Development and validation of a Spanish-language spatial release from masking task in a Mexican population

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech Perception
• Psychoacoustics

Background:

• The Coordinate Response Measure (CRM) is a valuable tool for speech perception research.
• Existing auditory assessment tools are not readily available in Spanish, limiting research and clinical applications for Spanish-speaking populations.
• Spatial release from masking (SRM) is a key measure of auditory function in complex listening environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a new Spanish-language version of the CRM corpus for assessing spatial release from masking (SRM).
• To adapt and update the available "Perception Assessment & Research Tool" (PART) application for Spanish language presentation.
• To establish reliable auditory assessment methods for Spanish-speaking individuals in basic research and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Developed Spanish-language recordings of the CRM corpus.
• Updated the PART application to present Spanish-language auditory materials.
• Administered the Spanish SRM test and a battery of non-speech auditory assessments to 96 Spanish-speaking young adults.
• Collected baseline data on frequency modulation detection, temporal gap detection, and modulated broadband noise perception.

Main Results:

• The newly developed Spanish-language CRM and non-speech auditory tasks demonstrated comparable reliability to previous studies with English-speaking populations.
• Successful validation of the Spanish SRM test using the adapted PART application.
• Baseline data for various auditory processing domains were collected for the Spanish-speaking cohort.

Conclusions:

• A validated Spanish-language version of the CRM corpus and SRM test is now available.
• The adapted PART application facilitates auditory research and clinical assessment in Spanish.
• This work extends auditory assessment capabilities to underserved Spanish-speaking populations, promoting inclusivity in research and audiology.