A spondee list for determining speech reception threshold without prior familiarization

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Hearing Science

Background:

• Familiarization with spondee words is a standard procedure in audiology to establish hearing thresholds.
• This process can be time-consuming and may introduce variability in test results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To select a subset of spondee words from the CID W-1 list that do not require familiarization.
• To ensure these selected words yield spondee thresholds comparable to those obtained with familiarization.

Main Methods:

• Forty-eight participants with normal hearing evaluated familiarized and unfamiliarized spondee words.
• Spondee words were selected based on high correct identification rates without familiarization and minimal change after familiarization.
• A final list of 15 words was chosen after excluding those outside a 4-dB range.

Main Results:

• Seventeen words initially met the selection criteria.
• Two words were excluded, leaving a final list of 15 spondee words.
• This 15-word list produced equivalent spondee thresholds compared to the full CID W-1 list with familiarization in 20 participants.

Conclusions:

• A shorter list of 15 spondee words can effectively and efficiently determine hearing thresholds without familiarization.
• This optimized list offers a more streamlined approach to audiological assessments, maintaining accuracy.