THE LOUDNESS OF BROADBAND SOUNDS IN LISTENERS WITH SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS

描述(申请人提供)：本研究计划的目标是建立一个更好的框架，以便在助听器设计和最终的助听器装配中使用响度数据。几种助听器配戴算法试图恢复正常响度或降低响度峰值，但对于能够让研究人员、工程师或临床医生验证这些目标的实现程度的适当程序，还没有达成共识。此外，缺乏数据来管理听力正常(NH)的听者的宽带声音的响度规则，使得不可能提供适当的规范来恢复感觉神经性听力损失(SNHL)的听者的正常响度。我们将探索使用感知权重来确定各个频段对宽带声音总响度的贡献。这一方法将使我们能够测试当前响度模型背后的基本假设。拟议的研究归类于三个具体目标。第一个测试将检验这样一个假设，即通过不同的测量程序获得的结果之间的关系与听力损失的程度无关。这一目标的目的是在测量响度的方法上达成共识。第二个目标将使用感知权重来检验特定频率对宽带声音总响度的贡献受到听力损失影响的假设。其目的是探索电平和听力损失对宽带声音的特定响度的影响，包括具有长期语音频谱的噪声。最终目标将把在前两个目标的工作过程中发展出来的方法和见解应用于新的助听器使用者在没有和有他们的助听器提供的扩音量的情况下所经历的响度测量。这项研究旨在评估助听器配戴策略的响度目标的实现程度，并探讨助听器适应对响度感知的影响。现行的ANSI响度标准模型及其变化指导了实验的设计。拟议的研究预计将导致现有模型的改进，这些模型将更好地预测听力损失患者的响度感知，从而可能导致更好的干预策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this research program is to establish a better framework for the use of loudness data in hearing-aid design and ultimately hearing-aid fitting. Several hearing-aid fitting algorithms attempt to restore normal loudness or reduce peaks in loudness, but there is no consensus on appropriate procedures that would enable researchers, engineers or clinicians to verify the extent to which these goals were met. Furthermore, the lack of data on which to base the rules governing the loudness of broadband sounds in listeners with normal hearing (NH) makes it impossible to provide an adequate specification of what restoration of normal loudness in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) would entail. We will explore the use of perceptual weights to establish the contribution of individual frequency bands to the total loudness of broadband sounds. This methodology will allow us to test the basic assumptions underlying current loudness models. The proposed studies are grouped under three specific aims. The first will test the hypothesis that the relation among results obtained with different measurement procedures are independent of the degree of hearing loss. The goal of this aim is to achieve consensus on methods to measure loudness. The second aim will use perceptual weights to test the hypothesis that the contribution of specific frequencies to the total loudness of broadband sounds is influenced by hearing loss. The goal is to explore the effects of level and hearing loss on the specific loudness of broadband sounds, including noise with the long-term spectrum of speech. The final aim will apply methods and insights developed in the course of work on the first two aims to measurements of loudness experienced by new hearing-aid users without and with the amounts of amplification provided by their hearing aids. The studies are designed to assess the extent to which the loudness goals of hearing-aid fitting strategies are met and to explore the effect of acclimatization to hearing aids on loudness perception. The current ANSI standard model of loudness and variations of it guided the design of experiments. The proposed studies are expected to lead to improvements of existing models that will better predict the loudness percepts of individuals with hearing loss, thus potentially leading to better intervention strategies.