TY - JOUR
T1 - Listening preference for child-directed speech versus time-reversed speech in moderate-preterm infants compared to full-term infants
AU - Segal, Osnat
AU - Moyal, Dana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether there is a listening preference for child-directed speech (CDS) over backward speech in moderate-preterm infants (MPIs). Method: Eighteen MPIs of gestational age of 32.0 weeks (range: 32- 34.06 weeks), chronological age of 8.09 months, and maturation age of 6.48 months served as the experimental group. The two control groups con-sisted of a total of 36 infants—20 full-term infants matched for chronological age and 16 full-term infants matched for maturation age. The infants were tested using the central fixation procedure and were presented with 16 trials of CDS and backward speech. A follow-up was conducted 5 years after the initial experiment using a developmental and a five-item parent questionnaire. Results: MPIs did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech, whereas both control groups demonstrated a listening preference for CDS over backward speech. MPIs showed a delayed use of first words and word combinations and lower scores on the five-item questionnaire compared to term infants. Twelve MPIs (67%) did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech. Four of them (33%) were later diagnosed with neurode-velopmental disorders. Conclusions: The lack of preference for CDS over backward speech in the MPIs group suggests delayed developmental pattern of speech processing compared to full-term peers. Delays in neurological maturation as well as listen-ing experience in an unregulated environment outside the uterus during a sensi-tive period of brain development may affect the recognition of phonological and prosodic patterns that support listening preference for speech over backward speech.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether there is a listening preference for child-directed speech (CDS) over backward speech in moderate-preterm infants (MPIs). Method: Eighteen MPIs of gestational age of 32.0 weeks (range: 32- 34.06 weeks), chronological age of 8.09 months, and maturation age of 6.48 months served as the experimental group. The two control groups con-sisted of a total of 36 infants—20 full-term infants matched for chronological age and 16 full-term infants matched for maturation age. The infants were tested using the central fixation procedure and were presented with 16 trials of CDS and backward speech. A follow-up was conducted 5 years after the initial experiment using a developmental and a five-item parent questionnaire. Results: MPIs did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech, whereas both control groups demonstrated a listening preference for CDS over backward speech. MPIs showed a delayed use of first words and word combinations and lower scores on the five-item questionnaire compared to term infants. Twelve MPIs (67%) did not demonstrate a preference for CDS over backward speech. Four of them (33%) were later diagnosed with neurode-velopmental disorders. Conclusions: The lack of preference for CDS over backward speech in the MPIs group suggests delayed developmental pattern of speech processing compared to full-term peers. Delays in neurological maturation as well as listen-ing experience in an unregulated environment outside the uterus during a sensi-tive period of brain development may affect the recognition of phonological and prosodic patterns that support listening preference for speech over backward speech.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187784016&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00040
DO - 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00040
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 38394254
AN - SCOPUS:85187784016
SN - 1092-4388
VL - 67
SP - 900
EP - 916
JO - Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
JF - Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
IS - 3
ER -