Effects of acclimatization and deprivation on non-speech auditory abilities

This article reviews the evidence for acclimatization and deprivation with respect to non-speech auditory abilities. Although this subject has not been studied extensively, clear evidence exists for acclimatization and/or deprivation effects on intensity discrimination, binaural masking level difference, and auditory localization and lateralization. There is also some argument for such effects with regard to changes in tolerance for intense sounds or preferred levels of amplification. However, the main evidence for these effects, changes in loudness discomfort levels with repeated testing, may reasonably be explained as procedural or task-related effects rather than changes in auditory abilities. On the other hand, the successful use of tinnitus maskers to treat hyperacusis suggests that particularly low tolerance levels may be improved by exposure to certain types of auditory stimulation. Overall, this retrospective review of changes in non-speech auditory abilities, associated with the presence or absence of listening experience, indicates that acclimatization or deprivation effects may have influenced the results of some of the experiments reviewed. This suggests that experiments designed to study acclimatization or deprivation are timely and useful. In addition, acclimatization and deprivation are potential variables that should be considered, and preferably controlled, within experiments on auditory abilities. Clinically, the review adds weight to the argument for considering acclimatization and/or deprivation in hearing aid fitting and evaluation.