A uniprocessor, unidimensional model, based on Krueger's noisy-operator theory, was fitted satisfactorily to data from four published studies of tone comparison. The model predicts faster response time on different judgments because of heterogeneity of difference. (Author/CP)

A reliable, easily administered performance test of selective attentional ability was sought. A monaural listening task provided a baseline control for adequate hearing and memory; a dichotic listening task then provided indices of ability to focus attention and resist distraction while a simultaneous listening task provided measures of ability to…

The hypothesis that word context reduces visual rather than acoustic confusion between possible targets was tested in a series of experiments. All involved tachistoscopic presentation of letter strings followed by a pattern mask. Data from eight college students showed that target letters that are confusable only visually and acoustically…

Predictions were derived from the assumption that the vocabulary store underlying the auditory analysis of verbal stimuli is organized as an acoustic space rather than as a lexicon (tree) or collection. The relationship between frequency of occurrence in the language and frequency of occurrence as an error is low. (Author/SW)

Reports a study showing that subjects can make discriminative judgments about a speaker's sex and race from his tape-recorded speech. Filtering the speech signal adversely affects race but not sex identification. Listener accuracy and confidence for sex judgments are greater than for race judgments. (PMJ)

Examined infants' tendency, from a few days to nine months of age, to prefer infant-directed over adult-directed speech. Results suggest that exaggerated pitch contours that characterize infant-directed speech may become salient communicative signals for infants through language-rich, interactive experiences with caretakers and increased…

To determine whether the impressive rates for speed reading (e.g., 500 words per minute) can be approximated in speed listening, two experiments compared the comprehension level of material heard at a normal speaking rate with that heard at accelerated rates. In the first experiment, the major demonstration experiment, three groups of college…

One hundred and two third graders were tested on match-to-sample, cognitive style tasks in the visual and auditory modalities as well as a visual-auditory cross-modal task. The results lend support to the relationship between cognitive style and reading performance. (Author/NQA)

We propose an "Enhanced Perceptual Functioning" model encompassing the main differences between autistic and non-autistic social and non-social perceptual processing: locally oriented visual and auditory perception, enhanced low-level discrimination, use of a more posterior network in "complex" visual tasks, enhanced perception…

We investigated learning-related changes in amplitude, scalp topography, and source localization of the mismatch negativity (MMN), a neurophysiological response correlated with auditory discrimination ability. Participants (n = 32) underwent two EEG recordings while they watched silent films and ignored auditory stimuli. Stimuli were a standard…

Major findings of this study involving undergraduate music majors showed that the variables of language-bound/language-optional and field dependence/field independence significantly affect aural skill learning. The relationship of reflection/impulsivity to achievement in aural skills was found to be negligible. (Author/RM)

Auditory pattern recognition skills in children with reading disorders were investigated using perceptual tests involving discrimination of frequency and duration tonal patterns. A behavioral test battery involving recognition of the pattern of presentation of tone triads was used in which individual components differed in either frequency or…

This study utilized a recognition procedure to directly assess preschool children's ability to discriminate between programs and commercials in an actual viewing situation. Seventy-two children, equally grouped by sex and age (3, 4, and 5 years) were individually presented with three videotapes. Each tape contained a sample of a 48 ten-second…

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain-behavior correlations in a group of 16 children (9- to 12-year-olds). Activation was measured during a semantic judgment task presented in either the visual or auditory modality that required the individual to determine whether a final word was related in meaning to one…