[Normative data of disyllabic Mandarin speech test materials for normally hearing people]

To analyze the reliability of disyllabic Mandarin speech test materials (MSTM) which had previously been evaluated the equivalence of difficulty, and to establish the performance-intensity function (P-I function) for people with normal hearing.

Thirty-five subjects (the age-range 18-25 years) with normal hearing who speak Mandarin well in their daily lives were enrolled in this study. Five of them participated the pilot study, which aimed to identify a presentation level for the formal test. The other thirty subjects participated in the formal speech perception test. The results were analyzed statistically using SPSS 11.0 software. Nine lists of the Mandarin disyllabic materials with equal difficulty were utilized.

P-I function was y = -200.9 + 13.4x - 0.14x2. The sound pressure level of speech corresponding to a 50% recognition score was 26.4 dB SPL, or 6.4 dB HL.

This study has established the P-I function of the Mandarin disyllabic materials with equal difficulty, which provides the normative data for identifying the normal hearing in a clinical setting.