Revising the routine audiologic test battery to examine sources of interpatient variability

The current audiologic test battery does not explain individual differences in performance in patients with similar degrees of sensorineural hearing loss. These patients can differ in perceived handicap and satisfaction with amplification, as well as in word-recognition ability in quiet and in noise. This article discusses several perceptual tasks that may reveal important interpatient differences. Each procedure is examined as a potential addition to the routine audiologic test battery in terms of three questions: does the procedure elicit novel information, are the results relevant to the speech perceptual process, and is the technique clinically practical?