title: Listening preference for child-directed speech versus nonspeech stimuli in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired infants after cochlear implantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main purpose of the present study was to determine listening preference for child-directed speech (CDS) over static (white noise, WN) and dynamic (time-reversed speech, TRS) nonspeech stimuli in both normal-hearing (NH) infants and hearing-impaired infants with cochlear implants (CIs). A second purpose was to investigate the effect of auditory experience on listening preference for speech in both groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 64 infants, 43 NH (age 6 to 20 mos) and 21 CI users (age 14 to 33 mos), were tested. Twenty-two NH infants and 12 infants with CIs were tested on their listening preference for CDS compared with WN. In addition, 21 NH infants and 9 infants with CIs were tested on their listening preference for CDS compared with TRS using the central fixation preference procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NH infants and infants with CIs preferred listening to speech compared with WN and TRS. This preference was shown in infants with limited listening experience and increased significantly with auditory exposure for both NH infants and infants with CIs. The extent of preference for speech versus nonspeech among infants with CIs was significantly correlated with gross auditory and preverbal production skills (as measured by ITMAIS and PRISE tests, respectively) as well as with duration of auditory experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CI device provides sufficient information for the infants with CIs to follow early language processes similarly to NH infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. segalll@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Osnat
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kishon-Rabin
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D001288:Attention; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D010700:Phonetics; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013067:Speech Perception