Current studies indicate the fact that elderly individuals may present a hearing processing disorder even without a structural lesion explaining it directly. AIM: To characterize the performance of elderly people with normal hearing sensitivity in the Frequency Standard and Duration Patterns Tests. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical prospective. METHOD: The sample counted on 25 elderly people with normal hearing and without history of central impairments. The Duration Pattern Test and the Frequency Pattern Test were carried out at 50 dBNS, with the request of answers through indication. RESULTS: The statistical analysis has shown that neither the ear side (right or left). The correct answer percentages found in the Duration Pattern Test was 67.5 and in the Frequency Pattern Test was 49.2. CONCLUSION: Statistic differences between the ears (right or left) were not found. The elderly individuals with normal hearing sensitivity present an average percentage of correct answers of 47.2% in the Frequency Pattern Test and of 67.5% in the Duration Pattern Test. The percentile values 3 and 97 were 23% and 96% for the Duration Pattern Test and of 17% and 98% for the Frequency Pattern Test, respectively.
central auditory processing; pitch pattern test; duration pattern test
