respect to the localization times of so-called 'reversal' responses of eye (Experiment 1) and head (Experiment 2) to targets situated outside the field of view. In the second experiment significant age-effects were present. The implications of these findings for the presence of specific differences in cognitive spatial abilities between auditorially handicapped and hearing children are discussed.
Netelenbos
J B
JB
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Savelsbergh
G J
GJ
D000367:Age Factors; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D013017:Sound Localization; D014794:Visual Fields