Psychometric Functions of Vowel Detection and Identification in Long-Term Speech-Shaped Noise

Purpose The goal of this study was to investigate vowel detection and identification in noise and provide baseline data regarding how vowel perception changed with signal-to-noise ratios. Psychometric functions of vowel detection and identification for 12 American English isolated vowels in long-term speech-shaped noise were examined for young listeners with normal hearing in this study. Method Vowel detection was measured at sensation levels from -10 to +5 dB (re: thresholds of vowel detection from the study of Liu and Eddins, 2008a ) with a 4-interval forced-choice procedure. Thresholds of vowel detection were computed for each listener as the speech level at which 70.7% correct performance was reached. Vowel identification was then examined at sensation levels from 0 to 12 dB relative to detection thresholds for each listener. Thresholds of vowel identification were calculated as the speech level with vowel identifiability ( d') equals to 1. Results Thresholds of vowel detection and identification were significantly affected by vowel category. Slopes of psychometric functions of vowel identification were significantly dependent on vowel category, whereas slopes of psychometric functions of vowel detection were not. Conclusions These results suggest that, given the same sensation levels, especially at low sensation levels, vowel sounds are not equally perceivable in terms of identifiability.