Feasibility of Tablet-Based Remote Data Collection Method for Measuring Hearing Aid Preference
Varsha Rallapalli1, Pamela Souza1,2
1Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a tablet-based remote data collection method for measuring preference for hearing aid signal processing features.
Method:
Participants were nine individuals with bilateral mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. Stimuli were spatialized low-context sentences mixed with six-talker babble at two realistic signal-to-noise ratios (3 and 8 dB) and processed through a hearing aid simulator. Preference for full factorial combinations of three common hearing aid processing features (two levels each) was elicited using a paired-comparison task. Participants completed two versions of the experiment: The lab version was completed in a sound-treated booth using a custom MATLAB application on a desktop computer; the remote version was completed in a quiet room in the participant's home, using a custom MATLAB executable application on a tablet. Both versions used the same calibrated headphones. Strict infection control protocols were followed.
Results:
McNemar's test showed no association between preference and data collection method for the majority of the conditions. Percentage agreement and kappa scores were moderate/fair across most conditions. The results indicated that the remote versus lab versions did not have a systematic effect on preference. However, the relatively low agreement and kappa scores suggested within-subject variability in the outcome (preference).
Conclusion:
The tablet-based version of remote experimentation was comparable to the lab-based version for eliciting preference for hearing aid signal processing features.
