This study was designed to ascertain whether vibrotactile stimulation ancillary to auditory stimuli would increase attentiveness or auditory com- prehension of preschoolers. Ninety-six children aged 3 to 5 years were divided into four auditory stimuli groups (N = 24 each): a musical or non- musical story experienced on a SomatroniM (a vibroacoustic mattress) or via a tape recorder. Dependent variables were cumulative seconds on-task, comprehension of the story content, and preference for the story/Somatron.
A one-way analysis of variance showed that on-task time ranged from78% to 88% and was not significantly different among groups. Storycomprehension was significantly reduced for both Somatron groups (p< 04,df=3, F-2.78). Neither the vibroacoustic stimulation, nor the musiccondition significantly affected the preschoolers' preference for the story.Those hearing the non-musical story with vibration preferred the Somatronsignificantly more than did the other groups.
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