Comfortable Loudness Level

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 816-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn M. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Noise Band ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Threshold Data ◽  
Fitting Procedures ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

This paper reports the results of a series of investigations of comfortable loudness levels with particular reference to their application to hearing aid gain prescriptions. Experiment 1 studied the effects of several stimulus waveforms, bandwidths, and durations on comfortable loudness levels for normal and hearing impaired listeners. Speech band comfort levels were found to be significantly higher than equal-duration noise band or warble tone comfort levels. Comfortable loudness levels were found to be independent of warble tone modulation parameters and of stimulus bandwidth (stimuli did not exceed critical bandwidths). In Experiment 2, reliability of comfortable loudness levels was evaluated in hearing-impaired subjects over two consecutive 1-year periods. Results indicated that comfortable loudness levels were slightly less reliable than thresholds. In addition, the results were consistent with a hypothesis that exposure to amplified sound produces a small increase in comfortable loudness levels. In Experiment 3, data from 67 hearing-impaired subjects were used to develop regression equations for prediction of comfortable loudness levels. Thresholds at the test frequencies were combined with comfortable loudness data at 500 Hz and 4000 Hz. The prediction method was then evaluated using a new group of 25 subjects. Accuracy of predictions of comfort levels was substantially better with the new method than with an older method that relied exclusively on threshold data. Relevance of the outcomes to hearing aid fitting procedures is discussed.

Dissimilarity Ratings of English Consonants by Normally-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Individuals

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Danhauer ◽  
Ruth M. Lawarre
Keyword(s):  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Interval Scale ◽  
Individual Group ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Paired Stimuli ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

Perceptual patterns in rating dissimilarities among 24 CVs were investigated for a group of normal-hearing and two groups of hearing-impaired subjects (one group with flat, and one group with sloping, sensorineural losses). Stimuli were presented binaurally at most comfortable loudness level and subjects rated the 576 paired stimuli on a 1–7 equal-appearing interval scale. Ratings were submitted to individual group and combined INDSCAL analyses to describe features used by the subjects in their perception of the speech stimuli. Results revealed features such as sibilant, sonorant, plosive and place. Furthermore, normal and hearing-impaired subjects used similar features, and subjects' weightings of features were relatively independent of their audiometric configurations. Results are compared to those of previous studies.

Magnitude Estimation of Loudness I Application to Hearing Aid Selection

1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Geller ◽  
Robert H. Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Octave Band ◽  
Loudness Function ◽  
Comfortable Loudness ◽  
Tonal Stimuli

Three experiments were conducted to explore the utility of magnitude estimation of loudness for hearing aid selection. In Experiment 1 the loudness discomfort level (LDL), most comfortable loudness (MCL), and magnitude estimations (MEs) of loudness were obtained from normal-hearing subjects. MCLs fell within a range of loudnesses that was relatively low on the loudness function. The LDLs were lower than previously published values. Experiment 2 was performed to identify the source of disparity between our LDL data and previously reported results. The effects of instructions are demonstrated and discussed. In Experiment 3 magnitude estimations of loudness were used to determine the loudness of tonal stimuli selected to represent ⅓ octave band levels of speech. Over the 500–4000 Hz range, the contributions of the various frequency regions to the loudness of speech appears to be nearly constant. Methods are proposed for (a) predicting the frequency-gain response of a hearing aid that restores normal loudness for speech for the hearing-impaired listener and (b) psychophysically evaluating the compression characteristic of a hearing aid.

Comparison of Hearing Threshold Level and Most Comfortable Loudness Level in Hearing Aid Prescription

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Berger ◽  
Eric N. Hagberg ◽  
Denise M. Varawas ◽  
Doreen M. Vottero
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

Estimation of Client-Assessed Hearing Aid Performance Based Upon Unaided Variables

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary J. Crowley ◽  
Igor V. Nabelek
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Predictor Variables ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Speech Perception In Noise ◽  
Personal Adjustment ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Comfortable Loudness ◽  
Response Variables

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of estimating client-assessed hearing aid performance before hearing aids are purchased. Aided performance was represented by the Profile of Hearing Aid Performance (PHAP, Cox & Gilmore, 1990). Multiple regression was applied to 16 unaided predictor variables and to 8 response variables. The response variables were the scores from the seven PHAP subscales plus the overall PHAP score, which were obtained from 46 participants. Audiologic, demographic, and psychological information was included among the 16 predictor variables. The average widths of 95% prediction intervals showed that, with the exception of the Aversiveness of Sounds and Ease of Communication subscales, PHAP subscale scores were predicted within 15% on average. Eighty percent or more of the individual participants’ PHAP scores were predicted within 15% for all but the Aversiveness of Sounds subscale. The predictor variables appearing in regression equations for the greatest number of PHAP subscales include age, Communication Strategies and Personal Adjustment scores from the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (Demorest & Erdman, 1986), Revised Speech Perception in Noise (Bilger, Neutzel, Rabinowitz, & Rzeczkowski, 1984; Kalikow, Stevens, & Elliott, 1977) test scores, comfortable loudness levels, and the difference between National Acoustic Laboratories’ target gain (Byrne & Dillon, 1986) and actual insertion gain. Further testing of the models on additional participants would be needed to determine their clinical applicability. In addition to being potentially useful for predicting client-assessed aided performance, the equations obtained in this study identify relationships between the aided and unaided variables that can be applied in the counseling of new hearing aid users.

scholarly journals Prediction of Software-Based Sentence-in-Noise Recognition Thresholds of Hearing-Impaired Listeners

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-146
Author(s):  
Gwang Min Kim ◽  
Jae Hee Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Intelligibility Test ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

Purpose: Although hearing-impaired (HI) listeners often have difficulty understanding in noise as their primary complaints, the speech-in-noise intelligibility test is not conducted as a standard audiologic test battery. This study investigated whether the speech audiometry in quiet accurately reflects the sentence-in-noise intelligibility of HI listeners. Methods: Sixty-two HI listeners participated. All the HI listeners had symmetrical high-frequency hearing loss and bilaterally worn hearing aids. Twenty-five normal-hearing (NH) listeners also participated as a control group. The unaided word and sentence recognition scores (WRS and SRS) were obtained in quiet at individually determined most comfortable loudness level. With bilateral hearing aids, the aided WRS and SRS were evaluated at a normal conversational level. The software-based Korean Matrix sentence in noise test was administered at a fixed level (65 dB SPL) of noise while adjusting the sentence level adaptively based on the listener’s response. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required to achieve 50% intelligibility (speech recognition thresholds, SRTs) was obtained. Results: On average, the aided SRT of HI listeners was 0.1 dB SNR, and the mean SRT of NH adults was -8.91 dB SNR. The Matrix sentence-in-noise intelligibility was not sufficiently explained by the unaided WRS or unaided SRS. Conclusion: A traditional measure of the unaided speech-in-quiet recognition cannot accurately predict the aided speech-innoise intelligibility. Clinically, a software-based sentence-in-noise intelligibility test is recommended to directly confirm the actual benefits of hearing aid in noisy situations.

Hearing Aid Amplification Reduces Communication Effort of People With Hearing Impairment and Their Conversation Partners

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Beechey ◽  
Jörg M. Buchholz ◽  
Gitte Keidser
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Directional Hearing ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Communication Task ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
The Impact

Objectives This study investigates the hypothesis that hearing aid amplification reduces effort within conversation for both hearing aid wearers and their communication partners. Levels of effort, in the form of speech production modifications, required to maintain successful spoken communication in a range of acoustic environments are compared to earlier reported results measured in unaided conversation conditions. Design Fifteen young adult normal-hearing participants and 15 older adult hearing-impaired participants were tested in pairs. Each pair consisted of one young normal-hearing participant and one older hearing-impaired participant. Hearing-impaired participants received directional hearing aid amplification, according to their audiogram, via a master hearing aid with gain provided according to the NAL-NL2 fitting formula. Pairs of participants were required to take part in naturalistic conversations through the use of a referential communication task. Each pair took part in five conversations, each of 5-min duration. During each conversation, participants were exposed to one of five different realistic acoustic environments presented through highly open headphones. The ordering of acoustic environments across experimental blocks was pseudorandomized. Resulting recordings of conversational speech were analyzed to determine the magnitude of speech modifications, in terms of vocal level and spectrum, produced by normal-hearing talkers as a function of both acoustic environment and the degree of high-frequency average hearing impairment of their conversation partner. Results The magnitude of spectral modifications of speech produced by normal-hearing talkers during conversations with aided hearing-impaired interlocutors was smaller than the speech modifications observed during conversations between the same pairs of participants in the absence of hearing aid amplification. Conclusions The provision of hearing aid amplification reduces the effort required to maintain communication in adverse conditions. This reduction in effort provides benefit to hearing-impaired individuals and also to the conversation partners of hearing-impaired individuals. By considering the impact of amplification on both sides of dyadic conversations, this approach contributes to an increased understanding of the likely impact of hearing impairment on everyday communication.

Suggestion of hearing aid gain for Korean Hearing Impaired (HAG-K)

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung Won Lee ◽  
Jin Sook Kim
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Impaired

Help-seeking Behaviour of Hearing-impaired Persons Aged ≥ 55 Years; Effect of Complaints, Significant Others and Hearing Aid Image

2003 ◽  
Vol 123 (7) ◽  
pp. 846-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Duijvestijn ◽  
L. J. C. Anteunis ◽  
C. J. Hoek ◽  
R.H.S. Van Den Brink ◽  
M. N. Chenault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour

Comparing the Effect of Different Hearing Aid Fitting Methods in Bimodal Cochlear Implant Users

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jantien L. Vroegop ◽  
J. Gertjan Dingemanse ◽  
Marc P. van der Schroeff ◽  
André Goedegebure
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Sound Localization ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Aid Fitting ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Localization Test ◽  
Fitting Procedures ◽  
Auditory Performance ◽  
Contralateral Ear ◽  
Noise Test

PurposeThe aim of the study was to investigate the effect of 3 hearing aid fitting procedures on provided gain of the hearing aid in bimodal cochlear implant users and their effect on bimodal benefit.MethodThis prospective study measured hearing aid gain and auditory performance in a cross-over design in which 3 hearing aid fitting methods were compared. Hearing aid fitting methods differed in initial gain prescription rule (NAL-NL2 and Audiogram+) and loudness balancing method (broadband vs. narrowband loudness balancing). Auditory functioning was evaluated by a speech-in-quiet test, a speech-in-noise test, and a sound localization test. Fourteen postlingually deafened adult bimodal cochlear implant users participated in the study.ResultsNo differences in provided gain and in bimodal performance were found for the different hearing aid fittings. For all hearing aid fittings, a bimodal benefit was found for speech in noise and sound localization.ConclusionOur results confirm that cochlear implant users with residual hearing in the contralateral ear substantially benefit from bimodal stimulation. However, on average, no differences were found between different types of fitting methods, varying in prescription rule and loudness balancing method.

scholarly journals Study of 6 months' trial usage of hearing aid in hearing-impaired elderly outpatients visiting the Center for Memory Disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-149
Author(s):  
Yasue Uchida ◽  
Saiko Sugiura ◽  
Takafumi Nakada ◽  
Erina Ito ◽  
Anna Yoshihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Memory Disorders ◽  
Elderly Outpatients
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