Dichotic Listening Performance in Normal Children and Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate normative expectations on the dichotic listening test in order to determine the influence of sex and development on dichotic listening performance. Thirty 5-to-6 year olds, thirty 11-to-12 year olds, and 30 adults, 15 males and 15 females in each group, were tested by using consonant-vowel dichotic stimuli. There were no significant differences between males and females except for the 11- to 12-year-old females who were significantly more accurate than the males. Degree of ear asymmetry did not differ among the three age groups; however, the adults and 11-to-12 year olds were significantly more accurate than the 5-to-6 year olds. Guidelines are suggested for the interpretation of dichotic listening test data.