Comparison of pure-tone, warble-tone and narrow-band noise thresholds of young normal-hearing children.

Pure-tone, warble-tone, and narrow-band noise thresholds were compared in terms of sensitivity and clinical test-retest reliability. Eighty normal-hearing young children, equally divided in four discrete age levels (3 1/2, 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 6 1/2 years) were examined. Thresholds were ranked from most to least sensitive as follows: warble-tone, pure-tone, and narrow-band noise. Test-retest reliability was equivalent for all three stimuli. Clinical implications are discussed.