Simulations with FADE of the effect of impaired hearing on speech recognition performance cast doubt on the role of spectral resolution

There is a subgroup of elderly listeners with hearing loss who can be characterized by exceptionally poor speech understanding. This study examined the hypothesis that the poor speech-understanding performance of some elderly listeners is associated with disproportionate deficits in temporal resolution and frequency resolution, especially for complex signals. Temporal resolution, as measured by gap detection, and frequency resolution, as measured by the critical ratio, were examined in older listeners with normal hearing, older listeners with hearing loss and good speech-recognition performance, and older listeners with hearing loss and poor speech-recognition performance. Listener performance was evaluated for simple and complex stimuli and for tasks of added complexity. In addition, syllable recognition was assessed in quiet and noise. The principal findings were that older listeners with hearing loss and poor word-recognition performance did not perform differently from older listeners with hearing loss and good word recognition on the temporal resolution measures nor on the spectral resolution measures for relatively simple stimuli. However, frequency resolution was compromised for listeners with poor word-recognition abilities when targets were presented in the context of complex signals. Group differences observed for syllable recognition in quiet were eliminated in the noise condition. Taken together, the findings support the hypothesis that unusual deficits in word-recognition performance among elderly listeners were associated with poor spectral resolution for complex signals.

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Individual Aided Speech-Recognition Performance and Predictions of Benefit for Listeners With Impaired Hearing Employing FADE

Trends in Hearing ◽

10.1177/2331216520938929 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 233121652093892

Author(s):

Marc R. Schädler ◽

David Hülsmeier ◽

Anna Warzybok ◽

Birger Kollmeier

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Recognition ◽

Automatic Speech Recognition ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Recognition System ◽

Speech Recognition System ◽

Impaired Hearing ◽

Automatic Speech Recognition System ◽

Frequency Dependent ◽

Hearing Thresholds

The benefit in speech-recognition performance due to the compensation of a hearing loss can vary between listeners, even if unaided performance and hearing thresholds are similar. To accurately predict the individual performance benefit due to a specific hearing device, a prediction model is proposed which takes into account hearing thresholds and a frequency-dependent suprathreshold component of impaired hearing. To test the model, the German matrix sentence test was performed in unaided and individually aided conditions in quiet and in noise by 18 listeners with different degrees of hearing loss. The outcomes were predicted by an individualized automatic speech-recognition system where the individualization parameter for the suprathreshold component of hearing loss was inferred from tone-in-noise detection thresholds. The suprathreshold component was implemented as a frequency-dependent multiplicative noise (mimicking level uncertainty) in the feature-extraction stage of the automatic speech-recognition system. Its inclusion improved the root-mean-square prediction error of individual speech-recognition thresholds (SRTs) from 6.3 dB to 4.2 dB and of individual benefits in SRT due to common compensation strategies from 5.1 dB to 3.4 dB. The outcome predictions are highly correlated with both the corresponding observed SRTs ( R2 = .94) and the benefits in SRT ( R2 = .89) and hence might help to better understand—and eventually mitigate—the perceptual consequences of as yet unexplained hearing problems, also discussed in the context of hidden hearing loss.

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Contributions of Low- and High-Frequency Sensorineural Hearing Deficits to Speech Intelligibility in Noise

10.1101/358127 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah Verhulst ◽

Anna Warzybok

Keyword(s):

Speech Recognition ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Stimulus Frequency ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Impaired Hearing ◽

Hearing Sensitivity ◽

Low Pass ◽

Speech Information ◽

High Pass

ABSTRACTThe degree to which supra-threshold hearing deficits affect speech recognition in noise is poorly understood. To clarify the role of hearing sensitivity in different stimulus frequency ranges, and to test the contribution of low- and high-pass speech information to broadband speech recognition, we collected speech reception threshold (SRTs) for low-pass (LP < 1.5 kHz), high-pass (HP > 1.6 kHz) and broadband (BB) speech-in-noise stimuli in 34 listeners. Two noise types with similar long-term spectra were considered: stationary (SSN) and temporally modulated noise (ICRA5-250). Irrespective of the tested listener group (i.e., young normal-hearing, older normal- or impaired-hearing), the BB SRT performance was strongly related to the LP SRT. The encoding of LP speech information was different for SSN and ICRA5-250 noise but similar for HP speech, suggesting a single noise-type invariant coding mechanism for HP speech. Masking release was observed for all filtered conditions and related to the ICRA5-250 SRT. Lastly, the role of hearing sensitivity to the SRT was studied using the speech intelligibility index (SII), which failed to predict the SRTs for the filtered speech conditions and for the older normal-hearing listeners. This suggests that supra-threshold hearing deficits are important contributors to the SRT of older normal-hearing listeners.

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The Role of Spectral Resolution, Working Memory, and Audibility in Explaining Variance in Susceptibility to Temporal Envelope Distortion

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.25.6.9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (06) ◽

pp. 592-604 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Evelyn Davies-Venn ◽

Pamela Souza

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Recognition ◽

Spectral Resolution ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Severe Hearing Loss ◽

Temporal Envelope ◽

Repeated Measures Design ◽

Moderate Hearing Loss

Background: Several studies have shown that hearing thresholds alone cannot adequately predict listeners’ success with hearing-aid amplification. Furthermore, previous studies have shown marked differences in listeners’ susceptibility to distortions introduced by certain nonlinear amplification parameters. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility in explaining perceptual susceptibility to temporal envelope and other hearing-aid compression-induced distortions for listeners with mild to moderate and moderate to severe hearing loss. Research Design: A between-subjects repeated-measures design was used to compare speech recognition scores with linear versus compression amplification, for listeners with mild to moderate and moderate to severe hearing loss. Study Sample: The study included 15 adult listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss and 13 adults with moderate to severe hearing loss. Data Collection/Analysis: Speech recognition scores were measured for vowel-consonant-vowel syllables processed with linear, moderate compression, and extreme compression amplification. Perceptual susceptibility to compression-induced temporal envelope distortion was defined as the difference in scores between linear and compression amplification. Both overall scores and consonant feature scores (i.e., place, manner, and voicing) were analyzed. Narrowband spectral resolution was measured using individual measures of auditory filter bandwidth at 2000 Hz. Working memory was measured using the reading span test. Signal audibility was quantified using the Aided Audibility Index. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictive role of spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility benefit on listeners’ susceptibility to compression-induced distortions. Results: For all listeners, spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility benefit were significant predictors of overall distortion scores. For listeners with moderate to severe hearing loss, spectral resolution and audibility benefit predicted distortion scores for consonant place and manner of articulation features, and audibility benefit predicted distortion scores for consonant voicing features. For listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss, the model did not predict distortion scores for overall or consonant feature scores. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that when audibility is adequately controlled, measures of spectral resolution may identify the listeners who are most susceptible to compression-induced distortions. Working memory appears to modulate the negative effect of these distortions for listeners with moderate to severe hearing loss.

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Andrew Lang and Scottish Historiography: Taking on Tradition

The Scottish Historical Review ◽

10.3366/shr.2015.0257 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 94 (2) ◽

pp. 207-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Catriona M. M. Macdonald

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Sir Walter Scott ◽

Scientific Methods ◽

European Context ◽

The Reformation ◽

Cast Doubt ◽

Scottish History ◽

University Setting ◽

Andrew Lang

The career and posthumous reputation of Andrew Lang (1844–1912) call into question Scottish historiographical conventions of the era following the death of Sir Walter Scott which foreground the apparent triumph of scientific methods over Romance and the professionalisation of the discipline within a university setting. Taking issue with the premise of notions relating to the Strange Death of Scottish History in the mid-nineteenth century, it is proposed that perceptions of Scottish historiographical exceptionalism in a European context and presumptions of Scottish inferiorism stand in need of re-assessment. By offering alternative readings of the reformation, by uncoupling unionism from whiggism, by reaffirming the role of Romance in ‘serious’ Scottish history, and by disrupting distinctions between whig and Jacobite, the historical works and the surviving personal papers of Andrew Lang cast doubt on many conventional grand narratives and the paradigms conventionally used to make sense of Scottish historiography.

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Sports News, Commentary and Interviews, From the Other Side: Journalists Seen Through the Eyes of Athletes

Communication & Sport ◽

10.1177/2167479521992371 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216747952199237

Author(s):

Ondřej Trunečka

Keyword(s):

Athletic Performance ◽

The Other ◽

Professional Athletes ◽

Main Role ◽

Cast Doubt ◽

The Media ◽

Sports News

This study explores how professional athletes perceive sports journalists and the role of the media. They acknowledge that communication with journalists is an essential part of their profession and appreciate the verified information, knowledge, and dutiful preparation. They consider the main role of media as monitorial. In some cases, they cast doubt on journalists’ ability to evaluate athletic performance accurately, and they are also critical of errors in interviews, however they acknowledgethat there are good, and possibly excellent journalists as well.

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Industrial Policy and Local Economic Transformation: Evidence From the U.S. Rust Belt

Economic Development Quarterly ◽

10.1177/08912424211022822 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089124242110228

Author(s):

Ben Armstrong

Keyword(s):

Industrial Policy ◽

Local Governments ◽

State Level ◽

Economic Transformation ◽

Local Economy ◽

Rust Belt ◽

Industrial Policies ◽

Cast Doubt ◽

State And Local

State and local governments frequently invest in policies aimed at stimulating the growth of new industries, but studies of industrial policy and related economic development initiatives cast doubt on their effectiveness. This article examines the role of state-level industrial policies in contributing to the different economic trajectories of two U.S. metro areas—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio—as they adapted to the decline of their legacy industries. Comparative case studies show that industrial policies in Pittsburgh, which empowered research universities as local economic leaders, contributed to the transformation of the local economy. In Cleveland, by contrast, state industrial policies invested in making incremental improvements, particularly in legacy sectors. The article concludes that by empowering new local economic actors—such as universities—industrial policies can foment political change that enables structural economic change to follow.

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Extended High Frequencies Provide Both Spectral and Temporal Information to Improve Speech-in-Speech Recognition

Trends in Hearing ◽

10.1177/2331216520980299 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 233121652098029

Author(s):

Allison Trine ◽

Brian B. Monson

Keyword(s):

Speech Recognition ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Exploratory Analysis ◽

Temporal Information ◽

Significant Benefit ◽

Head Orientation ◽

Spectral Structure ◽

High Frequencies

Several studies have demonstrated that extended high frequencies (EHFs; >8 kHz) in speech are not only audible but also have some utility for speech recognition, including for speech-in-speech recognition when maskers are facing away from the listener. However, the contribution of EHF spectral versus temporal information to speech recognition is unknown. Here, we show that access to EHF temporal information improved speech-in-speech recognition relative to speech bandlimited at 8 kHz but that additional access to EHF spectral detail provided an additional small but significant benefit. Results suggest that both EHF spectral structure and the temporal envelope contribute to the observed EHF benefit. Speech recognition performance was quite sensitive to masker head orientation, with a rotation of only 15° providing a highly significant benefit. An exploratory analysis indicated that pure-tone thresholds at EHFs are better predictors of speech recognition performance than low-frequency pure-tone thresholds.

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Working Memory Capacity May Influence Perceived Effort during Aided Speech Recognition in Noise

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.23.7.7 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 23 (08) ◽

pp. 577-589 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Mary Rudner ◽

Thomas Lunner ◽

Thomas Behrens ◽

Elisabet Sundewall Thorén ◽

Jerker Rönnberg

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Recognition ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Cognitive Capacity ◽

Subjective Ratings ◽

Perceived Effort ◽

Noise Type ◽

Speech Recognition In Noise

Background: Recently there has been interest in using subjective ratings as a measure of perceived effort during speech recognition in noise. Perceived effort may be an indicator of cognitive load. Thus, subjective effort ratings during speech recognition in noise may covary both with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and individual cognitive capacity. Purpose: The present study investigated the relation between subjective ratings of the effort involved in listening to speech in noise, speech recognition performance, and individual working memory (WM) capacity in hearing impaired hearing aid users. Research Design: In two experiments, participants with hearing loss rated perceived effort during aided speech perception in noise. Noise type and SNR were manipulated in both experiments, and in the second experiment hearing aid compression release settings were also manipulated. Speech recognition performance was measured along with WM capacity. Study Sample: There were 46 participants in all with bilateral mild to moderate sloping hearing loss. In Experiment 1 there were 16 native Danish speakers (eight women and eight men) with a mean age of 63.5 yr (SD = 12.1) and average pure tone (PT) threshold of 47. 6 dB (SD = 9.8). In Experiment 2 there were 30 native Swedish speakers (19 women and 11 men) with a mean age of 70 yr (SD = 7.8) and average PT threshold of 45.8 dB (SD = 6.6). Data Collection and Analysis: A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for effort rating in both experiments. In Experiment 1, effort was rated at individually adapted SNRs while in Experiment 2 it was rated at fixed SNRs. Speech recognition in noise performance was measured using adaptive procedures in both experiments with Dantale II sentences in Experiment 1 and Hagerman sentences in Experiment 2. WM capacity was measured using a letter-monitoring task in Experiment 1 and the reading span task in Experiment 2. Results: In both experiments, there was a strong and significant relation between rated effort and SNR that was independent of individual WM capacity, whereas the relation between rated effort and noise type seemed to be influenced by individual WM capacity. Experiment 2 showed that hearing aid compression setting influenced rated effort. Conclusions: Subjective ratings of the effort involved in speech recognition in noise reflect SNRs, and individual cognitive capacity seems to influence relative rating of noise type.

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