Automatic for the kids: assessment of cognitive efficiency in elementary school children’s auditory semantic processing

The present study examined time on task effects in semantic processes of listening comprehension on the word and sentence levels. The aim was to investigate whether response times in auditory semantic tasks show systematic relations with accuracy, and whether these tasks therefore provide valid information about the efficiency of semantic listening processes. A total of 480 German elementary school children in Grades 1-4 solved either a semantic categorization task (<i>n</i> = 205) or a sentence verification task (<i>n</i> = 275). Accuracy and response time data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Random effects for persons and items were added to test whether the time on task effects were moderated by individual skill and item difficulty. Results showed that faster responses were associated with higher accuracy for both tasks. Moreover, this relationship was stronger for more skilled comprehenders and easier items. These findings suggest that response times add meaningful information about the efficiency of semantic listening processes and may complement accuracy-based measures in the assessment of listening component skills.