Controlling signal-to-noise ratio effects in the measurement of speech intelligibility in fluctuating maskers
Resumé
The measurement of speech intelligibility in noise is often complicated by floor and ceiling effects. Because of this, adaptive methods are often used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for a fixed performance level. Unfortunately, such methods relinquish control of the test SNR, confounding data interpretation when the effect of interest is SNRdependent. For example, the intelligibility improvement afforded by glimpsing the target speech during brief dips in the level of a fluctuating masker is highly SNR-dependent. Thus, comparisons of performance in stationary and fluctuating maskers are susceptible to SNR confounds. Various methods of controlling SNR differences in the measurement of speech intelligibility are discussed, including the development and validation of a standardized intelligibility testing procedure that uses a variable response set size to control SNR differences. The application of these techniques to studies of hearing loss or simulated hearing loss demonstrate that impaired listeners may retain the ability to listen in the dips of a fluctuating masker to a much greater extent than previously thought.Referencer
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Bernstein, J. G. W., and Brungart, D. S. (2011). "Effects of spectral smearing and temporal fine-structure distortion on the fluctuating-masker benefit for speech at a fixed signal-to-noise ratio" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 473-488.
Ching, T. Y. C., Dillon, H., Katsch, R., and Byrne, D. (2001). "Maximizing effective audibility in hearing aid fitting" Ear Hear. 22, 212-224.
Festen, J. M., and Plomp, R. (1990). "Effects of fluctuating noise and interfering speech on the speech-reception threshold for impaired and normal hearing" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 88, 1725-1736.
Fousek, P., Svojanovsky, P., Grezl, F., and Hermansky, H. (2004). "New nonsense syllables database ― analyses and preliminary ASR experiments" Proceedings ICSLP 2004, Jeju, South Korea.
Gnansia, D., Pean, V., Meyer, B., and Lorenzi, C. (2009). "Effects of spectral smearing and temporal fine structure degradation on speech masking release" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 4023-4033.
Hopkins, K., and Moore, B. C. J. (2009). "The contribution of temporal fine structure to the intelligibility of speech in steady and modulated noise" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 442-446.
Hopkins, K., Moore, B. C. J., and Stone, M. A. (2008). "Effects of moderate cochlear hearing loss on the ability to benefit from temporal fine structure information in speech" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 123, 1140-1153.
Miller, G. A., and Licklider, J. C. R. (1950). "The intelligibility of interrupted speech," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 22, 167-173.
Miller, G. A., Heise, G. A., and Lichten, W. (1951). "The intelligibility of speech as a function of the context of the test materials" J. Exp. Psych. 41, 329-335.
Oxenham, A. J., and Simonson, A. M. (2009). "Masking release for low- and highpass-filtered speech in the presence of noise and single-talker interference" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 457-468.
Plomp, R. (1986). "A signal-to-noise ratio model for the speech-reception threshold of the hearing impaired" J. Speech Hear. Res. 29, 146-154.
Qin, M. K., and Oxenham, A. J. (2003). "Effects of simulated cochlear-implant processing on speech reception in fluctuating maskers" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114, 446-454.
Rhebergen, K. S., Versfeld, N. J., and Dreschler, W. A. (2006). "Extended speech intelligibility index for the prediction of the speech reception threshhold in fluctuating noise" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 3988-3997.
Shannon, R. V., Zeng, F. G., Kamath, V., Wygonski, J., and Ekelid, M. (1995). "Speech recognition with primarily temporal cues" Science 270, 303-304.
ter Keurs, M., Festen, J. M., and Plomp, R. (1993). "Effect of spectral envelope smearing on speech reception. II" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 1547-1552.
Vestergaard, M. D., Fyson, N. R. C., and Patterson, R. D. (2009). "The interaction of vocal characteristics and audibility in the recognition of concurrent syllables" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 1114-1124.
Baer, T., and Moore, B. C. J. (1994). "Effects of spectral smearing on the intelligibility of sentences in the presence of interfering speech" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 2277-2280.
Bernstein, J. G. W., and Grant, K. W. (2009). "Auditory and auditory-visual speech intelligibility in fluctuating maskers for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 3358-3372.
Bernstein, J. G. W., and Brungart, D. S. (2011). "Effects of spectral smearing and temporal fine-structure distortion on the fluctuating-masker benefit for speech at a fixed signal-to-noise ratio" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 473-488.
Ching, T. Y. C., Dillon, H., Katsch, R., and Byrne, D. (2001). "Maximizing effective audibility in hearing aid fitting" Ear Hear. 22, 212-224.
Festen, J. M., and Plomp, R. (1990). "Effects of fluctuating noise and interfering speech on the speech-reception threshold for impaired and normal hearing" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 88, 1725-1736.
Fousek, P., Svojanovsky, P., Grezl, F., and Hermansky, H. (2004). "New nonsense syllables database ― analyses and preliminary ASR experiments" Proceedings ICSLP 2004, Jeju, South Korea.
Gnansia, D., Pean, V., Meyer, B., and Lorenzi, C. (2009). "Effects of spectral smearing and temporal fine structure degradation on speech masking release" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 4023-4033.
Hopkins, K., and Moore, B. C. J. (2009). "The contribution of temporal fine structure to the intelligibility of speech in steady and modulated noise" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 442-446.
Hopkins, K., Moore, B. C. J., and Stone, M. A. (2008). "Effects of moderate cochlear hearing loss on the ability to benefit from temporal fine structure information in speech" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 123, 1140-1153.
Miller, G. A., and Licklider, J. C. R. (1950). "The intelligibility of interrupted speech," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 22, 167-173.
Miller, G. A., Heise, G. A., and Lichten, W. (1951). "The intelligibility of speech as a function of the context of the test materials" J. Exp. Psych. 41, 329-335.
Oxenham, A. J., and Simonson, A. M. (2009). "Masking release for low- and highpass-filtered speech in the presence of noise and single-talker interference" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 457-468.
Plomp, R. (1986). "A signal-to-noise ratio model for the speech-reception threshold of the hearing impaired" J. Speech Hear. Res. 29, 146-154.
Qin, M. K., and Oxenham, A. J. (2003). "Effects of simulated cochlear-implant processing on speech reception in fluctuating maskers" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114, 446-454.
Rhebergen, K. S., Versfeld, N. J., and Dreschler, W. A. (2006). "Extended speech intelligibility index for the prediction of the speech reception threshhold in fluctuating noise" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 3988-3997.
Shannon, R. V., Zeng, F. G., Kamath, V., Wygonski, J., and Ekelid, M. (1995). "Speech recognition with primarily temporal cues" Science 270, 303-304.
ter Keurs, M., Festen, J. M., and Plomp, R. (1993). "Effect of spectral envelope smearing on speech reception. II" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 1547-1552.
Vestergaard, M. D., Fyson, N. R. C., and Patterson, R. D. (2009). "The interaction of vocal characteristics and audibility in the recognition of concurrent syllables" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 1114-1124.
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2011-12-15
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Bernstein, J. G. W. (2011). Controlling signal-to-noise ratio effects in the measurement of speech intelligibility in fluctuating maskers. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 3, 33–44. Hentet fra https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2011-04
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2011/1. Indicators of hearing impairment and measures of speech perception
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