Reading skills are usually assessed in silent conditions, but children often experience noisy educational settings. Effects of auditory distraction on children's reading skills remain relatively unexplored. The present study investigates the influence of two features of background speech—intelligibility and loudness—on children's reading speed and comprehension. Sixty‐three 8‐to‐10‐year‐old elementary school children performed a reading task in the context of single‐talker background speech. Background speech was either intelligible or unintelligible and presented at low (45–50 dB SPL) or moderate (65–72 dB SPL) sound intensity (here termed “loudness”). Results showed a differential effect of intelligibility and loudness, respectively affecting children's comprehension and reading speed. In addition, the intelligibility effect was larger in children with lower interference control, as assessed with an auditory Stroop task. Our findings provide evidence for the influence of different properties of background speech on children's text reading with implications for reading in everyday classroom environments.

中文翻译：

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不相关背景演讲的响度和可理解性有别于儿童短篇小说阅读

阅读能力通常在沉默的条件下进行评估，但是孩子们经常会经历嘈杂的教育环境。听觉分心对儿童阅读能力的影响尚待研究。本研究调查了背景语音的两个特征（可理解度和响度）对儿童阅读速度和理解力的影响。63名8至10岁的小学生在单口语背景演讲的背景下完成了阅读任务。背景语音是可理解的或难以理解的，并且呈现为低（45–50 dB SPL）或中度（65–72 dB SPL）声音强度（此处称为“响度”）。结果表明，清晰度和响度的影响不同，分别影响儿童的理解力和阅读速度。此外，通过听觉Stroop任务评估，在干扰控制较低的儿童中，清晰度效果较大。我们的发现为背景语音的不同属性对儿童课文阅读的影响提供了证据，对日常教室环境中的阅读产生了影响。