Comparing monotic and diotic selective auditory attention abilities in children.

Purpose: Some researchers have assessed ear-specific performance of auditory processing ability using speech recognition tasks with normative data based on diotic administration. The present study investigated whether monotic and diotic administrations yield similar results using the Selective Auditory Attention Test.

Method: Seventy-two typically achieving children were tested both monotically and diotically in a counterbalanced, repeated measures design.

Results: Results revealed that diotic scores were significantly higher than monotic scores, with no significant difference between right and left ears.

Conclusion: Collecting ear-specific normative data is recommended over extrapolating from norms using a diotic speech recognition test. Because a binaural advantage may be found when listening under challenging conditions, the strategy of occluding one ear in children with (central) auditory processing disorder ([C]APD) should be reconsidered.