Reproducibility of temporal resolution tests in adults

Abstract

The behavioral test is frequent clinical practice in audiology due to its contribution to the diagnosis and speech therapy intervention processes. Objective: To verify the reproducibility of temporal resolution assessment protocols in adults. Method: A total of 34 subjects, 22 females and 12 males, with an average age of 26.21 years (20 to 52 years old; dp = 8.92) were included, following the criteria: absence of otological and/or audiological history and school complaints; normality in the audiological pattern and in the dichotic test of digits. The Random Gap Detection and Gap in Noise tests, at 50 dB, were used. Both were applied in two moments; the second application with a one-week interval of the first. The Wilcoxon test was used to analyze the performance of the sample in the GIN test in the ear and Friedman test in order to analyze the RGDT as a function of the frequency tested in the two moments. The level of significance of 5% was adopted. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used in the analysis of the agreement between the test (T1) and retest (T2) applications by the same evaluator (reproducibility). Results: There was no difference between the frequencies tested in the RGDT (mean) in T1 and T2. There was a difference in GIN performance between the ears in T2. The test-retest reproducibility in the RGDT (mean) and GIN was substantial according to the intraclass correlation coefficient. Conclusion: There is reproducibility in the RGDT test when compared to the mean frequencies and in the GIN test bilaterally