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Prediction and statistical evaluation of speech recognition test scores
G A Studebaker1, G A Gray, W E Branch
1School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, The University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|August 19, 2000
Summary
This study introduces a speech test system for evaluating hearing loss. It found that transformed speech recognition scores, when compared to audiogram predictions, follow a normal distribution, aiding clinical assessments.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Traditional live-voice speech testing is time-consuming.
- Recorded speech materials offer consistency but may lack flexibility.
- Accurate individual speech test result interpretation in clinical settings requires statistical validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a speech test system combining live-voice flexibility with recorded material consistency.
- To establish a statistical basis for interpreting individual monosyllabic word recognition test results.
- To compare individual speech test performance with average performance for similar hearing loss profiles.
Main Methods:
- A speech test evaluation and presentation system was developed.
- Data from 2609 ears (50-word recognition) and 932 ears (25-word recognition) were collected from three audiology clinics.
- Subjects aged 8-92 years with diverse nonconductive hearing losses were included.
Main Results:
- Absolute speech recognition score distributions in hearing-impaired individuals are highly skewed.
- Transformed scores (rationalized arcsine units) showed differences between individual and predicted scores were normally distributed.
- The standard deviation of these differences was approximately 13 rationalized arcsine units across clinics.
Conclusions:
- The developed system provides efficient speech testing using recorded materials.
- Transformed speech recognition scores allow for statistically sound comparisons with audiogram predictions.
- This facilitates more reliable interpretation of individual hearing test results in audiology clinics.