Part- vs full-list performance on the NST by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired adults

Performance-Level functions were determined for part- and full-list Edgerton and Danhauer (1979) Nonsense Syllable Test (NST) mean scores of 15 normal-hearing (NH) and 15 mild-to-moderately hearing-impaired (HI) Ss. In the first part-list procedure S received 5 different items from the 25-item NST List A at each ascending SL (25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 db re: S's better-ear SRT), while in the second, full-list, procedure S received the full 25 items. As previous studies had shown, the NST could be used to distinguish the NH and HI groups. The P-L functions were not significantly different for the part- vs the full-list procedures except at the 35 and 55 db SLs in which the part-list scores tended to overestimate those from the full list for both groups, to a maximum difference in percent correct of about 7%. Clinical implications are presented.