Directional Hearing in Complex Auditory Environments

描述（由申请人提供）：人类大部分时间都在复杂和混响的听觉环境中度过。听觉系统的一个重要和正在进行的任务是将目标信号与干扰声音分离并抑制回声。众所周知，双耳系统在实现这些目标方面是重要的。本研究将探讨在多声源及混响声环境下的方向性听觉。我们将在听力正常的成年人和双侧植入人工耳蜗的使用者中研究声音定位、回声抑制和语音清晰度。目标1将调查优先效应（PE）使用更多的日常范例比以前采用的，与语音刺激和多回波模式，不同的数量，方向特性，强度和频谱内容。在目标2中，我们将研究这些回声模式对语音清晰度的影响，在存在竞争的声音，其内容和空间位置，将是不同的。我们将测试的假设，即“信息掩蔽”可以诱导当听众的经验不确定性的数量，内容和位置的竞争声音。在目标3中，我们将通过专门的硬件来控制双耳之间的同步，从而研究双耳CI用户的双耳机制。研究将测量定位，回声抑制，语音在复杂的声学环境中的清晰度，和基本的双耳过程。这项研究解决了有关人类在日常听力情况下发挥作用的能力的基本问题。听力受损者通常会报告此类环境中的问题。目标3中的研究可能有助于未来设计助听器和人工耳蜗，这些助听器和人工耳蜗利用双耳提示并补偿噪声和混响环境中的功能退化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Humans spend a majority of their time in auditory environments that are complex and reverberant. An important and ongoing task for the auditory system is the segregation of target signals from interfering sounds and the suppression of echoes. The binaural system is known to be important in accomplishing these goals. The proposed research will investigate directional hearing in multi-source and reverberant acoustic environments. We will study sound localization, suppression of echoes, and speech intelligibility, in human adults with normal hearing, and with bilaterally-implanted cochlear implant users. Aim 1 will investigate the precedence effect (PE) using more everyday paradigms than those previously employed, with speech stimuli and multiple-echo patterns that vary in number, directional properties, intensity and spectral content. In Aim 2 we will investigate the impact of these echo patterns on speech intelligibility in the presence of competing sounds whose content and spatial locations and will be varied. We will test the hypothesis that "informational masking" can be induced when listeners experience uncertainty regarding the number, content and locations of competing sounds. In Aim 3 we will study binaural mechanisms in bilateral CI users through specialized hardware that controls the binaural synchronization between the two ears. Studies will measure localization, echo suppression, speech in intelligibility in complex acoustic environments, and basic binaural processes. This research addressed fundamental issues concerning the ability of humans to function in everyday listening situations. Problems in such environments are commonly reported by hearing impaired individuals. Studies in Aim 3 might contribute to the future design of hearing aids and cochlear implants that take advantage of binaural cues and compensate for the degradation of functioning in noisy and reverberant environments.