Benefits of Music Training in Mandarin-Speaking Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users

Abstract

Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess young (5-to 10-year-old) Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users' musical pitch perception and to assess the benefits of computer-based home training on performance. Method: Melodic contour identification (MCI) was used to assess musical pitch perception in 14 Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users; the instrument timbre and the contour length were varied as experimental parameters. Six subjects received subsequent MCI training on their home computer in which auditory and visual feedback were provided. Results: MCI performance was generally poor (grand mean = 33.3% correct) and highly variable, with scores ranging from 9.3% to 98.1% correct; there was no significant effect of instrument timbre or contour length on performance ( p > .05). After 4 weeks of training, performance sharply improved. Follow-up measures that were conducted 8 weeks after training was stopped showed no significant decline in MCI performance. For the 6 trained subjects, there was a significant effect of contour length for the training and follow-up measures. Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that although baseline MCI performance initially may be poor, training may greatly improve Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users' melodic pitch perception.

Melodic Pitch Perception and Lexical Tone Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Cochlear Implant Users

“…MCI training has been shown to greatly improve MCI performance in postlingual adult English-speaking CI users, with mean post-training performance improving by 28.3 percent points in Galvin et al (2007) and 10.3 percentage points in Galvin et al (2012). More recently, Fu et al (2014) reported large gains in MCI performance in pediatric, prelingually deafened Mandarin-speaking CI users after a moderate amount of home training. In that study, mean baseline performance MCI performance with the piano was 32.8% correct, somewhat higher than the present prelingual performance.…”

Music-based training for pediatric CI recipients: A systematic analysis of published studies

“…Table 2 indicates which studies reported age at testing [17, 18] and implantation [17, 18, 23] or duration of CI use [21]; which variables were integrated into analyses; and whether these factors had significant impact. Some studies [19, 21] enrolled children within a relatively narrow age range, which is likely to result in less maturational variability across participants.…”

“…In contrast, several training studies provided highly-structured computer-generated training sessions with specific auditory stimuli and highly controlled responses [18, 21], or used a manual outlining specific keyboard exercises [23]. For example, the Fu et al study [18] implemented a computer-generated program presenting melodic contours with differing interval sizes (see Table 3).…”

“…For example, the Fu et al study [18] implemented a computer-generated program presenting melodic contours with differing interval sizes (see Table 3). Auditory training protocols of this sort are intended to train more efficient perception of specific musical sounds (e.g., pitch contours, music instrument recognition, etc.)…”

“…Auditory training protocols of this sort are intended to train more efficient perception of specific musical sounds (e.g., pitch contours, music instrument recognition, etc.) [18, 21, 23]. These approaches have the advantage of greater experimental control and replicability.…”