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Evidence for cognitive involvement in discriminating speech in babble
The International Tinnitus Journal
|August 3, 2013
Summary
Stochastic Resonance (SR) improves speech discrimination in noise, especially for hearing-impaired individuals. This cognitive process lowers auditory signal detection thresholds, enhancing speech intelligibility.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Signal Processing
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Speech in Background babble Discrimination (SIBD) presents a significant challenge.
- Stochastic Resonance (SR) is proposed as a potential cognitive mechanism for improving speech discrimination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if SIBD exhibits characteristics of SR processing.
- To determine if SR processing enhances speech intelligibility, particularly for hearing-impaired individuals.
Main Methods:
- Development of two HINT-based vocabulary tests using Hagerman style.
- Utilizing speech-induced emission noise as the stochastic signal.
- Optimizing SR transformation settings and measuring speech recognition improvement.
Main Results:
- An approximate 2 to 3 dB SNR improvement in speech intelligibility was observed.
- Significantly greater improvements were noted for hearing-impaired (HI) subjects.
Conclusions:
- SR processing demonstrably lowers auditory signal detection thresholds.
- The study suggests SR processing is a cognitive mechanism, potentially involving Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE).
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