DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY IN NORMAL AND IMPAIRED EARS

该项目的长期目标是确定 传导性和感音神经性听力损失对听觉感知的影响 儿童和成人。 慢性中耳炎的影响是一大焦点 积液媒体（OME）对儿童听力发育的影响。 该项目该领域的具体目标包括阐明原因 有 OME 病史的儿童 MLD 减少，并检查 刺激复杂性与单声道处理缺陷之间的关系 在这样的孩子身上。 一个重要的相关目标是增加 了解相关的复杂听觉感知的发展 听力正常儿童的听觉声源隔离。 的 该项目的第二个重点是感音神经听力的影响 儿童听力发育受损。 这里有一个具体目标 是根据基本特征来表征早期感音神经性听力损失 心理声学能力，并将获得的结果与 成年后遭受损失的听众。 一个相关的目标是 比较与相关的剥夺/适应效果 儿童助听器的中枢神经承诺相对较大 耳蜗区域正常但与以下区域相邻 听力损失严重。 我们将确定是否有证据 在年轻听众中，使用心理物理学和电生理学 方法。 他提出的许多研究中普遍采用的策略（都 传导性和感音神经性）将比较成人之间的结果 和孩子们在研究与可塑性相关的问题时，为了 确定可能的年龄影响。 在这两个项目领域，主要 心理物理方法将是三选择强制选择测试 通过耳机进行声音演示。 该项目的所有阶段都将 包括年龄匹配的对照受试者，其结果将进一步我们 了解正常听力。 将使用分析来分析数据 方差和相关程序。

The long term aim of this project is to determine the effect of conductive and sensorineural hearing losses on auditory perception in children and in adults. One major focus is the effect of chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) on the development of hearing in children. Specific aims in this area of the project include elucidating the causes of reduced MLDs in children with history of OME, and examining the relationship between stimulus complexity and monaural processing deficits in such children. An important related aim is to increase the understanding of the development of complex auditory perceptions related to auditory sound source segregation in normal-hearing children. The second major focus of the project is the effect of sensorineural hearing loss on the development of hearing in children. One specific aim here is to characterize early sensorineural hearing loss in terms of basic psychoacoustic abilities, and to compare results obtained with those of listeners with losses acquired in adulthood. A related aim will be to compare deprivation/acclimatization effects that are associated with hearing aids in children relatively large central neural commitment of cochlear regions that are normal but are adjacent to regions where hearing loss is severe. We will determine whether there is evidence for this in young listeners, using psychophysical and electrophysiological methods. A prevailing strategy across many of he proposed studies (both conductive and sensorineural) will be to compare results between adults and children when examining issues related to plasticity, in order to determine possible age effects. In both project areas, the primary psychophysical method will be three-alternative forced-choice testing with sound presentation over earphones. All phases of the project will include age-matched control subjects whose results will further our understanding of normal hearing. Data will be analyzed using analysis of variance and correlation procedures.