ABSTRACT
Purpose:
to investigate the relation between forward masking and cognitive-language skills in children as a function of literacy stage.
Methods:
twenty-seven children registered in literacy stage at public schools, aged from 6 to 9 years old, with no learning difficulties or audiological problems reported, participated in this study. Frequency Following Responses were registered in two test conditions: 1) /da/ alone; 2) /da/ presented 4 milliseconds after a speech noise. Two language protocols were applied: a cognitive-linguistic skills protocol and a phonological awareness one.
Results:
forward masking was evident in Frequency Following Responses of all children regardless of literacy stage. Frequency Following Responses latencies in both testing conditions showed no difference among participants’ age. Cognitive-language skills scores were below those expected for all children, with significant improvement noticed as a function of age. No correlation between language performance and forward masking was found.
Conclusion:
there was no relation between forward masking and cognitive-language skills in children, as a function of literacy stage.
Keywords:
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brainstem; Noise; Speech; Child Language; Cognition