INTENSITY DLS AND MASKING IN NORMAL AND IMPAIRED HEARING

我们的长期目标是开发听觉的分析模型 听力正常和听力受损时对音调、噪音和语音的处理。 在听觉科学领域，精确的定量模型是重要的 有效地康复听力障碍，为更好地提供 诊断工具。 我们成功地建立了受损听者的响度知觉模型 指示从掩蔽派生的激发模式 模式，可以作为模拟正常和受损模型的通用框架 听证。这项拟议的研究检验了强度为 无论是听力正常的人还是听力受损的人，都可以预测到 激发模式的基础。在第一阶段，我们测试和 听力正常时强度辨别的兴奋模式模型。 基于绝对阈值和掩蔽的预测将是 与来自相同听众的强度歧视数据进行比较。 将测量大范围内纯色调的亮度辨别度 频率和强度以及双音复合体和 作为带宽和电平的函数的多音调复合体。全 测量将采用2i、2AFC范例和自适应程序。 除了测试模型，这些实验还将提供一个 全面、连贯的一组急需的参考数据，用于掩蔽 相同正常听者的模式和强度辨别。 在第二阶段，该模型被扩展到适用于有损伤的听众 主要起源于耳蜗骨。模型将在此基础上进行修改 阈值和掩蔽测量。由此得出的预测将 与这些听众的强度歧视表现相比 设置第一阶段使用的刺激，至少三名单边听者 损害，这些测量将在他们受损的耳朵中进行 和他们正常的耳朵一样，在安静的环境中，在噪音的掩护下 频谱形状，以模拟受损耳朵的听力损失。这些 测量使我们能够单独评估增加的影响 强度分辨的阈值和降低的频率选择性 听力受损。

Our long-term goal is to develop analytic models for the auditory processing of tones, noise, and speech in normal and impaired hearing. Precise quantitative models in the area of auditory science are important to effectively rehabilate hearing impairment and to provide better diagnostic tools. Our successful modeling of loudness perception in impaired listeners indicates that excitation patterns, which are derived from masking patterns, may serve as a general framework for modeling normal and impaired hearing. The proposed research tests the hypothesis that intensity discrimination, both in normal and impaired hearing, can be predicted on the basis of excitation patterns. In Phase I, we test and excitation-pattern model for intensity discrimination in normal hearing. Predictions derived on the basis of absolute thresholds and masking will be compared to intensity discrimination data from the same listeners. Intensity discrimination will be measured for pure tones over a wide range of frequencies and intensities as well as for two-tone complexes and multi-tone complexes as a function of bandwidth and level. All measurements will employ a 2I, 2AFC paradigm with an adaptive procedure. In addition to testing the model, these experiments will also provide a comprehensive, cohesive set of direly needed reference data for masking patterns and intensity discrimination in the same normal listeners. In Phase II, the model is extended to apply to listeners with impairments of predominantly cochlear origin. The model will be modified on the basis of threshold and masking measurements. Predictions thus derived will compared to these listeners' intensity discrimination performance for the set stimuli used in Phase I. For at least three listeners with unilateral impairments, these measurements will be performed in their impaired ears as well as in their normal ears in quiet and under masking with a noise spectrally shaped to simulate the hearing loss in the impaired ear. These measurements permit us to separately assess the effects of increased thresholds and reduced frequency selectivity on intensity discrimination in impaired hearing.