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. 2017 Jul 12;60(7):2090-2104.
doi: 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-H-16-0052.

Speech-Processing Fatigue in Children: Auditory Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Measures

Alexandra P Key  1 , Samantha J Gustafson  2 , Lindsey Rentmeester  2 , Benjamin W Y Hornsby  2 , Fred H Bess  2
Affiliations

Speech-Processing Fatigue in Children: Auditory Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Measures

Alexandra P Key et al. J Speech Lang Hear Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: Fatigue related to speech processing is an understudied area that may have significant negative effects, especially in children who spend the majority of their school days listening to classroom instruction.

Method: This study examined the feasibility of using auditory P300 responses and behavioral indices (lapses of attention and self-report) to measure fatigue resulting from sustained listening demands in 27 children (M = 9.28 years).

Results: Consistent with predictions, increased lapses of attention, longer reaction times, reduced P300 amplitudes to infrequent target stimuli, and self-report of greater fatigue were observed after the completion of a series of demanding listening tasks compared with the baseline values. The event-related potential responses correlated with the behavioral measures of performance.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that neural and behavioral responses indexing attention and processing resources show promise as effective markers of fatigue in children.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic representation of the test session events. ERP = Event-related potential; PVT = Psychomotor Vigilance Task.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
One-third octave band levels for the syllables /gi/ and /gu/ and the background multitalker babble noise used as the stimuli. Levels were adjusted to reflect an average overall level for the speech syllables of 65 dB SPL and an overall level of 55 dB SPL for the background noise (+10 dB signal-to-noise ratio).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Geodesic sensor net layout and electrode clusters used in the analyses.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Averaged event-related potential (ERP) responses at Fz, Cz, and Pz scalp locations recorded prior to and following completion of the speech-processing tasks. Dark and light tracings represent ERP responses to the target and standard stimuli, respectively. Dashed boxes highlight time windows used in the analyses. Asterisks indicate time windows where significant changes were observed between test stimuli.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Averaged event-related potential (ERP) responses at the Pz scalp location recorded before and after completing the listening tasks to the standard (left panel) and target stimuli (right panel). Dark and light tracings represent ERP responses to the prespeech- and postspeech-processing tasks, respectively. Dashed boxes highlight P300 time windows used in the analyses. Asterisks indicate time windows in which significant changes were observed across test sessions.
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References

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