Developmental parameters of the ear asymmetry: A multivariate approach

The present paper has two objectives: (1) a critical review of dichotic listening studies in children, and (2) an investigation of developmental parameters of the ear asymmetry, based on factors revealed in the review. A dichotic listening task was administered to approximately 20 boys and 20 girls at each of five ages (5,6,7,9 and 11). The results were as follows: (1) significant ear asymmetry was not found in children younger than nine years of age; (2) the magnitude of the differences between ears, while not significant until age nine, continued to increase with age until eleven at which time the slope functions for each ear plateaued; and (3) ear asymmetry was independent of sex. An attempt is made to explain the present results, and those of previous research, within a developmental framework.