Identifying the perceptual factors that contribute to older listeners'''' dynamic pitch benefit for speech recognition in noise.

摘要 大多数患有听力损失的老年人，这一比例高达美国人口的十分之一， 在嘈杂的环境中理解语音有很大困难。可能会导致的潜在后果 这种噪音中的语音问题包括更多的社会孤立，认知能力下降和心理上的 骚乱。虽然目前的放大技术还没有解决噪声中的语音问题，但新的 干预有可能通过参与和增强知觉来改善噪声中的语音识别 提示，如动态音调。由基频变化定义的动态基音有助于语音 对听力受损的老年人在噪声中的识别。然而，这种差异在不同的个体之间是很大的。 为了达到增强动态基音的最终目的，改善噪声中的语音识别，这是至关重要的 为了了解老年人从动态音高线索中受益的变异性。这项提案旨在确定 导致动态音高变化的感知因素在患有以下疾病的老年人中受益 听力损失。第一个具体目标是确定光谱知觉对个体的贡献。 动态音高的可变性在听力损失的老年个体中受益。年长的人有能力 感知静态和动态光谱线索将被测量。据推测，在一个或多个地方表现不佳 这两项任务都会显著地导致老年人无法从动态投球中获益 噪音中的暗示。第二个具体目标是确定动态俯仰能力在动态音调中的作用 在有听力损失的老年人中，音调对噪声中的语音识别有好处。年纪较大的个人 动态音调掠过能力将使用一种新的度量来表征，该度量模拟了 不间断的讲话。预计动态俯仰扫视能力是影响 个体的动态音高在波动的噪音中受益。借鉴听觉场景知觉理论，第三 具体目的是确定老年人使用音调线索的能力与流媒体之间的关系 语音掩蔽器中的隔离和动态音调受益。据推测，溪流不畅的人 分离能力不太能利用动态基音提示将目标语音从掩蔽者中分离出来 反过来，在语音识别中从动态基音中获益较少。老年人使用音调提示的能力 流分离将使用多音调模式分离任务进行测量。这项措施将用于 预测个人在语音掩蔽器中的动态音调收益。研究成果将提供更好的 理解导致老年人动态音高的高度可变收益的感知因素 听力受损的人。这些信息将作为开发不同音高的基础 针对个人内部特定困难来源的增强策略。

Abstract The majority of older adults with hearing loss, which is as large as one tenth of the U.S. population, have significant difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. The potential consequences that can stem from this speech-in-noise problem include increased social isolation, cognitive decline, and psychological disturbance. While current amplification technology has not solved the speech-in-noise problem, new interventions have the potential to improve speech recognition in noise by engaging and enhancing perceptual cues, such as dynamic pitch. Dynamic pitch, as defined by the variation of fundamental frequency, aids speech recognition in noise for older adults with hearing loss. The variability, however, is substantial across individuals. To achieve the ultimate goal of enhancing dynamic pitch and improve speech recognition in noise, it is critical to understand the variability in older individuals’ benefit from dynamic pitch cues. This proposal aims to identify the perceptual factors contributing to this variability in dynamic pitch benefit among older individuals with hearing loss. The first specific aim is to establish the contribution of spectral perception to the individual variability in dynamic pitch benefit among older individuals with hearing loss. Older individuals’ ability to perceive static and dynamic spectral cues will be measured. It is hypothesized that poor performance in one or both of these two tasks will significantly contribute to an older individual’ inability to benefit from dynamic pitch cues in noise. The second specific aim is to determine the role of dynamic pitch glimpsing ability in dynamic pitch benefit for speech recognition in noise among older individuals with hearing loss. Older individuals’ dynamic pitch glimpsing ability will be characterized using a novel metric that simulates pitch perception in continuous speech. The dynamic pitch glimpsing ability is anticipated to be a significant factor that influences individuals’ dynamic pitch benefit in fluctuating noise. Drawn upon auditory scene perception theory, the third specific aim is to identify the relationship between older individuals’ ability to use pitch cues for stream segregation and dynamic pitch benefit in speech maskers. It is hypothesized that individuals with poor stream segregation ability are less capable of utilizing dynamic pitch cues to separate target speech from masker and in turn, benefit less from dynamic pitch in speech recognition. Older individuals’ ability to use pitch cues for stream segregation will be measured with a multi-tone pattern segregation task. This measure will be used to predict individuals’ dynamic pitch benefit in speech maskers. Research outcomes will provide a better understanding of the perceptual factors that contribute to the highly variable benefit from dynamic pitch in older individuals with hearing loss. This information will serve as the foundation for the development of different pitch enhancement strategies that target specific sources of difficulty within individuals.