Speech understanding in everyday life: the role of masking release, binaural unmasking, and linguistic proficiency

Authors

  • S. Theo Goverts ENT-Audiology and EMGO+ institute, VU University Medical Center, P.0. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Joost M. Festen ENT-Audiology and EMGO+ institute, VU University Medical Center, P.0. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Tammo Houtgast ENT-Audiology and EMGO+ institute, VU University Medical Center, P.0. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract

Hearing-impaired subjects experience major problems understanding speech in everyday adverse conditions. In these conditions normal-hearing listeners have substantial benefit from masking release due to fluctuations in the noise-masker, binaural unmasking, and linguistic pro ciency. In the present study these effects are investigated in normal-hearing listeners in a combined condition, which is relevant for everyday life. Masking release and binaural unmasking are found to be sub-additive, masking release and linguistic proficiency are super-additive. Binaural unmasking and linguistic pro ciency are independent.

References

Bronkhorst, A. W., and Plomp, R. (1990). “A clinical test for the assessment of binaural speech perception in noise,” Audiology 29, 275-285.

George, E. L. J., Zekveld, A. A., Kramer, S. E., Goverts, S. T., Festen, J. M., and Houtgast, T. (2007). “Auditory and non-auditory factors affecting speech reception in noise by older listeners,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121, 2362-2375.

Goverts, S. T., Delreux, M., Festen, J. M., and Houtgast, T. (2007). “The in uence of masker type on the binaural intelligibility level difference,” in Hearing, from sensory processing to perception, edited by B. Kollmeier et al. (Springer Berlin Heidelberg).

Goverts, S. T., and Hougast, T. (2009). “The BILD of hearing-impaired subjects - the role of suprathreshold coding,” submitted to J. Acoust. Soc. Am.

Johansson, M. S. K., and Arlinger, S. D. (2002). “Binaural masking level difference for speech signals in noise,” Audiology 41, 279-284.

Plomp, R., and Mimpen, A. M. (1979). “Improving the reliability of testing the speech reception threshold for sentences,” Audiology 18, 43-52.

Stenfelt, S., and Rönnberg, J. (2009). “The Signal-Cognition interface: interactions between degraded auditory signals and cognitive processes,” Scand J Psychol. 50, 385-393.

Versfeld, N. J., Daalder, L., Festen, J. M. and Houtgast, T. (2000). “Method for the selection of sentence materials for ef cient measurement of the speech reception threshold,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 106, 1671-1684.

van Wijngaarden, S. J., Steeneken, H. J. M., and Houtgast, T. (2002) “Quantifying the intelligibility of speech in noise for non-native listeners,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 1906-1916.

Additional Files

Published

2009-12-15

How to Cite

Goverts, S. T., Festen, J. M., & Houtgast, T. (2009). Speech understanding in everyday life: the role of masking release, binaural unmasking, and linguistic proficiency. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 2, 299–304. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2009-30

Issue

Section

2009/3. Speech processing and perception under adverse conditions