Meeting the challenge of simultaneous talk for cochlear implant users

虽然人们通常不会同时说话，但两个或两个以上的人同时说话的情况却令人惊讶地频繁。在我们最近的AHRC资助的项目记录的典型对话中，它占据了总谈话时间的16%，41%的发言者轮流被另一个发言者重叠。已知同时或重叠谈话对于具有听力损失的个体来说是特别的问题，即使在使用常规助听器或人工耳蜗植入物时也是如此。直到最近，即使在一对一的设置中，许多用户也需要最佳条件以便进行令人满意的对话，例如安静的环境和两个参与者的通信意识，即他们应该避免同时说话。专业人士避开了建议人工耳蜗使用者如何处理重叠说话的情况，因为这种情况太难处理了。然而，最近在人工耳蜗中使用的信号处理策略的改进意味着现在用户尝试参与发生重叠谈话的对话更加现实。这个后续项目的目的是与一组人工耳蜗植入的成年用户进行接触，以开发有用的培训材料来处理对话中的重叠谈话。这些材料将主要借鉴我们早期关于重叠谈话的项目的成果，在该项目中，我们开发了一个独特的语料库，并发现了一些关于正常对话中重叠谈话的重要发现。据我们所知，这些将是第一批专门针对重叠谈话所提出的问题的材料。1.通过直接提问、焦点小组和问卷调查、观察记录的自然主义对话以及探索语言和文化差异来确定人工耳蜗植入者重叠对话引起的具体问题。开发改善人工耳蜗使用者体验的方法这将涉及与人工耳蜗使用者小组密切合作，为人工耳蜗使用者设计培训软件和活动。这个想法是，植入用户将能够在自己的工作与材料，并与他们的家庭成员，在家里。该软件将利用我们收集的录音对话中的真实的例子，人们经常在重叠的地方交谈。该软件将侧重于听力和口语。例如，在收听方面，它将允许用户通过在图形时间轴上呈现扬声器活动，同时听到和可视化随着时间的推移的对话流程。在说话方面，它将提供学习任务，允许用户练习在自己的演讲中产生提示。透过特别活动、专门网站及现有渠道，向人工耳蜗使用者及专业人士推广及传播培训软件。此项目初期会与少数人工耳蜗使用者接触，以开发可协助人工耳蜗使用者处理重叠通话的软件材料。该项目是嵌入在当地的NHS人工耳蜗植入服务，其中两个项目小组成员雇用。该项目的产出最初将使该服务的用户受益。通过最后的传播活动，并通过参加为专业人员和人工耳蜗使用者举办的国家会议，这些文件将在英国得到更广泛的传播。其他小组成员将在国家和国际会议上传播成果，以提高相关学术界对工作的认识。该项目网站将提供全球访问软件材料的机会：因此，该项目有可能提高全世界25万多人工耳蜗使用者的社会参与。

Although people do not usually talk at the same time, simultaneous speech by two or more speakers is surprisingly frequent. In the typical conversations recorded for our recent AHRC -funded project it occupies 16% of total talking time, 41% of speaker turns being overlapped by another speaker. Simultaneous or overlapping talk is known to be a particular problem for individuals who have a hearing loss, even when using a conventional hearing aid or cochlear implant. Until recently, even in one-to-one settings many users would need optimum conditions in order to hold a satisfactory conversation, e.g. a quiet environment and the communication awareness of both participants that they should avoid talking at the same time. Professionals have steered clear of advising cochlear implant users about how to deal with situations of overlapping talk, on the basis that such a situation would be just too hard to handle. However, recent improvements in the signal processing strategies used in cochlear implants mean that it is now more realistic for users to attempt to engage in conversations where overlapping talk occurs. The aim of this follow-on project is to engage with a group of adult users of cochlear implants in order to develop useful training materials for handling overlapping talk in conversation. These materials will draw mainly on the outputs from our earlier project on overlapping talk, where we have developed a unique corpus and some key findings about overlapping talk in normal conversation. To the best of our knowledge, these will be the first materials that specifically address the problems raised by overlapping talk.The main objectives of this project are:1. To identify the specific issues that overlapping talk raises for cochlear implant usersThis will be accomplished by direct questioning, via focus group and questionnaire survey; observation of recorded naturalistic conversations; and by exploring linguistic and cultural differences.2. To develop ways of improving the experience of cochlear implant usersThis will involve devising training software and activities for cochlear implant users, in close collaboration with a group of cochlear implant users. The idea is that the implant user will be able to work with the materials on their own, and with their family members, at home. The software will make use of real examples from our collection of recorded conversations, where people are quite often talking in overlap. The software will focus on both listening and speaking. On the listening side, for example, it will allow users to simultaneously hear and visualise the flow of a conversation over time, by presenting speaker activity on a graphical timeline. On the speaking side, it will provide learning tasks that allow users to practise producing cues in their own speech.3. To promote and disseminate the training software through a special event, a dedicated website and through existing channels for cochlear implant users and professionals.This project will engage with a small number of cochlear implant users initially, in order to develop software materials that can assist cochlear implant users when dealing with overlapping talk. The project is embedded in the local NHS cochlear implant service, in which two project team members are employed. Initially the outputs of the project will benefit users of that service. They will be disseminated more widely in the UK through the final dissemination event, and through participation in established national meetings for professionals and for cochlear implant users. Other team members will disseminate results at national and international conferences, which will raise awareness of the work within relevant academic communities. The project website will provide global access to the software materials: the project therefore has the potential to enhance the social participation of more than a quarter of a million cochlear implant users worldwide.