Form Equivalence of the Selective Auditory Attention Test Administered to 6-Year-Old Children

Abstract

The form equivalence of the Selective Auditory Attention Test (SAAT) was examined. Forty normal-hearing 6-year-old boys and girls were assigned randomly in equal numbers to one of two groups. Each group listened to four lists of words at 70 dB SPL sound field in one of two orders. Equal mean difficulty and significant correlations between lists in quiet and between lists presented with competing speech substantiate the form equivalence of the SAAT. Form equivalence analyzed for individual subjects confirmed conclusions derived from analysis of group data. A learning effect seen as improved mean performance for the second of the two lists resented in competing speech resulted from the repeated measures experimental design of the study and does not undermine the clinical viability of the SAAT.