Common Versus Unique Findings on Processing-Based Task Performance in Korean Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants

Hypothesis: To better understand individual variability by examining overall neurocognitive underlying features in children with cochlear implants (CIs), and to investigate whether previous findings hold constant in Asian-language users. Background: Studies have tried to explain the individual variability in children with CIs. However, performance on experience-dependent tasks does not seem to be sensitive enough to explain the underlying reason why children have language difficulties even after the surgical procedure. Thus, this current research has focused on underlying neurocognitive functions to better explain the reason for the wide variability in this population. Methods: Using a separate univariate analysis paradigm, performance on processing-based tasks was compared between children with CIs and children with normal hearing. A total of 34 children ranging from 10 to 12 years old participated in the study. There were two different categories of processing-based tasks tapping processing capacity and processing speed. This study used nonword repetition (NWR), competing language processing task (CLPT), and counting span (CS) for examining processing capacity, while rapid naming (RAN) in color, shape, and color shape were used to investigate processing speed. Results: Children with NH outperformed children with CIs on all processing-capacity tasks, except CS. Children with CIs performed similarly to children with NH on processing speed tasks. Conclusions: We found children with CIs still experienced difficulties with processing capacity. Due to cross-linguistic features, we also discovered some interesting findings that differed from previous studies. Lastly, we found processing speed was fairly intact in children with CIs, which is a new finding.