Remote auditory assessment using Portable Automated Rapid Testing (PART) and participant-owned devices.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Hearing Science
• Psychophysics

Background:

• Remote collection of reliable auditory psychometric data faces historical obstacles.
• Advancements in technology are needed to overcome limitations in remote hearing assessments.
• Accessible and valid remote hearing testing is crucial for both research and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of a remotely administered auditory processing test battery.
• To compare data collected remotely using participant-owned devices with laboratory-based data.
• To assess the feasibility and reliability of remote auditory function testing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Portable Automatic Rapid Testing (PART) system for remote auditory testing.
• Compared datasets from laboratory and remote settings using calibrated and uncalibrated participant-owned devices.
• Conducted experiments with 40, 36, and 58 participants across different conditions.

Main Results:

• Performance across remote and laboratory datasets was well-matched with similar reliability.
• Overall performance in remote settings was slightly below published norms.
• Environmental noise, distraction, and lack of calibration did not reliably explain performance variance.

Conclusions:

• Remote auditory processing testing using participant-owned devices is feasible.
• The PART system demonstrates potential for large-scale remote hearing assessments.
• Further research can explore remote testing in diverse hearing-impaired populations for clinical viability.