Infant hearing test using eyetracking

Purpose and goal

In the present project we are developing an observer-independent contingent anticipatory infant hearing test using eye-tracking to increase reliability and significance levels of the current clinical practice. The aim has been to establish an objective registration of the eye response to sound detection using an eyetracker. A challenge has been to establish an association between the presentation of sound to a certain location of a visual reward. Despite several steps of development the method has not yet been validated.

Results and expected effects

The majority of infants manage to proceed through calibration and reaction time measurement. The conditioning phase of associating sound presentation with an anticipated visual reward on the screen is however not well established. Some subjects have managed to proceed to the test phase of establishing hearing thresholds, while others don´t stay focused long enough. The project has gained a lot of valuable experience for the further develeopment.

Approach and implementation

A prototype has been developed where sound, visual rewards and time settings may be varied according to the subjects age, reaction time and preferences. The method was first evaluated on adults. Normal hearing children 4-8 months old have been recruited for evaluating every developmental step. Some children with hearing impairment have also been included. A professional audiologist with infant hearing experience has been performing the tests. This project adresses a difficult group to investigate and we need to know more about the infants reactions and preferences.