Normative data for the Words-in-Noise Test for 6- to 12-year-old children.
OBJECTIVE
To establish normative data for children on the Words-in-Noise Test (WIN; R. H. Wilson, 2003; R. H. Wilson & R. McArdle, 2007).


METHODS
Forty-two children in each of 7 age groups, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years (n=294), and 24 young adults (age range: 18-27 years) with normal hearing for pure tones participated. All listeners were screened at 15 dB HL (American National Standards Institute, 2004) with the octave interval between 500 and 4000 Hz. Randomizations of WIN Lists 1, 2, and 1 or WIN Lists 2, 1, and 2 were presented with the noise fixed at 70 dB SPL, followed by presentation at 90 dB SPL of the 70 Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (T. W. Tillman & R. Carhart, 1966) words used in the WIN. Finally, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (L. M. Dunn & L. M. Dunn, 1981) was administered. Testing was conducted in a quiet room.


RESULTS
There were 3 main findings: (a) The biggest change in recognition performance occurred between the ages of 6 and 7 years; (b) from 9 to 12 years, recognition performance was stable; and (c) performance by young adults (18-27 years) was slightly better (1-2 dB) than performance by the older children.


CONCLUSIONS
The WIN can be used with children as young as 6 years of age; however, age-specific ranges of normal recognition performance must be used.
Wilson
Richard H
RH
James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Audiology (126/151), Mountain Home, TN 37684, USA. richard.wilson2@va.gov
Farmer
Nicole M
NM
Gandhi
Avni
A
Shelburne
Emily
E
Weaver
Jamie
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech / Q000592:standards*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012015:Reference Standards; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests / Q000592:standards*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult