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An on-line task for contrasting auditory processing in the verbal and nonverbal domains and norms for younger and older adults

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Abstract

Contrasting linguistic and nonlinguistic processing has been of interest to many researchers with different scientific, theoretical, or clinical questions. However, previous work on this type of comparative analysis and experimentation has been limited. In particular, little is known about the differences and similarities between the perceptual, cognitive, and neural processing of nonverbal environmental sounds and that of speech sounds. With the aim of contrasting verbal and nonverbal processing in the auditory modality, we developed a new on-line measure that can be administered to subjects from different clinical, neurological, or sociocultural groups. This is an on-line task of sound to picture matching, in which the sounds are either environmental sounds or their linguistic equivalents and which is controlled for potential task and item confounds across the two sound types. Here, we describe the design and development of our measure and report norming data for healthy subjects from two different adult age groups: younger adults (18–24 years of age) and older adults (54–78 years of age). We also outline other populations to which the test has been or is being administered. In addition to the results reported here, the test can be useful to other researchers who are interested in systematically contrasting verbal and nonverbal auditory processing in other populations.

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Author notes

  1. Elizabeth Bates (professor of cognitive science)

    Present address: UCSD Department of Cognitive Science, 9500 Gilman Drive, 92093-0515, La Jolla, CA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCSD Department of Cognitive Science, 9500 Gilman Drive, 92093-0515, La Jolla, CA

    Ayşe Pinar Saygin & Frederic Dick

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  1. Ayşe Pinar Saygin
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  2. Frederic Dick
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  3. Elizabeth Bates
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayşe Pinar Saygin.

Additional information

This research was supported by Cross-Linguistic Studies in Aphasia Grant NIH/NIDCD RO1-DC00216 to E.B. and by Language, Communication and the Brain CRL Training Grant NIH T 32 DC00041, and Training Program in Cognitive Neuroscience Grant NIH/NIMH 1 T32 MH20002-02 to F.D.

Note—This article was accepted by the previous editor, Jonathan Vaughan.

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Saygin, A.P., Dick, F. & Bates, E. An on-line task for contrasting auditory processing in the verbal and nonverbal domains and norms for younger and older adults. Behavior Research Methods 37, 99–110 (2005). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206403

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