Hemispheric Specialization for Speech Perception in Four-Year-Old Children from Low and Middle Socio-Economic Classes

Four-year-old male and female children from low and middle socio-economic class (SEC) were presented a dichotic syllable task. Both low and middle SEC males evidenced significant right-ear advantages. Neither the low nor middle SEC females evidenced a significant right-ear advantage. The similar ear advantage in the low and middle SEC populations replicates a previous study with six-year-olds and suggests that the variations in rearing conditions which occur in low and middle SEC classes does not affect hemispheric lateralization for speech perception.