At-Home Auditory Assessment Using Portable Automated Rapid Testing (PART) to Understand Self-Reported Hearing...

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Psychophysics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Remote auditory testing using technology yields results comparable to laboratory settings.
• Previous work validated behavioral measures for remote auditory function assessment.
• Understanding the link between objective auditory processing and subjective hearing handicap is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a comprehensive battery of auditory assessments can explain self-reported hearing handicap.
• To investigate the underlying constructs of auditory processing.
• To assess the utility of remote auditory testing for large-scale studies and telehealth.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a portable psychophysics tool for auditory assessments.
• Recruited participants (n=192) with and without self-reported hearing difficulty via an online platform (Prolific).
• Collected and analyzed auditory task data, examining factor structure and relationships between measures.

Main Results:

• Several auditory processing measures significantly differentiated participants based on self-reported hearing difficulty.
• The factor structure of the test battery aligned with the hypothesized construct model.
• Relationships between auditory processing measures were largely consistent with theoretical expectations.

Conclusions:

• Objective auditory processing measures can distinguish individuals with varying degrees of subjective hearing difficulty.
• The validated remote auditory assessment battery shows potential for large-scale research and telehealth.
• This study enhances understanding of auditory and cognitive processing in relation to hearing handicap.