The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. The hypotheses are that spatial perception and speech intelligibility will be improved by (1) increased high-frequency audibility, (2) speech envelope enhancement, and/or (3) appropriate sound image externalization.
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. Aim 1 will investigate how well different amplification strategies provide access to the spectrotemporally sparse speech information that is available in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that subtle differences in high-frequency audibility across different strategies may have much greater effects on the intelligibility of sparse speech than intact speech. This Aim will involve 40 subjects with hearing loss across 2 experiments. Aim 2 is an exploratory aim that will investigate the potential of a speech enhancement algorithm to improve spatial hearing in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that speech enhancement, in addition to its established monaural benefits, will enhance the salience of interaural time differences and thus provide binaural benefits in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments. Aim 3 will investigate how different hearing-aid styles affect sound externalization. The hypothesis is that hearing aids can disrupt sound externalization, which in turn impacts speech intelligibility in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments. This is a prospective design involving adult human subjects. While the investigators will recruit subjects with normal and impaired hearing, all subjects will be assigned to the same set of experimental conditions. Therefore, for the purposes of intervention (or prospective assignment), the subjects can be treated as a single group completing the same intervention (or set of interventions). The behavioral experiments involve listening to speech sounds (either unaided, with hearing aids, or with simulated hearing aids), and providing responses related to spatial perception or speech intelligibility. The order of experimental conditions will be randomized for each subject in order to control for order effects. All of the experimental tasks and outcome measures have been previously established, have good reliability and validity, and will be appropriate for informing future studies.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
220
The intervention will be a hearing aid or a modification to the sound stimulus that simulates a hearing aid configuration, style, or processing strategy.
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
RECRUITINGSpeech intelligibility at baseline
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Time frame: Baseline
Speech intelligibility post-intervention
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Speech reception threshold at baseline
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Time frame: Baseline
Speech reception threshold post-intervention
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Interaural time difference discrimination at baseline
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
Time frame: Baseline
Interaural time difference discrimination post-intervention
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
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Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Externalization rating at baseline
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Time frame: Baseline
Externalization rating post-intervention
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Time frame: Up to 4 hours