Researchers are doing this study to understand why hearing aids often work well in controlled laboratory settings but don't provide the same level of benefit in everyday noisy environments. The questions they hope to answer are: * What factors contribute to hearing aid benefit in noisy environments * What factors limit hearing aid benefit * How do real-world factors interact with common hearing aid settings Participants will complete: * Hearing and listening tests * Memory and attention assessment * Surveys on their Smartphone
This is study investigates how hearing aid signal processing algorithms and environmental factors in listening situations interact to affect listening outcomes. A crossover design is used to assess speech perception, listening effort, and user satisfaction across diverse acoustic contexts.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
45
Participants will use study-provided hearing aids for 15 minutes, 7-10 times for a week.
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on speech perception
Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate perception from 0% (understood nothing) to 100% (understood everything). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.
Time frame: 1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening effort
Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how hard they had to work to understand what was said from 0% (no effort) to 100% (extremely hard). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.
Time frame: 1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening comfort
Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how comfortable it was to listen from 0% (very comfortable) to 100% (very uncomfortable). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.
Time frame: 1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound quality
Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate the sound quality from 0% (very poor) to 100% (excellent). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.
Time frame: 1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound location
Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how easy it was to tell where the sound was coming from, from 0% (could not tell) to 100% (very easy). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.
Time frame: 1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid algorithms based on location
Participants will complete the same survey questions for all three algorithms. Participants will select which option best describes the environment they are in when completing the hearing survey.
Time frame: 1 week
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