Selective auditory attention in children of preschool age

This paper presents the results of a comparative study of selective auditory attention in children of two age groups: «younger one» (the average age is 4 year 6 months, n = 32) and the «senior» (the average age is 5 year 6 months, n = 30). All the children had no hearing or intelligence violations, visited the kindergarten of a general type. Two series of experiments using the verbal monitoring procedure were conducted; the selection of the target word from sounding sequence of words was the task of the subjects during each set. Series varied from each other in target and background words and in the speed of their presentation: interstimulus interval was 1500 ms and 500 ms. Simple sensorimotor reaction time upon detection of dial tone was determined in the third experimental set. Time of delay of responses to the target stimuli, the number of omissions and false reactions, as well as the dynamics of their changes were estimated throughout the experimental trial. The analysis of the obtained data testified reliable age differences in measurable indicators: the speed and accuracy of execution of tasks in the younger group were lower than similar indicators in the senior group. The differences were especially clearly manifested in conditions of strictly limited in time experiment. These facts showed a different degree of children's ability to mobilize the reserves of auditory selective attention in these age periods.

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