Comparative Study of executive cognition in deaf and normal hearing school going subjects between the ages of 8 to 18 years

MANJUSHA A. SHINDE; SUCHITA KAWALE

Volume : VII, Issue : IX, September - 2018

Comparative Study of executive cognition in deaf and normal hearing school going subjects between the ages of 8 to 18 years

Manjusha A. Shinde, Suchita Kawale

Abstract :

Background : As it is very challenging to survive for normal human being in today‘s life for making his earning,we can imagine how difficult it would be for a physically challenged individuals.But if we study the literature we get to know that if one sense is deficient, the power other sense is enriched. As in deaf,the visual area of ain is more developed and widened as compared to normal he� subjects.

Objectives : To study the executive cognitive function by comparison of

1) Eriksen Flanker Test (EFT) – Response Time

2) EFT – Accuracy

Materials and methods:The study population of 8 to 18 years of age and sex matched school going children.Group A were 20 deaf students,Group B were normal he� 20 students under the criteria of inclusion and exclusion.Informed written consent and assent was taken.The ability of attentiveness is assessed by noninvasive computer based standardized test named Eriksen flanker test by using software cognitivefun.in.

Statistical analysis was done by using GraphPad Prism 7 online software by Unpaired Student–t test.

Results : Comparison of response time and accuracy was highly significant (p< 0.001 ) between the groups which was suggesting that deaf children showed markedly faster response in execution of task as well as are more accurate in the Eriksen Flanker test as compared to normal he� children.

Conclusions :When flankers were presented, it was seen that deaf children gave more correct answers than the he� children.These findings suggest that deaf individuals may allocate their visual resources over a wider range than those with normal he�.It may represent an alternative pathway for information transfer between different sensory and/or motor cortical areas.