Adult Perfomance on the Sustained Auditory Attention Skill Test

Abstract

Introduction The Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test (SAAAT) is an instrument used to assess sustained auditory attention in children. Difficulties related to this ability are not unique to children alone, as adults have been observed to present with the same deficits. Therefore, there is a need to adapt instruments like the SAAAT and provide reference values for adults. Objective To assess adult performance on the SAAAT. Methods Approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee under n° 034/2011. The sample consisted of 30 participants aged between 18 and 30 years old (average age = 24.2 years old), female and male. The inclusion criteria were: peripheral hearing within normal limits, type A tympanometric curve, and no attention-related complaints. The participants were submitted to Tonal Audiometry, Logoaudiometry, Immitanciometry and to the SAAAT. Results The following mean values and standard deviations (SD) were observed: inattention = 1.7 (SD = 2.2) and impulsivity = 0.8 (SD = 0.9) error types. For the SAAAT, the mean value for the total error score was 2.4 (SD = 2.6), and for the decrease in vigilance, it was 0.3 (SD = 0.5). When comparing the performance of adults and children, a statistically significant difference was observed for inattention (p = 0.000) and impulsivity (p = 0.001) error types, as well as in the total error score (p = 0.000) and in decreased vigilance (p = 0.0003). Conclusion The performance of adults in the SAAAT differed from the children's parameters, since adults showed lower scores in all variables of the instrument.

The Effects of Noise and Reverberation Time on Auditory Sustained Attention

“…In the absence of noise, the mean = 3.6, SD = 1.28 for OE and mean = 2.4, SD = 1.02 for CE, which are lower than the results obtained in the study of Chinese children [33]. A study applying the SAAAT [26] to adults in a noiseless environment found that compared with children, the number of different types of errors in adults decreased, which is consistent with our findings. This suggests that children's auditory sustained attention ability may continue to develop and improve with age and reach stability in adulthood.…”

“…The results showed that the performance of the ADHD group on omissions, mean response time, and variability was significantly lower than that of the control group. Maria Renata José et al [26] conducted an auditory sustained attention experiment on adults using the SAAAT to investigate subjects' performance in listening to words over some time. Compared with previous tests on children, the adult group had fewer omission errors and had better auditory sustained attention.…”