Distinctive feature scoring of the California Consonant Test

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Hearing Science

Background:

• High-frequency sensorineural hearing loss (HFSNHL) presents unique diagnostic challenges.
• The California Consonant Test (CCT) is a tool used to assess speech recognition abilities.
• Traditional scoring methods may not fully capture the nuances of speech perception in HFSNHL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a distinctive feature (DF) scoring technique for List 1 of the CCT.
• To determine if DF scoring improves test reliability for HFSNHL.
• To compare DF scoring with standard percentage-correct scoring.

Main Methods:

• Administered List 1 of the CCT to 50 subjects with HFSNHL.
• Applied both standard percentage-correct scoring and the distinctive feature (DF) scoring technique.
• Calculated split-half reliability correlations and partial correlations.

Main Results:

• DF scoring yielded a higher split-half correlation (.86) compared to standard scoring (.78).
• DF scoring accounted for 25% of score variance not explained by standard scoring (partial r = .50).
• DF scoring resulted in significantly smaller score differences between test halves (p < .0005).

Conclusions:

• Distinctive feature (DF) scoring enhances the reliability of the CCT for individuals with HFSNHL.
• DF scoring appears more effective than traditional methods in differentiating listener abilities within this population.
• This scoring approach may offer a more sensitive measure for speech audiometry in HFSNHL.