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Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Speech prosody perception in cochlear implant users with and without residual hearing
Mathieu Marx1, Christopher James, Jessica Foxton
11Laboratoire CerCo, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; 2Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5549, Toulouse, France; 3Department of Otology-Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery, Purpan University Hospital, Toulouse, France; and 4Cochlear France SAS, Toulouse, France.
Residual hearing significantly enhances speech prosody perception in cochlear implant (CI) users, enabling near-normal abilities by utilizing fundamental frequency (F0) cues. CI users without residual hearing show deficits but can use duration and amplitude cues.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Fundamental frequency (F0) variations are crucial for perceiving speech intonation.
- Cochlear implant (CI) users with residual hearing may retain access to these F0 cues.
- Understanding how residual hearing impacts prosody perception in CI users is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if and how residual hearing facilitates speech prosody perception in CI users.
- To compare F0 difference limen (F0DL) and question/statement discrimination in normal-hearing subjects (NHS) and two CI groups (with and without residual hearing).
- To assess the contribution of F0, duration, and amplitude cues to intonation perception.
Main Methods:
- Compared F0DL and question/statement discrimination in 15 NHS, 11 CI users with residual hearing (combined group), and 10 CI users without residual hearing (CI-only group).
- Calculated sensitivity index d' under three conditions: original recordings, constant F0, and equalized duration/amplitude.
- Analyzed F0 difference limen (F0DL) and residual hearing levels.
Main Results:
- Combined CI subjects demonstrated significantly better question/statement discrimination (d'=2.44) than CI-only subjects (d'=0.91) in original recordings.
- Removing F0 variations significantly decreased scores for combined CI subjects (d'=0.66) and NHS (d'=0.4).
- CI-only subjects showed poorer F0DL (34%) compared to combined CI (8.8%) and NHS (2.4%), but utilized duration and amplitude cues.
Conclusions:
- CI users with residual hearing (thresholds < 60 dB HL in low frequencies) exhibit near-normal question/statement discrimination.
- Normal listeners primarily rely on F0 variations for prosody perception.
- CI users without residual hearing have impaired F0 discrimination and significant speech prosody deficits, though they can use other acoustic cues.
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