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Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Doctor of Audiology (AuD)
Department
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
First Advisor
Erin Piker
Second Advisor
Nikki Go
Third Advisor
Yingjiu Nie
Abstract
While objective vestibular reflexive testing has been heavily researched, there are few studies analyzing subjective vestibular perception and to date no progress has been reported on motion perception in children. It is unknown if children perceive motion like adults creating a need for research comparing these age groups for thorough clinical profiles. This study adapted an adult psychophysics protocol for school-aged children and collected data on ten typically developing children and ten healthy adults. Participants rotated at various peak velocities and frequencies in a rotary chair and were asked to report their spatial orientation (i.e., how far around they rotated) and their perceived speed. Analyses indicated differences in spatial orientation perception between groups with children overestimating small movements. No statistical difference appeared for speed perception, however the pediatric group reported compressed speed growth as the stimulus velocity increased compared to the adult group. It is not clear if these results reflect maturational differences in vestibular perception between groups, or if aspects of the novel paradigm could have influenced results. Further research is needed to strengthen these findings.
