WDRC processing uses rapid, automatic gain adjustment to place more speech cues within the listener's audible range. Most hearing aids (> 80%) now offer WDRC, so over time this technology will be provided to most of the 6.2 million hearing aid wearers in the United States. However, WDRC processing does not always improve speech recognition over conventional amplification, perhaps because of distortions to the temporal properties of the speech signal. We are particularly interested in listeners with severe loss, who because of broader auditory filters may depend more heavily on temporal cues for recognition. Severely impaired listeners cannot communicate without acceptable amplification, so it is important not to distort usable information. Therefore, the long-term objectives of this project are to describe the effects of wide-dynamic range compression (WDRC) amplification on temporal cues for speech recognition and to assess the consequences of those changes for listeners with severe sensorineural hearing loss. The first Specific Aim is to compare speech recognition scores for WDRC versus linear amplification in a cohort of listeners with severe sensorineural hearing loss. Subjects will be fit with a master hearing aid using accepted clinical parameters and speech recognition measured under laboratory conditions. We will also analyze consonant error patterns, using a feature analysis. Our hypothesis is that listeners with severe loss fit with WDRC amplification will perform more poorly than listeners with mild-to-moderate loss, and that error patterns will indicate confusion of sounds that depend on temporal cues. The second Specific Aim is to describe the effects of WDRC on temporal cues essential for speech recognition. Recognition will be measured for speech processed to limit spectral information. Acoustic analysis of amplified speech will be used in conjunction with speech recognition scores to directly examine the extent of temporal cue distortion from WDRC and to determine an acceptable range of amplitude compression. The proposed project will also test the utility of quantifying amplitude envelope changes and the usefulness of these measures to predict recognition of WDRC-amplified speech. The third Specific Aim is to describe how spectral cue perception changes with increasing numbers of compression channels. We will use acoustic analysis in combination with vowel recognition. Our hypothesis is that listeners with severe loss who are less able to discriminate spectral details will show less degradation from larger numbers of compression channels.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC006014-04
Application #
7367081
Study Section
Auditory System Study Section (AUD)
Program Officer
Sklare, Dan
Project Start
2005-03-01
Project End
2010-02-28
Budget Start
2008-03-01
Budget End
2009-02-28
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$203,180
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Reinhart, Paul N; Souza, Pamela E (2018) Listener Factors Associated with Individual Susceptibility to Reverberation. J Am Acad Audiol 29:73-82
Reinhart, Paul N; Souza, Pamela E (2018) Effects of Varying Reverberation on Music Perception for Young Normal-Hearing and Old Hearing-Impaired Listeners. Trends Hear 22:2331216517750706
Souza, Pamela; Hoover, Eric; Blackburn, Michael et al. (2018) The Characteristics of Adults with Severe Hearing Loss. J Am Acad Audiol 29:764-779
Souza, Pamela; Wright, Richard; Gallun, Frederick et al. (2018) Reliability and Repeatability of the Speech Cue Profile. J Speech Lang Hear Res 61:2126-2137
Headen, I; Cohen, A K; Mujahid, M et al. (2017) The accuracy of self-reported pregnancy-related weight: a systematic review. Obes Rev 18:350-369
Hoover, Eric C; Souza, Pamela E; Gallun, Frederick J (2017) Auditory and Cognitive Factors Associated with Speech-in-Noise Complaints following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Am Acad Audiol 28:325-339
Ohlenforst, Barbara; Souza, Pamela E; MacDonald, Ewen N (2017) Response to Comment: RE: ) Exploring the Relationship Between Working Memory, Compressor Speed, and Background Noise Characteristics, Ear Hear 37, 137-143. Ear Hear 38:644-645
Leonard, Stephanie A; Petito, Lucia C; Stephansson, Olof et al. (2017) Weight gain during pregnancy and the black-white disparity in preterm birth. Ann Epidemiol 27:323-328.e1
Reinhart, Paul N; Souza, Pamela E (2016) Intelligibility and Clarity of Reverberant Speech: Effects of Wide Dynamic Range Compression Release Time and Working Memory. J Speech Lang Hear Res 59:1543-1554
Shen, Jing; Wright, Richard; Souza, Pamela E (2016) On Older Listeners' Ability to Perceive Dynamic Pitch. J Speech Lang Hear Res 59:572-82

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