Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Effects of frequency, instrumental family, and cochlear implant type on timbre recognition and appraisal
Kate Gfeller1, Shelley Witt, George Woodworth
1School of Music, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, and the Iowa Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare postlingually deafened cochlear implant recipients and normal-hearing adults on timbre (tone quality) recognition and appraisal of 8 musical instruments representing 3 frequency ranges and 4 instrumental families. The implant recipients were significantly less accurate than the normal-hearing adults on timbre recognition. The implant recipients gave significantly poorer ratings than did the normal-hearing adults to those instruments played in the higher frequency range and to those from the string family. The timbre measures were weakly correlated with speech perception measures, but were significantly correlated with 3 cognitive measures of sequential processing.
Related Concept Videos
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...
The Cochlea
Hearing
Perceiving Language Sounds and Structure During Infancy
Auditory Perception