Data-driven approach for auditory profiling

Authors

  • Raul Sanchez Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Federica Bianchi Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Michal Feręczkowski Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Sébastien Santurette Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery & Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Torsten Dau Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Keywords:

hearing loss, hearing aids, auditory profiling

Abstract

Nowadays, the pure-tone audiogram is the main tool used to characterize hearing loss and to fit hearing aids. However, the perceptual consequences of hearing loss are typically not only associated with a loss of sensitivity, but also with a clarity loss that is not captured by the audiogram. A detailed characterization of hearing loss has to be simplified to efficiently explore the specific compensation needs of the individual listener. We hypothesized that any listener's hearing can be characterized along two dimensions of distortion: type I and type II. While type I can be linked to factors affecting audibility, type II reflects non-audibility-related distortions. To test our hypothesis, the individual performance data from two previous studies were re-analyzed using an archetypal analysis. Unsupervised learning was used to identify extreme patterns in the data which form the basis for different auditory profiles. Next, a decision tree was determined to classify the listeners into one of the profiles. The new analysis provides evidence for the existence of four profiles in the data. The most significant predictors for profile identification were related to binaural processing, auditory non-linearity and speech-in-noise perception. The current approach is promising for analyzing other existing data sets in order to select the most relevant tests for auditory profiling.

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Additional Files

Published

2017-12-12

How to Cite

Sanchez, R., Bianchi, F., Feręczkowski, M., Santurette, S., & Dau, T. (2017). Data-driven approach for auditory profiling. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 6, 247–254. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2017-30

Issue

Section

2017/4. Assessment of specific auditory functions and hearing ability