This master thesis is dedicated to the importance of diagnostics of auditory memory in preschool children in means of determining school readiness. The theoretical part of this thesis contains an elaborate description of the somatic, cognitive and social development of preschool children. The second chapter concerns memory in general, categorizing auditory memory in the whole system and description of its individual modalities. It is also briefly mentioned how auditory memory is affected by the presence of specific language impairment in children. The third chapter describes school readiness. There are individual areas of focus described which affect school readiness, methods of diagnostics and how deficits in auditory memory are related to future poor reading and writing. The last chapter of the theoretical section summarizes diagnostic materials which asses auditory memory in preschool children and which are available in the Czech Republic as well as foreign countries. The research part of this thesis is mainly dedicated to the new Test of auditory memory in preschool children which was compiled with this thesis. The main goal of the research was to assess the level of auditory memory in preschool children with this new test and determine how specific language impairment, bilingual education and...

Peut-on dissocier perception et mémoire auditives ? Intuitivement, il paraît impossible de mémoriser quelque chose que l’on n’a pas perçu. Pourtant, il existe des phénomènes auditifs pour lesquels la mémoire influence la perception. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est de déterminer si la perception auditive et la mémoire auditive sont deux fonctions dissociables, sous-tendues par deux mécanismes différents. Deux études utilisant des stimuli auditifs différents (des bruits périodiques, et du rehaussement) ont été réalisées. Une population d’enfants et d’adultes autistes de haut niveau a été inclue aux participants. En effet, ces derniers présentent des particularités dans le traitement auditif. Ces particularités peuvent être interprétées à la lumière de capacités perceptives et/ou mnésiques, sans que rien ne permette de déterminer si l’une, l’autre ou les deux fonctions cognitives que sont la perception et la mémoire, sont impliquées. Les résultats conjugués de ces deux études indiquent que les participants porteurs d’autisme présentent un déficit développemental dans le traitement de la complexité temporelle quand leur mémoire auditive est préservée. Deux mécanismes différents semblent régir les deux grandes fonctions cognitives que sont la perception auditive et la mémoire auditive, qui seraient donc dissociées. / Can we separate auditory perception and auditory memory ? Intuitively, it seems impossible to remember something that was not perceived. However, there are auditory phenomena for which memory influences perception. The objective of this work is to determine whether the auditory perception and auditory memory are two separable functions, underpinned by two different mechanisms. Two studies using different auditory stimuli (periodic noise, and enhancement) were performed. A population of children and adults with high functioning autism was included. Indeed, they have features in auditory processing. These features can be interpreted in the light of perceptual and / or memory capacity without anything possible to determine whether one or the other or both cognitive functions such as perception and memory, are involved. The combined results of these two studies indicate that the participants with autism have a developmental deficit in processing temporal complexity when their auditory memory is preserved. Two different mechanisms seem to govern the two major cognitive functions such as auditory perception and auditory memory, which would therefore be separated.

There has been limited investigation into the nature of specific language impairment (SLI) in adolescence, and even less investigation into speech production in SLI, particularly beyond the preschool years. Phonological output is crucial to oral expressive language, one of the characteristic areas of deficit in SLI. It was hypothesized that adolescents with SLI present with residual speech errors. Accordingly, this study investigated the presence, nature and cause of speech deficits in adolescents with persistent SLI. Adolescents aged 13.0-14.0 years with persistent SLI (n=31) were compared to typically developing (TD) peers (n=31) on an Oral Motor Evaluation (OME) and a Speech Assessment Battery (SAB), consisting of: Multisyllabic Word Repetition, Nonsense Word Repetition, Phrase Repetition, Sentence Repetition and Tongue Twisters. Tasks were analysed in terms of accuracy and the amount of effort required, to determine efficiency and automaticity of phonological output. All participants completed a battery of memory tasks and the language abilities of the SLI group were evaluated. Caregivers completed questionnaires investigating risk factors. Results indicated that adolescents with persistent SLI produced a higher number of inconsistent and context-dependent deviant speech behaviours than TD peers, involving syllable structure changes (phoneme additions/omissions), phoneme substitutions, fluency errors and repetitions/revisions. Participants with SLI also had a higher incidence of neuromotor deficits. Persistent SLI appears to relate to a multifactorial etiology, involving both genetic and early history factors. There was high comorbidity of attention deficits, with implications for resource allocation. Results were interpreted within a functional capacity viewpoint. Speech deficits are thought to contribute to a threshold effect, where even subtle deficits in one area can compromise processing in another area. Speech production in this population appears to be more resource-demanding than in TD peers, which may affect concurrent performance on linguistic and memory tasks. This hypothesis is supported by the high correlation between speech tasks and expressive syntax for SLI participants. The high incidence of speech deficits in adolescents with SLI ii has implications for research and clinical practice with individuals of all ages with SLI.

Auditory short-term memory (STM) is important for speech and language development and for learning new information presented auditorily. Research has shown that auditory STM ability is of a developmental nature in the 5 through 8 year age range for a variety of auditory stimuli. Many tests and subtests are available to measure auditory STM ability, however one test, the Auditory Memory Test Battery (AMTB) measures auditory memory span and memory for sequence for 5 types of stimuli. The purpose of this study was to collect normative data on the AMTB scores of normal 9 through 13 year old students and young adults ages 20 through 30 years. The main experimental question was: What are the means and standard deviations of the AMTB scores from samples of normal children 9 through 13 years of age and normal young adults 20 through 30 years of age. A secondary question was: Are the differences between the performance scores statistically significant?

This study examined the means and standard deviations for the Auditory Memory Test Battery (Burford, 1976) using a sample of normal second, third, and fourth grade children. The study also compared span and sequence scores, low and high SES scores, and an individual's test scores with teacher judgment of intelligence group. A brief examination of the AMTB as used with LD children was also performed but not included in the statistical analysis.

Learning and memory of recurring sound patterns play a crucial role for efficient perception of acoustic signals that dynamically unfold in time. Human listeners are remarkably sensitive to patterns, i.e., short sound segments that repeat within continuous auditory input, and can form robust memory representations for distinct patterns through repeated exposure. While there is compelling evidence for an exceptional perceptual learning capacity even for novel and meaningless acoustic patterns, less is known about whether and how the acquisition of memory representations at multiple time scales is modulated by the listening context. The present thesis comprises one behavioural and two EEG studies, which aimed to explore pattern repetition detection in continuous sounds as well as implicit memory formation for specific patterns that recur over a longer time scale (unbeknownst to the participants) under different listening conditions. More specifically, three aspects of the listening context were experimentally manipulated: presentation format of the repeating pattern (Study 1), listeners’ attentional focus, and temporal regularity of pattern repetition within a longer continuous sound sequence (Study 2 & 3). Combined results suggest that learning of acoustic patterns through repetition builds on a flexible mechanism that is robust against varying contextual demands, such as they often occur during naturalistic listening. Despite reliable pattern repetition detection and longer-term memory formation across all listening contexts, certain contextual features enhanced short-term perceptual representations, which in turn improved longer term memory formation. Together, these findings advance the understanding of (shorter- and longer-term) memory acquisition for novel acoustic patterns and suggest that auditory perceptual learning can be facilitated through targeted design of listening contexts.

Edublox is an educational training facility with headquarters in Pretoria, with branches nationally and their programme marketing internationally. Their latest development was the Edublox Online Tutor (EOT) programme that claims to enhance cognitive functioning in children. This retrospective study thus seeks to establish whether exposure to the EOT programme has an impact on the cognitive functioning (specifically working memory - comprising of visual working memory, auditory memory, and logical reasoning) of primary school children. The conceptual structure for this study was formed using The Cognitive Information Processing Theory and Vygotsky’s Social Cognitive Theory. A convenience sampling method was chosen and comprised of grade 2 children (n=64) who formed 3 groups; 2 experimental groups (EOT and educational computer games) and a control group (usual schooling). A quantitative, experimental research design was adopted throughout the study and included pre-and post-assessments of cognitive performances. Varying data analysis techniques, such as mean plots, paired samples t-tests, and one-way repeated measures ANOVA tests were utilised. Overall, analyses revealed that exposure to the EOT programme significantly improved children's conceptual skills in one out of the 4 variables tested in cognitive performance. Other findings revealed that while there were overall improvements in mean post-test scores, there were no significant differences in mean post-test scores between the experimental groups and the control group. The differences in strength of changes between the pre-and post-test scores were influenced by the length of exposure, the type of intervention, the delivery environment, and the sample size, among other factors. It was recommended that the treatment period is lengthened, a multimodal approach is adopted, and the treatment environment is varied to investigate effect sizes and enhance the validity and comparability of this study. / Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Psychology / MA (Research Psychology) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to collect normative data on the auditory memory performance of three- and four-year old children as measured by the Auditory Memory Test Package (AMTP). Specifically, this investigation sought to answer one question: is the AMTP sensitive to age differences when administered to young children ages 3.0-4.11?

Cette version de la thèse a été tronquée des éléments de composition originale. Une version plus complète devrait être rendue disponible sous peu pour les membres de la communauté de l’Université de Montréal. / Abstractions musicales : Composer l'expérience à travers la mémoire auditive réfléchit au rôle que joue la mémoire auditive dans le processus de composition. Ma recherche explore les souvenirs auditifs de nature épisodique dans lesquels l'affect émotionnel, la répétition de la mémoire et, par conséquent, la distorsion de la mémoire jouent un rôle important. Cela conduit à une méthodologie d'abstraction, un processus de composition dont le but n'est pas seulement d'explorer le contenu des souvenirs, mais d'examiner les actes mêmes de se souvenir et d'imaginer le son et comment ceux-ci influencent le développement des formes et motifs musicaux. En présentant ma méthodologie d'abstraction, je cherche à extérioriser et à formaliser la relation largement intérieure et subconsciente que de nombreux compositeurs entretiennent avec leur mémoire auditive. Cela élargit délibérément la portée du processus de composition pour inclure et considérer l'influence de l'écoute profonde et de l'analyse perceptuelle d'œuvres préexistantes. La thèse est présentée en deux sections. Elle commence par une section théorique, composée d'un chapitre résumant mes recherches sur la mémoire auditive et l’imagination sonore, suivi d'un chapitre exposant la méthodologie qui en découle. Le reste de la thèse est consacré à l'analyse d’une sélection de huit œuvres composées pendant mon doctorat, chacune d'entre elles explorant une relation avec la mémoire auditive et/ou l'imagination. Les œuvres analysées sont organisées en trois catégories : (1) le dialogue et la narration, (2) l'espace (son excavé), (3) identité, culture et ancêtres. Le but ultime de la thèse est de mettre en lumière des façons dont les compositeurs utilisent la mémoire, l’imagination sonore et l'abstraction pour développer notre matériau musical. / Musical Abstractions: Composing experience through auditory memories reflects on the role that auditory memory plays in the compositional process. My research explores auditory memories of an episodic nature in which emotional affect, rehearsal of memory, and hence memory distortions play an important role. This leads to a methodology of abstraction, a compositional process whose goal is not solely to explore the content of memories, but to examine how the very acts of remembering and imagining sound translate to musical motivic development and form. In presenting my methodology of abstraction, I aim to exteriorize and formalize the mostly subconscious and interior relationship many composers have with their auditory memory. This deliberately broadens the scope of the compositional process to include and consider the influence of deep listening and perceptual analysis of pre-existing works. The thesis is presented in two sections. It begins with a theoretical section, consisting of a chapter summarizing my research into auditory memory and audiation followed by a chapter outlining the resulting methodology. The rest of the thesis is devoted to the analysis of eight selected works composed during my doctorate, each of which explores a relationship with auditory memory and/or imagination. The analyzed works are organized into three categories: (1) in dialogue and narrative, (2) in space (excavated sound), (3) in our identity, culture, and ancestors. The ultimate goal of the thesis is to shed light on some ways composers use memory, audiation, and abstraction to develop our musical material.

KABATNIKOVÁ, Sára. The Development of Auditory Memory in Children with Specific Language Impairment in Preschool Age. Praha: Faculty of Education, Charles University, 2021. 69 p. The Diploma Thesis. This thesis is devoted to the topic of the level and development of auditory memory in children with specific language impairment in preschool age. The theoretical part of this thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter describes the characteristics of memory - the classification, stages of the memory process and it also lists some tests that are used for memory diagnostics. The second chapter of the thesis describes the memory level in children in preschool age, particularly the level of auditory memory. The diagnostics options of specific language impairment and therapeutic exercises for the development of auditory memory are also described. The third chapter is formed around the subject of specific language impairment. It describes the etiology and symptomatology, especially the symptoms in auditory memory and it also contains possibilities of diagnostics and therapy of specific language impairment. The main goal of the empiric part of the thesis is to find out the level of auditory memory of children who struggle with specific language impairment and who are attending speech therapy...