Assessment and Comparison of Auditory Information Processing Speed in Sighted and Blind (14- 16 Year-old) Adolescents in Tehran, 2012

The aim of this research is to assess the auditory information processing in blind adolescents. The present study is an applied research carried out by field research methodology. 15 blind and 15 sighted students (aged from 14 to 16) of high schools in Tehran and suburbs were selected. In order to assess the speed of auditory information processing, both sample groups were tested using two versions of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT2.8 & PASAT1.6). The data were analyzed by T (independent) statistical test. Blind students didn’t show any significant difference with sighted ones in PASAT 2.8 (α= 0.05); however, they showed a highly significant difference in PASAT 1.6 (α= 0.05). In other words, blind students performed better than sighted ones. The results indicate that when it comes to auditory information processing speed, performance of blind students is relatively better than sighted ones in PASAT test. The faster the presentation of stimulus, the more significant is the difference of their performance. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that when educating blind students, teachers should pay attention to their special abilities in processing auditory information and lay more stress on educating these students by relying on their auditory abilities.