The Listening Treasure Hunt

English-speaking 12 year olds.

Your child will hear short recordings of simple sentences - some are clear and easy to understand, but others are more tricky to hear what's being said. Children will be asked to say out loud all the words they hear for each recording, and by answering enough questions, they will reveal where the treasure chest is hidden on the pirate's treasure map.

You might be surprised to learn that some perceptual abilities do not fully mature until late in childhood! For example, the ability to recognise abstract images or noisy speech continues to improve until adolescence. We want to find out whether this is due to differences in how children use their experiences to guide their perception, and when this ability develops. This is important because it will help us understand what brain processes are necessary to perceive the world as adults do, and whether these are the same listening and looking. This may help us to understand the best ways to help children learn, especially those for whom seeing or hearing may be more challenging, for example with low vision, hearing loss or cochlear implants.

15 minutes

Within a week of taking part in this study, you will receive $5 Prezee (US) or £5 National Book Token (UK). To be eligible 1) your child must be in the age range for this study, 2) you must submit a valid consent statement, 3) your child must be present and visible during the experiment session, and 4) each child can only participate in each session once.