Word recognition with segmented-alternated CVC words: compact disc trials

The Tonal and Speech Materials for Auditory Perceptual Assessment, Disc 1.0 audio compact disc contains a set of consonant, vowel-nucleus, consonant speech materials that have been segmented at the approximate phoneme boundaries so that the carrier phrase and consonant segments of a word can be presented to one ear and the carrier phrase and vowel segment of the word presented to the other ear. In this manner, consonant and vowel information are presented to different ears using a binaural fusion paradigm in which the temporal sequence of the word is maintained. The purpose of the compact disc trials was to document the recognition performance of 120 young adults with normal hearing under the following three conditions: (1) the consonant segments presented monaurally at 40, 50, and 60 dB HL; (2) the vowel segment of the words presented monaurally at 20, 30, and 40 dB HL; and (3) the binaural condition at 0 to 30 dB Hl in which the consonant segments were presented to one ear and the vowel segments were presented to the other ear. Recognition performance under the binaural fusion paradigm was identical to recognition performance on the same materials unaltered.