scholarly journals Effects of Stimulus Variability on Speech Perception in Listeners With Hearing Impairment

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1395-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Iler Kirk ◽  
David B. Pisoni ◽  
R. Christopher Miyamoto
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Stimulus Variability

Traditional word-recognition tests typically use phonetically balanced (PB) word lists produced by one talker at one speaking rate. Intelligibility measures based on these tests may not adequately evaluate the perceptual processes used to perceive speech under more natural listening conditions involving many sources of stimulus variability. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of stimulus variability and lexical difficulty on the speech-perception abilities of 17 adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. The effects of stimulus variability were studied by comparing word-identification performance in single-talker versus multipletalker conditions and at different speaking rates. Lexical difficulty was assessed by comparing recognition of "easy" words (i.e., words that occur frequently and have few phonemically similar neighbors) with "hard" words (i.e., words that occur infrequently and have many similar neighbors). Subjects also completed a 20-item questionnaire to rate their speech understanding abilities in daily listening situations. Both sources of stimulus variability produced significant effects on speech intelligibility. Identification scores were poorer in the multiple-talker condition than in the single-talker condition, and word-recognition performance decreased as speaking rate increased. Lexical effects on speech intelligibility were also observed. Word-recognition performance was significantly higher for lexically easy words than lexically hard words. Finally, word-recognition performance was correlated with scores on the self-report questionnaire rating speech understanding under natural listening conditions. The pattern of results suggest that perceptually robust speech-discrimination tests are able to assess several underlying aspects of speech perception in the laboratory and clinic that appear to generalize to conditions encountered in natural listening situations where the listener is faced with many different sources of stimulus variability. That is, wordrecognition performance measured under conditions where the talker varied from trial to trial was better correlated with self-reports of listening ability than was performance in a single-talker condition where variability was constrained.

Assessment and Outcome in Non-Traditional Cochlear Implant Candidates

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 383-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Heywood ◽  
Deborah A. Vickers ◽  
Francesca Pinto ◽  
George Fereos ◽  
Azhar Shaida
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Predictive Factors ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Patient Expectations ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Profound Deafness ◽  
The Mean

The objectives of this study were to assess: (i) patient expectations met as a measure of outcome in early-deafened, late-implanted (non-traditional) cochlear implant recipients and (ii) pre-implantation predictive factors for postoperative speech perception. The notes of 13 recipients were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age at onset of profound deafness was 1.5 years (range 0-6). The mean age at implantation was 37 years (range 22-51 years). Patient expectations were assessed pre-operatively and 1 year after implantation. They were met or exceeded in 129/140 (92%) domains overall. A higher Speech Intelligibility Rating and audiovisual City University of New York sentence score before implantation were found to be positive predictive factors for improved speech discrimination after cochlear implantation.

scholarly journals Extended high-frequency hearing enhances speech perception in noise

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (47) ◽  
pp. 23753-23759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Motlagh Zadeh ◽  
Noah H. Silbert ◽  
Katherine Sternasty ◽  
De Wet Swanepoel ◽  
Lisa L. Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Cutoff Frequency ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Speech Perception In Noise ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Speech In Noise

Young healthy adults can hear tones up to at least 20 kHz. However, clinical audiometry, by which hearing loss is diagnosed, is limited at high frequencies to 8 kHz. Evidence suggests there is salient information at extended high frequencies (EHFs; 8 to 20 kHz) that may influence speech intelligibility, but whether that information is used in challenging listening conditions remains unknown. Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments is the most common concern people have about their hearing and usually the first sign of age-related hearing loss. Digits-in-noise (DIN), a widely used test of speech-in-noise perception, can be sensitized for detection of high-frequency hearing loss by low-pass filtering the broadband masking noise. Here, we used standard and EHF audiometry, self-report, and successively higher cutoff frequency filters (2 to 8 kHz) in a DIN test to investigate contributions of higher-frequency hearing to speech-in-noise perception. Three surprising results were found. First, 74 of 116 “normally hearing,” mostly younger adults had some hearing loss at frequencies above 8 kHz. Early EHF hearing loss may thus be an easily measured, preventive warning to protect hearing. Second, EHF hearing loss correlated with self-reported difficulty hearing in noise. Finally, even with the broadest filtered noise (≤8 kHz), DIN hearing thresholds were significantly better (P < 0.0001) than those using broadband noise. Sound energy above 8 kHz thus contributes to speech perception in noise. People with “normal hearing” frequently report difficulty hearing in challenging environments. Our results suggest that one contribution to this difficulty is EHF hearing loss.

Interaction, function words, and the wider goals of speech perception

2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-346
Author(s):  
Richard Shillcock
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Auditory Hallucination ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Interaction Function

We urge caution in generalising from content words to function words, in which lexical-to-phonemic feedback might be more likely. Speech perception involves more than word recognition; feedback might be outside the narrow logic of word identification but still be present for other purposes. Finally, we raise the issue of evidence from imaging studies of auditory hallucination.

scholarly journals Preimplant Hearing Aid Fittings and Aided Audibility for Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (08) ◽  
pp. 703-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa Nickerson ◽  
Lisa S. Davidson ◽  
Rosalie M. Uchanski
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mean Deviation ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAudibility of speech for children with hearing loss (HL) depends on the degree of HL and the fitting of the hearing aids (HAs) themselves. Many studies on cochlear implant (CI) users have demonstrated that preimplant hearing is associated with postimplant outcomes, but there have been very few reports on the fitting of HAs before surgery.The aims of this study were to characterize HA fittings and aided audibility of speech for pediatric HA users with severe to profound HL and to examine the relation between preimplant aided audibility and postimplant speech perception.A descriptive/observational and correlational study. Audiologic records of pediatric CI participants involved in a larger study examining the effects of early acoustic hearing were analyzed retrospectively; when available, these records included HA verification and speech recognition performance.The CI participants were enrolled in audiology centers and oral schools for the deaf across the United States.To determine whether deviations from prescribed DSL target were significantly greater than zero, 95% confidence intervals of the mean deviation were calculated for each frequency (250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz). Correlational analyses were used to examine the relationship between preimplant aided Speech Intelligibility Indices (SIIs) and postimplant speech perception in noise. Correlational analyses were also used to explore the relationship between preimplant aided SIIs and demographic data. T-tests were used to compare preimplant-aided SIIs of HAs of listeners who later became users of either sequential CIs, simultaneous CIs, or bimodal devices.Preimplant fittings of HAs were generally very close to prescriptive targets, except at 4000 Hz for those HAs with active frequency-lowering processing, and preimplant SIIs, albeit low, were correlated with postimplant speech recognition performance in noise. These results suggest that aided audibility should be maximized throughout the HA trial for later speech recognition purposes.It is recommended that HA fittings be optimized to support speech audibility even when considering implantation. In addition to the age at which HA use begins, the aided audibility itself is important in determining CI candidacy and decisions regarding bimodal HA use.

scholarly journals Frequency and Temporal Resolution in Elderly Listeners With Good and Poor Word Recognition

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Phillips ◽  
Sandra Gordon-Salant ◽  
Peter J. Fitzgibbons ◽  
Grace Yeni-Komshian
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Spectral Resolution ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Frequency Resolution ◽  
Critical Ratio ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Complex Signals

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.

Effects of Time Gating and Word Length on Isolated Word-Recognition Performance

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 808-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chie H. Craig ◽  
Byoung W. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Word Length ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Confidence Measures ◽  
Word Duration ◽  
Isolated Word ◽  
Time Gating ◽  
Isolated Word Recognition

This study examined the effects of forward time gating and word length on monosyllabic isolated word-recognition performance. Fifty (60-ms) time-gated words were developed from a pre-recorded version (Auditec of St. Louis) of the Northwestern Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6) List 1, Form A. A total of 358 time-gated items were presented monaurally at 80 db SPL, and time-gated word identification, isolation point, acceptance point, and listener confidence measures were obtained from 20 normally hearing listeners. A comparison of conventional nontime-gated word-recognition scores obtained using the NU-6 List 4, Form C with the time-gated measures revealed that, even upon word offset, listeners recognized time-gated words less frequently and with less confidence. The time-gated findings also demonstrated that word length, based on word duration from onset to offset, significantly influenced real-time recognition performance.

The Contribution of a Frequency-Compression Hearing Aid to Contralateral Cochlear Implant Performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 105-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Perreau ◽  
Ruth A. Bentler ◽  
Richard S. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Vowel Perception ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Background: Frequency-lowering signal processing in hearing aids has re-emerged as an option to improve audibility of the high frequencies by expanding the input bandwidth. Few studies have investigated the usefulness of the scheme as an option for bimodal users (i.e., combined use of a cochlear implant and a contralateral hearing aid). In this study, that question was posed. Purpose: The purposes of this study were (1) to determine if frequency compression was a better bimodal option than conventional amplification and (2) to determine the impact of a frequency-compression hearing aid on speech recognition abilities. Research Design: There were two separate experiments in this study. The first experiment investigated the contribution of a frequency-compression hearing aid to contralateral cochlear implant (CI) performance for localization and speech perception in noise. The second experiment assessed monaural consonant and vowel perception in quiet using the frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid without the use of a contralateral CI or hearing aid. Study Sample: Ten subjects fitted with a cochlear implant and hearing aid participated in the first experiment. Seventeen adult subjects with a cochlear implant and hearing aid or two hearing aids participated in the second experiment. To be included, subjects had to have a history of postlingual deafness, a moderate or moderate-to-severe hearing loss, and have not worn this type of frequency-lowering hearing aid previously. Data Collection and Analysis: In the first experiment, performance using the frequency-compression and conventional hearing aids was assessed on tests of sound localization, speech perception in a background of noise, and two self-report questionnaires. In the second experiment, consonant and vowel perception in quiet was assessed monaurally for the two conditions. In both experiments, subjects alternated daily between a frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid for 2 mo. The parameters of frequency compression were set individually for each subject, and audibility was measured for the frequency compression and conventional hearing aid programs by comparing estimations of the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) using a modified algorithm (Bentler et al, 2011). In both experiments, the outcome measures were administered following the hearing aid fitting to assess performance at baseline and after 2 mo of use. Results: For this group of subjects, the results revealed no significant difference between the frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid on tests of localization and consonant recognition. Spondee-in-noise and vowel perception scores were significantly higher with the conventional hearing aid compared to the frequency-compression hearing aid after 2 mo of use. Conclusions: These results suggest that, for the subjects in this study, frequency compression is not a better bimodal option than conventional amplification. In addition, speech perception may be negatively influenced by frequency compression because formant frequencies are too severely compressed and can no longer be distinguished.

scholarly journals Spoken word recognition in listeners with mild dementia symptoms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Sue McClannahan ◽  
Amelia Mainardi ◽  
Austin Luor ◽  
Yi-Fang Chiu ◽  
Mitchell S. Sommers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Spoken Word Recognition ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Mild Dementia ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundDifficulty understanding speech is a common complaint of older adults. In quiet, speech perception is often assumed to be relatively automatic. In background noise, however, higher-level cognitive processes play a more substantial role in successful communication. Cognitive resources are often limited in adults with dementia, which may therefore hamper word recognition. ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to determine the impact of mild dementia on spoken word recognition in quiet and noise.MethodsParticipants were adults aged 53–86 years with (n=16) or without (n=32) dementia symptoms as classified by a clinical dementia rating scale. Participants performed a word identification task with two levels of neighborhood density in quiet and in speech shaped noise at two signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), +6 dB and +3 dB. Our hypothesis was that listeners with mild dementia would have more difficulty with speech perception in noise under conditions that tax cognitive resources. ResultsListeners with mild dementia had poorer speech perception accuracy in both quiet and noise, which held after accounting for differences in age and hearing level. Notably, even in quiet, adults with dementia symptoms correctly identified words only about 80% of the time. However, phonological neighborhood density was not a factor in the identification task performance for either group.ConclusionThese results affirm the difficulty that listeners with mild dementia have with spoken word recognition, both in quiet and in background noise, consistent with a key role of cognitive resources in spoken word identification. However, the impact of neighborhood density in these listeners is less clear.

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