A Comparison of the Responses of Adults on Two Competing Message Tasks

The purpose of the study was to compare scores obtained on the Staggered Spondaic Word Test (SSW) with scores obtained on. the speech- in-noise subtest of the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Test of Auditory Discrimination (GFW). Another purpose was to determine test-retest reliability and internal reliability of the GFW. Thirty subjects between the ages of twenty to twenty-four years, eleven months with normal hearing and speech were administered the SSW and the speech-in-noise subtest of the GFW. The GFW was re-administered twenty-four to thirty-six hours following the initial administration. Data were treated with the use of mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis yielded a low correlation between the test-retest of the GFW. A moderate, significant correlation was found to exist between the initial administration of the GFW and the SSW. Results of statistical analysis of internal consistency yielded low and moderate correlations between individual items and total GFW score. Results of the study indicated that the speech-in-noise subtest was not reliable and hence not valid for this age group.