Asymmetric suprathreshold speech recognition and the telephone ear phenomenon

We compared interaural suprathreshold speech recognition scores in 62 adults with sensorineural hearing loss. Subjects were tested at two sites, 25 at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX and 37 at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY. Ears were categorized according to telephone usage. Results showed, at both sites, a small but significant difference in speech understanding scores between the ear habitually used on the telephone and the opposite, nontelephone ear. The average speech recognition score was approximately 5 percent better on the telephone ear. Results are interpreted in relation to the theories of auditory deprivation and auditory acclimatization.