scholarly journals The Contribution of Individual Differences in Memory Span and Language Ability to Spatial Release From Masking in Young Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3741-3751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas MacCutcheon ◽  
Florian Pausch ◽  
Christian Füllgrabe ◽  
Renata Eccles ◽  
Jeannie van der Linde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Stream Segregation ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Spatial Release ◽  
Speech Reception Thresholds ◽  
Release From Masking

Purpose Working memory capacity and language ability modulate speech reception; however, the respective roles of peripheral and cognitive processing are unclear. The contribution of individual differences in these abilities to utilization of spatial cues when separating speech from informational and energetic masking backgrounds in children has not yet been determined. Therefore, this study explored whether speech reception in children is modulated by environmental factors, such as the type of background noise and spatial configuration of target and noise sources, and individual differences in the cognitive and linguistic abilities of listeners. Method Speech reception thresholds were assessed in 39 children aged 5–7 years in simulated school listening environments. Speech reception thresholds of target sentences spoken by an adult male consisting of number and color combinations were measured using an adaptive procedure, with speech-shaped white noise and single-talker backgrounds that were either collocated (target and back-ground at 0°) or spatially separated (target at 0°, background noise at 90° to the right). Spatial release from masking was assessed alongside memory span and expressive language. Results and Conclusion Significant main effect results showed that speech reception thresholds were highest for informational maskers and collocated conditions. Significant interactions indicated that individual differences in memory span and language ability were related to spatial release from masking advantages. Specifically, individual differences in memory span and language were related to the utilization of spatial cues in separated conditions. Language differences were related to auditory stream segregation abilities in collocated conditions that lack helpful spatial cues, pointing to the utilization of language processes to make up for losses in spatial information.

Binaural Speech Understanding With Bilateral Cochlear Implants in Reverberation

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Kokkinakis
Keyword(s):  
Sound Field ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Bilateral Cochlear Implants ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Spatial Release ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
Speech Reception Thresholds ◽  
Release From Masking

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether bilateral cochlear implant (CI) listeners who are fitted with clinical processors are able to benefit from binaural advantages under reverberant conditions. Another aim of this contribution was to determine whether the magnitude of each binaural advantage observed inside a highly reverberant environment differs significantly from the magnitude measured in a near-anechoic environment.MethodTen adults with postlingual deafness who are bilateral CI users fitted with either Nucleus 5 or Nucleus 6 clinical sound processors (Cochlear Corporation) participated in this study. Speech reception thresholds were measured in sound field and 2 different reverberation conditions (0.06 and 0.6 s) as a function of the listening condition (left, right, both) and the noise spatial location (left, front, right).ResultsThe presence of the binaural effects of head-shadow, squelch, summation, and spatial release from masking in the 2 different reverberation conditions tested was determined using nonparametric statistical analysis. In the bilateral population tested, when the ambient reverberation time was equal to 0.6 s, results indicated strong positive effects of head-shadow and a weaker spatial release from masking advantage, whereas binaural squelch and summation contributed no statistically significant benefit to bilateral performance under this acoustic condition. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies, which have demonstrated that head-shadow yields the most pronounced advantage in noise. The finding that spatial release from masking produced little to almost no benefit in bilateral listeners is consistent with the hypothesis that additive reverberation degrades spatial cues and negatively affects binaural performance.ConclusionsThe magnitude of 4 different binaural advantages was measured on the same group of bilateral CI subjects fitted with clinical processors in 2 different reverberation conditions. The results of this work demonstrate the impeding properties of reverberation on binaural speech understanding. In addition, results indicate that CI recipients who struggle in everyday listening environments are also more likely to benefit less in highly reverberant environments from their bilateral processors.

scholarly journals Availability of Binaural Cues for Pediatric Bilateral Cochlear Implant Recipients

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (03) ◽  
pp. 289-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sterling W. Sheffield ◽  
David S. Haynes ◽  
George B. Wanna ◽  
Robert F. Labadie ◽  
René H. Gifford
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Ratio Test ◽  
Binaural Cues ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Spatial Release ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
Release From Masking

Background: Bilateral implant recipients theoretically have access to binaural cues. Research in postlingually deafened adults with cochlear implants (CIs) indicates minimal evidence for true binaural hearing. Congenitally deafened children who experience spatial hearing with bilateral CIs, however, might perceive binaural cues in the CI signal differently. There is limited research examining binaural hearing in children with CIs, and the few published studies are limited by the use of unrealistic speech stimuli and background noise. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to (1) replicate our previous study of binaural hearing in postlingually deafened adults with AzBio sentences in prelingually deafened children with the pediatric version of the AzBio sentences, and (2) replicate previous studies of binaural hearing in children with CIs using more open-set sentences and more realistic background noise (i.e., multitalker babble). Research Design: The study was a within-participant, repeated-measures design. Study Sample: The study sample consisted of 14 children with bilateral CIs with at least 25 mo of listening experience. Data Collection and Analysis: Speech recognition was assessed using sentences presented in multitalker babble at a fixed signal-to-noise ratio. Test conditions included speech at 0° with noise presented at 0° (S 0 N 0 ), on the side of the first CI (90° or 270°) (S 0 N 1stCI ), and on the side of the second CI (S 0 N 2ndCI ) as well as speech presented at 0° with noise presented semidiffusely from eight speakers at 45° intervals. Estimates of summation, head shadow, squelch, and spatial release from masking were calculated. Results: Results of test conditions commonly reported in the literature (S 0 N 0 , S 0 N 1stCI , S 0 N 2ndCI ) are consistent with results from previous research in adults and children with bilateral CIs, showing minimal summation and squelch but typical head shadow and spatial release from masking. However, bilateral benefit over the better CI with speech at 0° was much larger with semidiffuse noise. Conclusions: Congenitally deafened children with CIs have similar availability of binaural hearing cues to postlingually deafened adults with CIs within the same experimental design. It is possible that the use of realistic listening environments, such as semidiffuse background noise as in Experiment II, would reveal greater binaural hearing benefit for bilateral CI recipients. Future research is needed to determine whether (1) availability of binaural cues for children correlates with interaural time and level differences, (2) different listening environments are more sensitive to binaural hearing benefits, and (3) differences exist between pediatric bilateral recipients receiving implants in the same or sequential surgeries.

Memory Span and Individual Differences in Activation: Implicit and Explicit Measures

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Lilienthal ◽  
Elaine Tamez ◽  
Nathan Rose ◽  
Joel Myerson ◽  
Sandra Hale
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Explicit Measures

Individual differences in multiple cues guiding flexible resource allocation in visual short-term memory.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Lockhart ◽  
Blaire Dube ◽  
Kevin John MacDonald ◽  
Naseem Al-Aidroos ◽  
Stephen Emrich
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Visual Short Term Memory ◽  
Presentation Time ◽  
Flexible Resource ◽  
Priority Levels ◽  
Level Analysis

Although recent evidence suggests that visual short-term memory (VSTM) is a continuous resource, little is known about how flexibly this resource can be allocated. Previous studies using probabilistic cues to indicate two different levels of probe probability have found that response precision can be predicted according to a continuous allocation of resources that depends on attentional priority. The current study used a continuous report procedure and attentional prioritization via simultaneous probabilistic spatial cues to address whether participants can use up to three levels of attentional priority to allocate VSTM resources. Three experiments were performed with differing priority levels, different cues, and cue presentation time. Although group level analysis demonstrated flexible allocation, there was limited evidence that participants were using three priority levels. An individual differences approach revealed that a minority of participants were using three levels of attentional priority, demonstrating that, while possible, it is not the predominant pattern of behavior.

scholarly journals Spatial Unmasking Effect on Speech Reception Threshold in the Median Plane

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 5257
Author(s):  
Nathan Berwick ◽  
Hyunkook Lee
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Input Signal ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Median Plane ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Transfer Function Analysis ◽  
Spatial Unmasking ◽  
Head Related Transfer Function ◽  
Speech Reception Thresholds ◽  
Energy Weighting

This study examined whether the spatial unmasking effect operates on speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in the median plane. SRTs were measured using an adaptive staircase procedure, with target speech sentences and speech-shaped noise maskers presented via loudspeakers at −30°, 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°. Results indicated a significant median plane spatial unmasking effect, with the largest SRT gain obtained for the −30° elevation of the masker. Head-related transfer function analysis suggests that the result is associated with the energy weighting of the ear-input signal of the masker at upper-mid frequencies relative to the maskee.

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