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Speech identification under simulated hearing-aid frequency response characteristics in relation to sensitivity,
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|October 1, 1986
Summary
Hearing aid users with moderate hearing loss showed better word identification in noise with a flat frequency response, but preferred a rising one. Performance depended on age, sex, and high-frequency sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Audiology and Hearing Science
- Speech Perception Research
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Hearing aids aim to improve speech understanding in noisy environments.
- Different hearing aid frequency responses (flat vs. rising) offer distinct acoustic characteristics.
- Understanding the relationship between hearing aid acoustics, speech performance, and user preference is crucial for device fitting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare word identification in noise using flat versus rising hearing aid frequency responses.
- To correlate speech test results with psychoacoustic measures (sensitivity, loudness tolerance, frequency/temporal resolution).
- To investigate user preference and subjective quality ratings for different frequency responses.
Main Methods:
- Adaptive speech testing in noise was conducted with 23 hearing aid users with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss.
- Participants underwent various psychoacoustic assessments, including sensitivity, loudness tolerance, and frequency/temporal resolution.
- Subjects provided subjective ratings on preference and quality for both flat and rising frequency response conditions.
Main Results:
- Superior speech performance was observed with the flat frequency response, yet users paradoxically preferred the rising response.
- No single psychoacoustic measure fully explained the observed performance or preference differences.
- Absolute speech performance correlated with 2 kHz sensitivity, age, and sex, but not frequency resolution independently.
Conclusions:
- For moderate hearing loss, speech identification in noise can be predicted by age, sex, and high-frequency sensitivity.
- Measuring frequency or temporal resolution offers limited additional predictive value for speech performance in this population.
- The paradoxical finding of better performance with flat but preference for rising responses highlights the complexity of hearing aid fitting.