Effects of Listener Position on Speech Recognition in a Simulated Multitalker Environment

Background/Objectives: A listener's physical position in a realistic environment influences the intensity of speech and noise that arrives at the two ears as well as the binaural cues available for the segregation of target signals from background noise. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate how listener position influences speech recognition in a simulated multitalker environment and to determine the extent to which strategic positioning can be leveraged to improve communication in the real world. Methods: Virtual acoustics were used to generate a realistic simulation of a restaurant with 12 different listener positions, which were distributed across four different tables. Speech recognition in each simulated position was measured in 64 listeners separated into two age groups (younger and older) with varying degrees of hearing sensitivity represented in both groups. Results: Significant differences in speech recognition were observed between tables and between seats at each table, indicating that even subtle changes in listener position can yield meaningful effects on speech recognition. The best positions tended to contain asymmetric distributions of maskers on either side of the listener, and they afforded access to spatial cues for segregation of the target from nearby maskers. Age and hearing sensitivity also contributed to speech recognition thresholds and interacted with the effects of listener position. Conclusions: Manipulations of listener position may be an effective way to improve communication in realistic environments. Future work is needed to develop generalizable strategies to guide patients on how to identify positions that are optimal for speech understanding in any given environment.