An adaptive clinical test of temporal resolution.
OBJECTIVE
It has been recommended that diagnostic and screening test batteries for auditory processing disorder (APD) include a measure of temporal gap detection using broadband noise stimuli. Although psychophysical laboratory procedures exist for the measurement of temporal resolution, none are clinically feasible. This study was designed to obtain preliminary data on a new clinical measure of gap detection, the Adaptive Test of Temporal Resolution (ATTR).


METHODS
The ATTR, a currently available clinical test (Random Gap Detection Test), and a standard psychophysical laboratory procedure were used to measure gap detection thresholds (GDTs) from a group of 30 young adults with normal hearing.


RESULTS
Mean ATTR GDTs were 2.2 ms, consistent with GDTs measured using the psychophysical laboratory procedure (3.2 ms) and significantly smaller than those measured using the Random Gap Detection Test (7.0 ms).


CONCLUSIONS
Because it incorporates standard adaptive psychophysical methodology in a computer application that can be used on any desktop computer but does not depend on specialized hardware for application, the ATTR promises to be a clinically feasible addition to the APD test battery.
Lister
Jennifer J
JJ
University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, PCD 1017, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. jlister@cas.usf.edu
Roberts
Richard A
RA
Shackelford
Jennifer
J
Rogers
Catherine L
CL
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000379:methods*; D011930:Reaction Time