This research is directed toward improved speech reception for users of hearing aids. Attempts to advance basic understanding involve study of limitations imposed by characteristics of the speech signal and of the impairment, and the development of models of speech intelligibility that exploits ideas used in automatic speech recognition. Research on the speech signal focuses on understanding the effects of speaking style, specifically the effects of speaking clearly for the hard of hearing, and the effects of intra-speaker and inter-speaker variability on intelligibility. Research on the effects of hearing impairments focuses on developing and testing of techniques for simulating impairments for listeners with normal hearing. The envisioned models of speech intelligibility includes models of perceptual processing, integration of speech cues across frequency bands, and are addressed at understanding the effects of signal properties, hearing impairment, and environmental disturbances (noise and reverberation) on speech reception. Attempts to develop improved signal processing techniques for use in hearing aids involve study of multiban automatic gain control, amplitude compression, and techniques for reducing the effects of feedback in amplification systems.
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