Auditory Training With Multiple Talkers and Passage-Based Semantic Cohesion

Current auditory training methods typically result in improvements to speech recognition abilities in quiet, but learner gains may not extend to other domains in speech (e.g., recognition in noise) or self-assessed benefit. This study examined the potential of training involving multiple talkers and training emphasizing discourse-level top-down processing to produce more generalized learning.

Normal-hearing participants (N = 64) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 auditory training protocols using noise-vocoded speech simulating the processing of an 8-channel cochlear implant: sentence-based single-talker training, training with 24 different talkers, passage-based transcription training, and a control (transcribing unvocoded sentence materials). In all cases, participants completed 2 pretests under cochlear implant simulation, 1 hr of training, and 5 posttests to assess perceptual learning and cross-context generalization.

Performance above the control was seen in all 3 experimental groups for sentence recognition in quiet. In addition, the multitalker training method generalized to a context word-recognition task, and the passage training method caused gains in sentence recognition in noise.

The gains of the multitalker and passage training groups over the control suggest that, with relatively small modifications, improvements to the generalized outcomes of auditory training protocols may be possible.