Masking of Tone Bursts by Modulated Noise in Normal, Noise-Masked Normal, and Hearing-Impaired Listeners

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry E. Humes
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Modulation Depth ◽  
Tone Burst ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Good Representation ◽  
Modulation Spectrum ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
The Difference ◽  
High Pass

Threshold of 4.6-ms tone bursts was measured in quiet and in the presence of a 100% sinusoidally amplitude-modulated speech-shaped noise. For the modulated-noise conditions, the onset of the tone burst coincided either with the maximum or the minimum modulator amplitude. The difference in these two masked thresholds provided an indication of the psychoacoustic modulation depth, or the modulation depth preserved within the auditory system. Modulation frequencies spanning the modulation spectrum of speech (2.5 to 20 Hz) were examined. Tone bursts were 500, 1400, and 4000 Hz. Subjects included normal listeners, normal listeners with a hearing loss simulated by high-pass noise, and hearing-impaired listeners having high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Normal listeners revealed a psychoacoustic modulation depth of 30–40 dB for the lowest modulation frequencies which decreased to about 15 dB at 20 Hz. The psychoacoustic modulation depth was decreased in the normal listeners with simulated hearing loss and in the hearing-impaired listeners. There was general agreement in the data, however, for the latter two groups of listeners suggesting that the normal listeners with hearing loss simulated by an additional masking noise provided a good representation of the performance of hearing-impaired listeners on this task.

Interactive Effects of High-Pass Filtering and Masking Noise on Word Recognition

2005 ◽  
Vol 114 (11) ◽  
pp. 867-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saravanan Elangovan ◽  
Andrew Stuart
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Cutoff Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Noise Condition ◽  
High Pass

Objectives: This study sought to examine the word recognition performance in noise of individuals with a simulated low-frequency hearing loss. The goal was to understand how low-frequency hearing impairment affects performance on tasks that challenge temporal processing skills. Methods: Twenty-two normal-hearing young adults participated. Monosyllabic words were presented in continuous and interrupted noise at 3 signal-to-noise ratios of −10, 0, and +10 dB. High-pass filtering of the stimuli at 3 different cutoff frequencies (ie, 1,000, 1,250, and 1,500 Hz) simulated the low-frequency hearing impairment. Results: In general, performance decreased with increasing cutoff frequency, was higher for more favorable signal-to-noise ratios, and was superior in the interrupted condition relative to the continuous noise condition. One important revelation was that the magnitude of the performance superiority observed in the interrupted noise condition did not diminish with high-pass filtering; ie, the release from masking in interrupted noise was preserved. Conclusions: The results of the present study complement previous findings in which this paradigm was used with low-pass filtering to simulate a high-frequency hearing loss. That is to say, low-frequency hearing channels are inherently poorer than high-frequency channels in temporal resolution.

Critical Bandwidth and Sensitivity Prediction in the Acoustic Stapedial Reflex

1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Schwartz ◽  
Jay W. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Acoustic Reflex ◽  
Severe Hearing Loss ◽  
Critical Bandwidth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Stapedial Reflex ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Critical bandwidth measurements and sensitivity prediction from the acoustic reflex (SPAR) test results were obtained on 20 normal-hearing and two groups of 10 hearing-impaired subjects each representing mild-to-moderate and severe hearing loss. Results of critical bandwidth measurements indicated that for center frequencies of 1000 and 2000 Hz the critical bandwidth was significantly greater for the hearing-impaired subjects. A statistical analysis of the difference in critical bandwidth between those predicted by the SPAR test to have a mild-to-moderate hearing loss and those subjects for whom the test predicted severe hearing loss indicated no differences in critical bandwidth at 2000 Hz. A significant difference was found at 1000 Hz but in the wrong direction. Analysis of the relationship between predicted slope of hearing loss and critical bandwidth also failed to show significance. Although the data for hearing-impaired subjects fail to support the rationale for the SPAR test, the results for the entire research sample offer substantial support. Further, the ability of the test to predict categorically degree of hearing loss was also strongly supported.

Masking of Speech in Young and Elderly Listeners With Hearing Loss

1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Souza ◽  
Christopher W. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
Speech Spectrum ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
High Pass

This study examined the contributions of various properties of background noise to the speech recognition difficulties experienced by young and elderly listeners with hearing loss. Three groups of subjects participated: young listeners with normal hearing, young listeners with sensorineural hearing loss, and elderly listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Sensitivity thresholds up to 4000 Hz of the young and elderly groups of listeners with hearing loss were closely matched, and a high-pass masking noise was added to minimize the contributions of high-frequency (above 4000 Hz) thresholds, which were not closely matched. Speech recognition scores for monosyllables were obtained in the high-pass noise alone and in three noise backgrounds. The latter consisted of high-pass noise plus one of three maskers: speechspectrum noise, speech-spectrum noise temporally modulated by the envelope of multi-talker babble, and multi-talker babble. For all conditions, the groups with hearing impairment consistently scored lower than the group with normal hearing. Although there was a trend toward poorer speech-recognition scores as the masker condition more closely resembled the speech babble, the effect of masker condition was not statistically significant. There was no interaction between group and condition, implying that listeners with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss are affected similarly by the type of background noise when the long-term spectrum of the masker is held constant. A significant effect of age was not observed. In addition, masked thresholds for pure tones in the presence of the speech-spectrum masker were not different for the young and elderly listeners with hearing loss. These results suggest that, for both steady-state and modulated background noises, difficulties in speech recognition for monosyllables are due primarily, and perhaps exclusively, to the presence of sensorineural hearing loss itself, and not to age-specific factors.

Older Listeners' Use of Temporal Cues Altered by Compression Amplification

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Souza
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Temporal Information ◽  
Spectral Information ◽  
Temporal Cues ◽  
Age Related

This study compared the ability of younger and older listeners to use temporal information in speech when that information was altered by compression amplification. Recognition of vowel-consonant-vowel syllables was measured for four groups of adult listeners (younger normal hearing, older normal hearing, younger hearing impaired, older hearing impaired). There were four conditions. Syllables were processed with wide-dynamic range compression (WDRC) amplification and with linear amplification. In each of those conditions, recognition was measured for syllables containing only temporal information and for syllables containing spectral and temporal information. Recognition of WDRC-amplified speech provided an estimate of the ability to use altered amplitude envelope cues. Syllables were presented with a high-frequency masker to minimize confounding differences in high-frequency sensitivity between the younger and older groups. Scores were lower for WDRC-amplified speech than for linearly amplified speech, and older listeners performed more poorly than younger listeners. When spectral information was unrestricted, the age-related decrement was similar for both amplification types. When spectral information was restricted for listeners with normal hearing, the age-related decrement was greater for WDRC-amplified speech than for linearly amplified speech. When spectral information was restricted for listeners with hearing loss, the age-related decrement was similar for both amplification types. Clinically, these results imply that when spectral cues are available (i.e., when the listener has adequate spectral resolution) older listeners can use WDRC hearing aids to the same extent as younger listeners. For older listeners without hearing loss, poorer scores for compression-amplified speech suggest an age-related deficit in temporal resolution.

scholarly journals Revealing Traces of Image Resampling and Resampling Antiforensics

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjie Peng ◽  
Yadong Wu ◽  
Xiangui Kang
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Ar Model ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Difference Image ◽  
Art Works ◽  
Vector Machines ◽  
Image Tampering Detection ◽  
The Difference ◽  
High Pass

Image resampling is a common manipulation in image processing. The forensics of resampling plays an important role in image tampering detection, steganography, and steganalysis. In this paper, we proposed an effective and secure detector, which can simultaneously detect resampling and its forged resampling which is attacked by antiforensic schemes. We find that the interpolation operation used in the resampling and forged resampling makes these two kinds of image show different statistical behaviors from the unaltered images, especially in the high frequency domain. To reveal the traces left by the interpolation, we first apply multidirectional high-pass filters on an image and the residual to create multidirectional differences. Then, the difference is fit into an autoregressive (AR) model. Finally, the AR coefficients and normalized histograms of the difference are extracted as the feature. We assemble the feature extracted from each difference image to construct the comprehensive feature and feed it into support vector machines (SVM) to detect resampling and forged resampling. Experiments on a large image database show that the proposed detector is effective and secure. Compared with the state-of-the-art works, the proposed detector achieved significant improvements in the detection of downsampling or resampling under JPEG compression.

Relationship of Auditory Distortion Test Results to Speech Discrimination Through Flat vs. Selective Amplifying Systems

1969 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Thompson ◽  
Frank Lassman
Keyword(s):  
Auditory System ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Discrimination Performance ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Selective Amplification ◽  
Auditory Systems ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
High Pass

Thirty adult subjects with high frequency hearing loss were given speech discrimination tests under conditions of flat and selective amplification. It was hypothesized that performance for the two amplifying conditions is related to amount of distortion in the auditory system as defined by selected clinical tests. An assumption was made that excessively distorted auditory systems are more easily overdriven by high frequency emphasis amplification than auditory systems with less distortion. Therefore, subjects with least distortion were expected to discriminate speech better through a high-pass filtered amplifying system which, within limits, restored frequency-intensity balance. Results indicated slightly better speech discrimination performance for the selective amplifying condition. There was some evidence that the extent of the difference favoring selective amplification may be influenced by the amount of distortion in the auditory system.

Speech Identification Difficulties of Hearing-Impaired Elderly Persons

1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry E. Humes ◽  
Laurel Christopherson
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Identification Score ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
Speech Identification

This study examined the performance of four subject groups on several temporally based measures of auditory processing and several measures of speech identification. The four subject groups were (a) young normal-hearing adults; (b) hearing-impaired elderly subjects ranging in age from 65 to 75 years; (c) hearing-impaired elderly adults ranging in age from 76 to 86 years; and (d) young normal-hearing listeners with hearing loss simulated with a spectrally shaped masking noise adjusted to match the actual hearing loss of the two elderly groups. In addition to between-group analyses of performance on the auditory processing and speech identification tasks, correlational and regression analyses within the two groups of elderly hearing-impaired listeners were performed. The results revealed that the threshold elevation accompanying sensorineural hearing loss was the primary factor affecting the speech identification performance of the hearing-impaired elderly subjects both as groups and as individuals. However, significant increases in the proportion of speech identification score variance accounted for were obtained in the elderly subjects by including various measures of auditory processing.

Actual and Predicted Word-Recognition Performance of Elderly Hearing-Impaired Listeners

1991 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 636-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Schum ◽  
Lois J. Matthews ◽  
Fu-Shing Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Difference Scores ◽  
Index Analysis ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Negative Difference

Word-recognition scores in quiet and in noise were obtained from both ears of 101 elderly listeners demonstrating sensorineural hearing loss. These performance scores were compared to word-recognition scores predicted using Articulation Index analysis procedures Negative difference scores (actual performance less predicted performance) would reflect aspects of the hearing impairment and/or the aging process that extend beyond the simple speech audibility constraints imposed by the hearing loss and masking noise. The distributions for both the left and right ears of difference scores in quiet revealed the majority of scores to be grouped near 0. In contrast, both distributions of difference scores in noise were normally distributed around means of approximately –25. These results suggest that the typical elderly hearing-impaired listener should be expected to demonstrate word-recognition performance in quiet similar to that of a normally hearing listener, given the same level of audibility of the speech material. On the other hand, in noise, this typical listener may be expected to demonstrate some word-recognition performance decrement, even after accounting for the audibility constraints of the hearing loss and noise.

scholarly journals Improved Sensitivity of Digits-in-Noise Test to High-Frequency Hearing Loss

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Motlagh Zadeh ◽  
Noah Silbert ◽  
De Wet Swanepoel ◽  
David R Moore
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Pass Filter ◽  
Low Pass Filter ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
Speech Reception Thresholds ◽  
Filtered Noise

Objectives: Hearing loss is most commonly observed at high frequencies. High-frequency hearing loss (HFHL) precedes and predicts hearing loss at lower frequencies. It was previously shown that an automated, self-administered digits-in-noise (DIN) test can be sensitized for detection of HFHL by low-pass filtering the speech-shaped masking noise at 1.5 kHz. This study was designed to investigate whether sensitivity of the DIN to HFHL can be enhanced further using low-pass noise filters with higher cutoff frequencies. Design: US-English digits 0-9, homogenized for audibility, were binaurally presented in different noise maskers including one broadband and three low-pass (cut-off at 2, 4, 8 kHz) filtered speech-shaped noises. DIN-Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were obtained from 60 normal hearing (NH), and 40 mildly hearing impaired (HI) listeners with bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing-loss. Standard and extended high frequency audiometric pure tone averages (PTAs) were compared with the DIN-SRTs. Results: Narrower masking noise bandwidth generally produced better (more sensitive) mean DIN-SRTs. There were strong and significant correlations between SRT and PTA in the HI group. Lower frequency, PTALF 0.5,1, 2, 4 kHz had the highest correlation and steepest slope with SRTs obtained from the 2 kHz filter. Higher frequency, PTAHF 4,8,10,12.5 kHz correlated best with SRTs obtained from 4 and 8 kHz filtered noise. The 4 kHz low-pass filter also had the highest sensitivity (92%) and equally-highest (with the 8 kHz filter) specificity (90%) for detecting an average PTAHF of 20 dB or more. Conclusions: Of the filters used, DIN sensitivity to higher frequency hearing loss was greatest using the 4 kHz low-pass filter. These results suggest that low-pass filtered noise may be usefully substituted for broadband noise to improve earlier detection of HFHL using DIN.

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