[Test-retest reliability of Mandarin acceptable noise level]

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Psychoacoustics

Context:

• Assessing auditory function is crucial for understanding communication abilities.
• The Acceptable Noise Level (ANL) test quantifies an individual's tolerance for background noise.
• Standardized tools are needed for reliable audiological assessments.

Purpose:

• To determine the test-retest reliability of the Mandarin Acceptable Noise Level (M-ANL) test materials.
• To investigate the relationship between listeners' preference for background noise and their measured ANL.
• To evaluate the accuracy of self-assessment regarding noise tolerance.

Summary:

• The M-ANL test was administered to 30 Mandarin speakers across three sessions.
• Results indicated good test-retest reliability with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.722 to 0.849.
• No significant correlation was found between the ANL results and the preference for background noise questionnaire, suggesting listeners may not accurately gauge their noise tolerance.

Impact:

• The M-ANL test is a reliable tool for audiological evaluations in Mandarin speakers.
• Findings suggest that subjective preference for noise differs from objective tolerance.
• This research highlights potential discrepancies in self-perception of auditory environments.