Relation between Working Memory Capacity and Auditory Stream Segregation in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder

Lotfi, Yones; Mehrkian, Saiedeh; Moossavi, Abdollah; Faghih Zadeh, Soghrat; Sadjedi, Hamed

Relation between Working Memory Capacity and Auditory Stream Segregation in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

Yones Lotfi ¹

Saiedeh Mehrkian ¹

Abdollah Moossavi ²

Soghrat Faghih Zadeh ³

Hamed Sadjedi ⁴

¹ Department of Audiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Audiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

³ Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zanjan, Iran

⁴ Department of Engineering, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: This study assessed the relationship between working memory capacity and auditory stream segregation by using the concurrent minimum audible angle in children with a diagnosed auditory processing disorder (APD).Methods: The participants in this cross-sectional, comparative study were 20 typically developing children and 15 children with a diagnosed APD (age, 9–11 years) according to the subtests of multiple-processing auditory assessment. Auditory stream segregation was investigated using the concurrent minimum audible angle. Working memory capacity was evaluated using the non-word repetition and forward and backward digit span tasks. Nonparametric statistics were utilized to compare the between-group differences. The Pearson correlation was employed to measure the degree of association between working memory capacity and the localization tests between the 2 groups.Results: The group with APD had significantly lower scores than did the typically developing subjects in auditory stream segregation and working memory capacity. There were significant negative correlations between working memory capacity and the concurrent minimum audible angle in the most frontal reference location (0° azimuth) and lower negative correlations in the most lateral reference location (60° azimuth) in the children with APD.Conclusion: The study revealed a relationship between working memory capacity and auditory stream segregation in children with APD. The research suggests that lower working memory capacity in children with APD may be the possible cause of the inability to segregate and group incoming information.

Keywords

Auditory scene analysis

Stream segregation

Short-term memory

Auditory perceptual disorders

Child

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