2026/05/01 by Katharina Polsterer, Nikki Hoekzema, Thomas B Tienkamp +8 · 1 voice
Neuroscience · Psychology · #Language Development and Disorders #Neuroscience and Music Perception #Phonetics and Phonology Research
paper · doi:10.1121/10.0043710
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Auditory-perceptual sensitivity to acoustic variation, referred to as auditory acuity, plays a central role in children's speech development. In speech perception, auditory acuity determines the acceptable phonetic variation of a given speech sound. In speech production, auditory acuity determines whether a speech sound is produced as intended and guides error-based motor learning. This study investigated how auditory acuity differs between children (6-11 years old) and adults (20-36 years old). Participants discriminated between recordings of their own speech modified in the first vowel formant (F1). On average, children showed lower F1 acuity but similar interindividual variability compared to adults.