Evaluation of hearing-impaired listeners using a Nonsense-Syllable Test. I. Test reliability

The reliability of a closed-set Nonsense-Syllable Test was determined on a group of 38 listeners with mold-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Eight randomizations of the 91-item test (four trials on each of two days) were presented monaurally, under earphones, at 90 dB SPL with a cafeteria background noise set at a +20-dB S/N ratio. Performance under these conditions ranged from 21.4 to 91.2%, reflecting the wide range of syllable-recognition ability of these subjects. Reliability of the eight measurements was determined by analysis of variance and analysis of covariance structure (parallel-test modelling) for the entire test and each of 11 subtests. Overall and individual subject results failed to show any systematic differences in scores over eight trials. Likewise, no significant differences were found in performance on individual syllables, nor were changes in the relative occurrence of specific syllable confusions noted. The test is highly reliable when evaluating hearing-impaired subjects, and thus is appropriate for use in investigations where identical items are administered under multiple experimental conditions.