AIM: To compare the dichotic listening abilities of non-hearing-impaired adults to those of monolingual speakers of the Brazilian Portuguese language (CG) and simultaneous Brazilian Portuguese-German (GG) bilingual speakers or successive Brazilian Portuguese-Italian (IG)bilingual speakers. CASE REPORT: The study was performed at the Laboratory of Audiology from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. The participants were 87 non-hearing-impaired adults, 19-59 years of age: 30 CG, 31 GG, and 26 IG. Each participant underwent the Dichotic Digits Test (DDT) and the Staggered Spondaic Words (SSW) test. The results were analyzed statistically using the Mann-Whitney U test. Right ear (p=0.034942) and total (p=0.017718) DDT scores differed significantly between the GG and CG. Right (p=0.002845), left (p=0.006544), and total ear scores (p=0.000403) also differed significantly between the IG and CG. There was no difference between GG and IG individuals (p>0.05). The SSW results showed higher right, left, and total scores for both bilingual groups in comparison to the CG (p<0.05). When comparing the GG and the IG, the IG had higher right ear (p=0.008134) and total scores (p=0.006918).CONCLUSION: The results presented here show that the bilingual experience improves high predictability dichotic listening, as evaluated by DDT, and low predictability dichotic listening, as evaluated by the SSW test. Picture-background abilities, memory and attention were positively influenced by bilingualism.
