Effect of Musical Training on Temporal Resolution and Temporal Fine Structure Processing

Background and Aim: Many aspects and features of auditory system can be improved by musical training. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a stringed musical instrument playing course on temporal resolution and temporal fine structure (TFS) processing. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 44 normal-hearing adults aged 20–40 years divided to two groups. The first group included 22 stringed musical instruments players (13 males) with at least three years of experience, and the second group were 22 non- players (13 males). The random gap detection test (RGDT) was used to measure temporal resolution aspect of hearing. For TFS processing, latest version of temporal fine structure-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF) test was used. Results: The TFS-AF results showed no statistically significant difference between groups in different interaural phase differences (IPDs). The RGDT results showed significant differences between groups at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz, but not at 4000 Hz. Spearman correlation test results showed no statistically significant correlation between the results of TFS-AF and RGDT. Conclusion: Musical training has no effect on TFS processing but considerably enhances gap detection ability. Their underlying mechanisms for TFS processing and gap detection are different.

Verification of a Mobile Psychoacoustic Test System

Many hearing difficulties can be explained as a loss of audibility, a problem easily detected and treated using standard audiological procedures. Yet, hearing can be much poorer (or more impaired) than audibility predicts because of deficits in the suprathreshold mechanisms that encode the rapidly changing, spectral, temporal, and binaural aspects of the sound. The ability to evaluate these mechanisms requires well-defined stimuli and strict adherence to rigorous psychometric principles. This project reports on the comparison between a laboratory-based and a mobile system’s results for psychoacoustic assessment in adult listeners with normal hearing. A description of both systems employed is provided. Psychoacoustic tests include frequency discrimination, amplitude modulation detection, binaural encoding, and temporal gap detection. Results reported by the mobile system were not significantly different from those collected with the laboratory-based system for most of the tests and were consistent with those reported in the literature. The mobile system has the potential to be a feasible option for the assessment of suprathreshold auditory encoding abilities.

Ramp Metering with Microscopic Gap Detection Algorithm Design and Empirical Acceleration Verification

Freeway on-ramp areas are susceptible to traffic congestion during peak hours. To delay or prevent the onset of congestion, ramp metering can be applied. A Ramp Metering Installation (RMI) controls the inflow from the on-ramp to the main line so that the total flow can be kept just below capacity. Current ramp metering algorithms apply macroscopic traffic characteristics, which do not entirely prevent inefficient merging behavior from occurring. This paper presents a microscopic ramp metering approach based on gap detection in the right-hand lane of the main line. As preparation for the analyses, trajectory data were collected, by which the mean and standard deviation of driver accelerations were calculated. Simulation, including driver acceleration, is used to test the ramp metering controller. Overall, it shows travel-time savings compared with no-control and compared with existing macroscopic ramp metering systems. Especially during periods of very high main line demand, the microscopic control approach is able to achieve additional travel-time savings. This way, the proposed algorithm can contribute to more efficient road usage and shorter travel times.

Auditory processing in normally hearing individuals with and without tinnitus: assessment with four psychoacoustic tests

Purpose In most cases, tinnitus co-exists with hearing loss, suggesting that poorer speech understanding is simply due to a lack of acoustic information reaching the central nervous system (CNS). However, it also happens that patients with tinnitus who have normal hearing also report problems with speech understanding, and it is possible to suppose that tinnitus is to blame for difficulties in perceptual processing of auditory information. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the auditory processing abilities of normally hearing subjects with and without tinnitus. Methods The study group comprised 97 adults, 54 of whom had normal hearing and chronic tinnitus (the study group) and 43 who had normal hearing and no tinnitus (the control group). The audiological assessment comprised pure-tone audiometry and high-frequency pure-tone audiometry, impedance audiometry, and distortion product oto-acoustic emission assessment. To evaluate possible auditory processing deficits, the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Duration Pattern Test (DPT), Dichotic Listening Test (DLT), and Gap Detection Threshold (GDT) tests were performed. Results The tinnitus subjects had significantly lower scores than the controls in the gap detection test (p < 0.01) and in the dichotic listening test (p < 0.001), but only for the right ear. The results for both groups were similar in the temporal ordering tests (FPT and DPT). Right-ear advantage (REA) was found for the controls, but not for the tinnitus subjects. Conclusion In normally hearing patients, the presence of tinnitus may be accompanied with auditory processing difficulties.

Investigating the Role of Auditory Processing Abilities in Long-Term Self-Reported Hearing Aid Outcomes among Adults Age 60+ Years

Background Self-reported hearing aid outcomes among older adults are variable and important to improve. The extent of the role of auditory processing in long-term hearing aid outcomes is not well understood. Purpose To determine how auditory processing abilities are related to self-reported hearing aid satisfaction and benefit along with either aided audibility alone or exploratory factors suggested by previous literature. Research Design Descriptive analyses and multiple regression analyses of cross-sectional self-reported outcomes. Study Sample Adult participants, >60 years (n = 78), fitted with bilateral hearing aids to treat symmetric, mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Data Collection and Analysis Participants were recruited from a single audiology clinic to complete a series of questionnaires, behavioral assessments, and obtain data from their hearing aids, including real ear measures and data logging of hearing aid use. Multiple linear regressions were used to determine the amount of variance explained by predictive factors in self-reported hearing aid satisfaction and benefit. The primary predictive factors included gap detection threshold, spatial advantage score, dichotic difference score, and aided audibility. Exploratory factors included personality, self-efficacy, self-report of disability, and hearing aid use. All interpretations of statistical significance used p < 0.05. Effect sizes were determined using Cohen's f 2 with a medium effect suggesting clinical relevance. Results Gap detection threshold was a statistically significant predictor in both primary regression models with a medium effect size for satisfaction and a small effect size for benefit. When additional exploratory factors were included in the regression models with auditory processing abilities, gap detection and self-efficacy were both significant predictors of hearing aid satisfaction with medium effect sizes, explaining 10 and 17% of the variance, respectively. There were no medium effect sizes found for other predictor variables in either the primary or exploratory hearing aid benefit models. Additional factors were statistically significant in the models, explaining a small amount of variance, but did not meet the medium effect size criterion. Conclusion This study provides initial evidence supporting the incorporation of measures of gap detection ability and hearing aid self-efficacy into clinical practice for the interpretation of postfitting long-term hearing aid satisfaction.

Auditory Temporal Processing in Dancers

While many studies have examined the auditory abilities of musicians, this study uniquely asks whether dance training, a similar yet understudied type of early-life training, also benefits auditory abilities. We focused this investigation on temporal resolution, given the importance of subtle temporal cues in synchronizing movement. We found that, compared to untrained controls, novice adult dancers who have trained continuously since childhood had enhanced temporal resolution, measured with a gap detection task. In an analysis involving current and former dancers, total years of training was a significant predictor of temporal resolution thresholds. The association between dance experience and improved auditory skills has implications for current theories of experience-dependent auditory plasticity and the design of sound-based educational and rehabilitation activities.