Spatial unmasking in aided hearing-impaired listeners and the need for training

Authors

  • Tobias Neher Oticon A/S, Research Centre Eriksholm, Kongevejen 243, 3070 Snekkersten, Denmark
  • Thomas Behrens Oticon A/S, Research Centre Eriksholm, Kongevejen 243, 3070 Snekkersten, Denmark
  • Louise Kragelund Oticon A/S, Research Centre Eriksholm, Kongevejen 243, 3070 Snekkersten, Denmark
  • Anne Specht Petersen Oticon A/S, Research Centre Eriksholm, Kongevejen 243, 3070 Snekkersten, Denmark

Abstract

Even though spatial unmasking (SU) in hearing-impaired subjects has been the subject of a number of studies, very little research seems to have been carried out under aided conditions, especially not for more complex speech-on-speech masking situations. As part of an earlier pilot study into aided SU, a group of test subjects were found to exhibit substantial training effects across different visits, despite some initial training. A new training program was therefore designed based on some ndings from the perceptual learning and training literature. Nine elderly hearing-aid users with mild-to-moderate, sloping hearing losses were systematically trained in a speech-on-speech SU task. All subjects were bilaterally tted and only tested with their own hearing aids. Using a new speech corpus suitable for speech-on-speech SU assessment, performance was then determined at two subsequent visits. Whilst there were substantial differences between test subjects, half of them showed SU as large as 10 dB. Moreover, performance across the two visits was found to be much more stable. These results hint at the need for thorough training when elderly hearing-aid users are to be tested under complex listening conditions.

References

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Additional Files

Published

2007-12-15

How to Cite

Neher, T., Behrens, T., Kragelund, L., & Petersen, A. S. (2007). Spatial unmasking in aided hearing-impaired listeners and the need for training. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 1, 515–522. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2007-51

Issue

Vol. 1 (2007): Auditory Signal Processing in Hearing Impaired Listeners

Section

2007/6. Hearing-aid evaluation and optimization

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