Simplification and validation of the spectro-temporal ripple direction discrimination test in children

Objectives Spectral and temporal resolution are important for speech perception, particularly in noisy environments. The Spectro-temporal Ripple Direction Discrimination (STRtdir) test, originally developed for adults, assesses the spectro-temporal resolution. This study aimed to simplify the STRtdir paradigm for paediatric use and evaluate its criterion and construct validity.Design A within-subjects design was employed to compare STRtdir thresholds across different carrier frequencies, including a broadband noise (BBN) carrier and narrowband noise (NBN) carriers centred at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz, and to examine the relationship between STRtdir thresholds and speech perception scores (in quiet and noise) in children.Study sample The STRtdir test was simplified based on a pilot study conducted on ten children and fifteen adults with normal hearing. The simplified STRtdir was administered to thirty-five children aged 7–10 years with normal hearing.Results A repeated-measures ANOVA across all carriers showed significant negative correlations between STRtdir and SNR-50, indicating that children with better spectro-temporal resolution have lower SNR-50, reflecting superior speech-in-noise perception. No correlation was found with speech-in-quiet. Multiple regression revealed that STRtdir thresholds explained 41.3% of the variance in SNR-50.Conclusion The simplified STRtdir is a valid, reliable, child-friendly, and language-independent measure of spectro-temporal resolution for paediatric populations.