Can young adolescents with cochlear implants perceive different timbral cues?

Objective: This study aimed to compare the timbre recognition and preferences of young adolescents with cochlear implants (CIs) to that of adolescents with normal hearing (NH). Methods: Nine Korean adolescents with CIs and 25 adolescents with NH participated in this study. After listening to each of four Western instruments and five traditional Korean instruments, participants were asked to identify presented instruments and rate how much they liked the timbres. Results: The results showed that the CI group recognized instruments significantly less often than the NH group. They also tended to show a relatively higher recognition of the instruments bearing a rapid and strong attack time. With regard to timbre preferences, no significant differences were found between the groups. Discussion: Young adolescents with CIs show potential for detecting salient features in sound information, especially instrumental timbre. This study indicates what can be considered to incorporate more sounds with varying origins and tone qualities into music perception and education for this population.