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Effect of UCL on aided Articulation Index calculation.
1School of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Kent State University, Ohio.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|July 1, 1991
Summary
This study compared hearing aid fitting methods using a modified Articulation Index. Reducing gain for limited dynamic range hearing loss lowered speech intelligibility scores for POGO and Berger methods.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Hearing Science
- Speech Processing
Background:
- Hearing aid technology aims to improve speech intelligibility.
- Prescriptive fitting procedures guide hearing aid gain settings.
- The Articulation Index (AI) is a measure of speech intelligibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare three hearing aid prescriptive procedures.
- To evaluate the impact of reduced gain on speech intelligibility (AI).
- To assess the effectiveness of POGO and Berger methods under specific conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nine hearing threshold patterns and uncomfortable loudness level combinations.
- Employed a modified Articulation Index (AI) for comparison.
- Investigated cases requiring reduced gain due to small dynamic range.
Main Results:
- A minority of cases necessitated gain reduction from prescribed values.
- Reducing real-ear gain lowered the mean AI.
- The mean AI reduction was 0.03 for the POGO method and 0.08 for the Berger Method.
Conclusions:
- Gain reduction in hearing aids, when required by limited dynamic range, can decrease speech intelligibility.
- The POGO and Berger prescriptive methods may lead to reduced AI when gain is adjusted for small dynamic ranges.
- Further research is needed to optimize hearing aid fitting for individuals with reduced dynamic range.