SSW test performance-intensity functions for hearing-impaired adults

The present study investigated the effects of intensity on hearing-impaired adults' performance on the Staggered Spondaic Word (SSW) test. Fifteen adults having mild-to-moderate cochlear hearing losses were administered the 40-item SSW test which was subdivided into four groups of ten items each, and presented at different intensity levels (20, 30, 40, and 50 dB SL re the three-frequency, pure-tone average). Subjects' responses were used to generate performance-intensity functions. Scores were analyzed for overall, competing, and noncompeting conditions. No significant differences were found for these hearing-impaired listeners' performance for items presented at the standard 50 dB and those at the low sensation levels.