An Investigation of the Auditory Selective Attention Abilities of Children Completing a Kindergarten Program

Abstract

This study investigated the ability of beginning readers to perform auditory selective attention tasks through the use of dichotic listening tapes. It also examined if the measurement of the task in the auditory area did complement significantly a traditional reading readiness assessment. Subjects listened to a total of four tapes. The subjects were instructed to listen for certain categories mentioned by the female. After each tape, subjects were asked to recall those items mentioned by the female. The number of correct responses was tabulated to yield a central score. Subjects were also asked if they could recall any of the items mentioned by the male. The number of correct responses was tabulated to yield a incidental score. The results of this study strongly demonstrated that central and incidental learning have an inverse relationship to each other. The results also indicated that children can perform an auditory selective attention task after completing a kindergarten program, with varying degrees of accuracy. Longitudinal evidence is necessary before it can be determined if this task would complement significantly a traditional reading readiness assessment. The use of dichotic listening tapes may be useful as an additional screening procedure especially where traditional measures are inconclusive.