The purpose of the present study was to compare auditory perception and speech intelligibility in hearing children, children with cochlear implants, and those with hearing aids in Tehran. Method: Sixty children aged 5–7 years participated in this causal-comparative study. They were divided into three groups (n=20). The first (children with cochlear implants) and second (children with hearing aids) groups were selected by convenient sampling, while the third group (normally hearing children) was selected using random sampling. The instruments used in this research were Raven Intelligence Test, Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). The data were analyzed by MANOVA. Results: The results of MANOVA revealed that the mean scores of auditory perception and speech intelligibility were significantly higher in normally hearing children than the other groups. Also, the mean scores of auditory perception were significantly higher in children with cochlear implants than those with hearing aids. However, children with cochlear implants and those with hearing aids were similar in terms of speech intelligibility. Conclusion: Auditory perception and speech intelligibility are multidimensional and complex phenomena with very important roles in speech production.
Farideh Mahmoodi, M.A.1, Mohammad Ashori, Ph.D.2, Razieh Babaei, M.A.3, Masoud Karimi, M.A.4, Mojtaba Ansari Shahidi, Ph.D.5.
Keywords: Auditory perception, Speech intelligibility, Cochlear implants, Hearing aids
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1. M.A. student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Varamin, Iran.
2. Corresponding Author: Ph.D. in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, University of Tehran, Iran.
3. M.A. student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Varamin, Iran.
4. M.A. student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Varamin, Iran.
5. Department of Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.