AUDITORY TRAINING FOR PERSONS WITH DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING SPEECH IN NOISE

描述（由申请人提供）：在不利的收听环境中的言语感知（例如，噪音）比安静时更困难，即使对于听力正常的人来说也是如此。拟议的研究计划的目标是评估一种新的评估和培训协议的个人谁遇到困难的理解语音在噪音中。两个目标人群是非母语（L2）英语使用者和具有各种形式的听觉处理障碍（统称为APD）的母语英语使用者。据报道，这两组人在噪音方面存在类似的问题，但以前的研究表明了几种不同的潜在机制。对于L2扬声器，它已被假定，他们的感知问题，在噪声中主要是由于声学语音干扰，从他们的母语恶化掩蔽噪声。也就是说，他们的问题是使用上下文无关（自下而上）处理的能力减弱。为了弥补，这一群体倾向于严重依赖上下文信息（自上而下的处理）。APD组的潜在机制尚不清楚。虽然有些人认为，噪音的困难是由受损的听觉时间编码造成的，但其他人认为，这一群体也可能有不良的声学语音意识。虽然言语感知的模型在这些技能如何在正常的母语人士的组合工作方面有所不同，但似乎有一个共识，即自下而上的处理是自动的，而自上而下的处理可能更费力，并受到自下而上处理的完整性的影响。因此，过度使用自上而下的处理来补偿差的自下而上的处理可能会阻碍语音感知的整体效率。拟议的研究计划将测试以下三个假设：1）对于L2说话者和母语APD组来说，在噪声中感知语音的困难与受损的声学语音意识有关（即，自底向上处理）; 2）自下而上处理技能的提高将通过减少对上下文信息的严重依赖（即，自上而下处理）;以及3）自下而上处理中的显式训练将改善两组在噪声中的言语感知。这些假设将通过三个目标进行检验。在目标1中，将通过比较孤立词和句子中的词的感知来研究听者使用自上而下和自下而上的处理来理解噪声中的语音。在目标2中，一种新的自下而上的处理训练程序，使用的句子很少的上下文信息将进行评估，根据目标1的L2听众的一个小组。在目标3中，将使用APD听音者亚组对该训练程序进行评估。建议的研究是一个重要的初始阶段，在建立一个有效的和高效的评估和培训协议的个人与APD和L2的英语发言者。它也有望提供重要的新信息的基础感知机制的个人谁遇到困难，理解语音噪声。 相关性：本研究项目的最终目标是开发一个协议，用于评估和培训的个人谁的经验显着困难理解语音在噪音中的语音感知。一种新的听觉训练方案的有效性将在两组已知在噪声中难以理解语音的个体中进行评估：患有听觉处理障碍和/或基于语言的学习障碍的讲英语的儿童和讲英语的成人L2。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Speech perception in adverse listening environments (e.g., noise) is more difficult than in quiet even for individuals with normal hearing. The goal of the proposed research program is to evaluate a novel assessment and training protocol for individuals who experience difficulty understanding speech in noise. The two target populations are non-native (L2) English speakers and native English speakers with various forms of auditory processing disorders (referred to generically as APD). Similar problems in noise have been reported for both groups, but previous studies have suggested several different underlying mechanisms. For L2 speakers, it has been assumed that their perceptual problems in noise are due primarily to acoustic-phonetic interference from their native language worsened by masking from noise. That is, their problem is a diminished ability to use context-independent (bottom-up) processing. To compensate, this group tends to rely heavily on the contextual information (top-down processing). The underlying mechanisms for APD group are not clearly understood. While some argue that difficulties in noise are caused by impaired auditory temporal coding, others have suggested that this group may also have poor acoustic-phonetic awareness. Although models of speech perception differ in terms of how these skills work in combination in normal native speakers, there seems to be agreement that bottom-up processing is automatic, whereas top-down processing can be more effortful and is influenced by the integrity of bottom-up processing. Thus the overuse of top-down processing to compensate for poor bottom-up processing may impede overall efficiency of speech perception. The proposed research program will test the following three hypotheses: 1) that the difficulties perceiving speech in noise for both L2 speakers and native APD groups are related to compromised acoustic-phonetic awareness (i.e., bottom-up processing); 2) that an improvement in bottom-up processing skills will aid speech perception in noise by reducing the need to rely as heavily on contextual information (i.e., top-down processing); and 3) that explicit training in bottom-up processing will improve speech perception in noise for both groups. These hypotheses will be tested through three aims. In Aim 1, listeners' use of top-down and bottom-up processing to understand speech in noise will be investigated by comparing perception of isolated words and words in sentences. In Aim 2, a novel bottom-up processing training procedure using sentences with little contextual information will be evaluated with a subgroup of L2 listeners selected under Aim 1. In Aim 3, this training procedure will be evaluated with a subgroup of APD listeners. The proposed research is an important initial stage in establishing an effective and efficient assessment and training protocol for individuals with APD and for L2 speakers of English. It is also expected to provide important new information on the underlying perceptual mechanisms used by individuals who experience difficulty understanding speech in noise. Relevance: The ultimate goal of this research project is to develop a protocol for the assessment and training of speech perception for individuals who experience marked difficulty understanding speech in noise. The efficacy of a novel auditory training protocol will be evaluated in two groups of individuals who are known to have difficulty understanding speech in noise: English speaking children with auditory processing disorders and/or language-based learning disabilities and adult L2 speakers of English.