Spectral weighting strategies for hearing-impaired listeners measured using a correlational method

Spectral weighting strategies using a correlational method [R. A. Lutfi, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 1333-1334 (1995); V. M. Richards and S. Zhu, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 423-424 (1994)] were measured in ten listeners with sensorineural-hearing loss on a sentence recognition task. Sentences and a spectrally matched noise were filtered into five separate adjacent spectral bands and presented to listeners at various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Five point-biserial correlations were computed between the listeners' response (correct or incorrect) on the task and the SNR in each band. The stronger the correlation between performance and SNR, the greater that given band was weighted by the listener. Listeners were tested with and without hearing aids on. All listeners were experienced hearing aid users. Results indicated that the highest spectral band (approximately 2800-11 000 Hz) received the greatest weight in both listening conditions. However, the weight on the highest spectral band was less when listeners performed the task with their hearing aids on in comparison to when listening without hearing aids. No direct relationship was observed between the listeners' weights and the sensation level within a given band.