ABSTRACT: Tested the possibility that stimuli with the properties of adult-to-infant (AI) speech are more detectable in a
 noisy ambient environment. 27 4-mo-olds were habituated to white noise. Following habituation, 1 of 3 signal stimuli were
 added to the white noise: a monotonic pure tone, a frequency-modulated sweep corresponding to the intonation parameters
 of adult-to-adult (AA) speech, and a frequency-modulated sweep corresponding to the intonation parameters of AI speech.
 An auditory stimulus with the characteristics of AI speech was more easily detected in noise than was one that resembled AA
 speech. The properties that characterize AI speech may compensate for infants' low-frequency deficits and may facilitate the
 detection of the speech signal in ambient noise. ((c) 1997 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)

 DESCRIPTORS:
        (*=Major)
                 Auditory Perception * | Auditory Stimulation * | Speech Characteristics * | (Childhood) (Infants)
   KEY PHRASE:
                 detection of auditory stimulus characteristic of adult to infant vs adult to adult speech in noise, 4 mo olds
  CLASS. CODE:
                 Cognitive & Perceptual Development (2820)
   AGE GROUP:
                 Childhood (birth-12 yrs) | Infancy (1-23 mo)
  POPULATION:
                 Human
       UPDATE:
                 19950601