PURPOSE: to study temporal processing in children with normal development through the Random Gap Detection Test and the Gaps-in-noise Test. METHODS: a population comprised of 73 students, 19 having normal development, between 6 and 14-year old, males and females, no otologic and/or audiologic history, and no learning disabilities; normal hearing; articulatory production of all Portuguese sounds, no auditory processing disorders. RGDT and GIN tests have been used as the procedures of the research, carried out at 50 dB SL, being the first binaural and the second monoaural. A t-test of Student was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: for the RGDT test, the mean value for gap intervals for the 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz frequencies were 10 msec, 13 msec, 8.69 msec, 11.94 msec and 10.56 msec respectively, there were no significant statistical differences in the performance of the sample related to the tested frequency. For the GIN test, the threshold mean was 5.7 msec for the right ear, 5.4 msec for the left ear, there has been no significant statistical difference as to the ear evaluated. CONCLUSION: there are differences between the thresholds of the tests carried out with the same subjects, that point out to the hypothesis that GIN and RGDT are either not evaluating the same hearing ability or require non-auditory processes for the requested tasks. New research is necessary to better understand the applicability and the parameters of both tests in clinical practice in Brazil.
Child; Hearing; Hearing Tests; Auditory Perception
