Relationship Between Psychoacoustic Thresholds and Speech Recognition for Aided L

描述(申请人提供)：压迫式助听器是听力损失患者最常用的治疗方法。用户的利益取决于压缩助听器提供语音识别所需的声学提示的能力。幅度调制(强度变化)和间隙(静默间隔)的检测对于语音识别是必不可少的。与线性放大相比，压缩可能降低幅度调制检测阈值，但提高间隙检测阈值。辅音位置提示的识别取决于检测语音中调幅的能力，而检测辅音方式提示的能力取决于检测语音间隙的能力。为了改善助听器用户的使用效果，我们必须确定与线性放大相比，压缩如何影响幅度调制检测阈值、间隙检测阈值和语音识别。了解这些关系可以改进助听器的配戴方案，改进助听器的信号处理，并改进基于证据的临床指南。令人惊讶的是，检测间隙或幅度调制的能力还没有被评估是否适合佩戴助听器。第一个目标是测量助听器使用者在通过助听器收听时检测幅度调制和间隙的能力。受试者将在两种不同的助听器条件下进行测试。第一个条件是线性放大，它不应该扭曲调制或间隙信号。第二种情况是压缩，这有望减少调制线索，但改善缺口线索。此外，该项目还将评估宽带噪声和窄带噪声载体中哪个能更好地预测语音识别。将使用代表语音中的载波(声带)和调制器(声道)的不同载波信号。第二个目标是比较心理声学阈值和语音识别。语音识别将用清音辅音来衡量，因为听力损失的受试者很难识别清音辅音。为了聚焦于感兴趣的时间线索，语音信号将被声编码以最小化光谱线索。将计算每个受试者在压缩和线性放大之间在幅度调制、间隙检测阈值、辅音位置识别和辅音方式识别方面的差异。调幅阈值的差异将与辅音位置识别的差异进行比较。间隙检测阈值的差异将与辅音方式识别的差异进行比较。目标是为开发基于调制和间隙检测阈值的助听器配戴协议奠定基础。 与公共健康相关：助听器使用者继续比正常听力听者识别更少的言语，这可能是因为助听器如何改变重要的言语线索尚不清楚。这项研究将衡量助听器用户检测语音识别所必需的声学线索，然后将这些结果与语音识别相关联的能力。这可能会改善助听器用户的语音识别。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compression hearing aids are the most common remedy for individuals with hearing loss. User benefit depends upon the ability of compression hearing aids to provide the acoustic cues necessary for speech recognition. The detection of amplitude modulations (variations in intensity) and gaps (silent intervals) are essential for speech recognition. Compared to linear amplification, compression might degrade amplitude modulation detection thresholds but improve gap detection thresholds. The recognition of consonant place cues depends upon the ability to detect amplitude modulations in speech whereas the ability to detect consonant manner cues depends upon the ability to detect gaps in speech. In order to improve the outcomes of hearing aid users, it is critical that we determine how compression compared to linear amplification affects amplitude modulation detection thresholds, gap detection thresholds, and speech recognition. Understanding those relationships can lead to improved hearing aid fitting protocols, improved signal processing for hearing aids, and improved evidence based clinical guidelines. Surprisingly, the ability to detect gaps or amplitude modulations has not been evaluated for fitting hearing aids. The first aim is to measure the ability of hearing aid users to detect amplitude modulations and gaps while listening through a hearing aid. The subjects will be tested under two different hearing aid conditions. The first condition is linear amplification, which should not distort modulation or gap cues. The second condition is compression, which is expected to reduce modulation cues but improve gap cues. Additionally, the project will evaluate whether a broadband noise or narrowband noise carrier better predicts speech recognition. Different carrier signals, representing the carrier (vocal folds) and the modulator (vocal tract) in speech, will be used. The second aim is to compare psychoacoustic thresholds with speech recognition. Speech recognition will be measured with voiceless consonants because subjects with hearing loss have difficulty recognizing voiceless consonants. In order to focus on the temporal cues of interest, the speech signal will be vocoded to minimize spectral cues. Differences in amplitude modulation, gap detection thresholds, consonant place identification, and consonant manner identification between compression and linear amplification will be calculated for each subject. The differences in amplitude modulation thresholds will be compared to differences in consonant place identification. The differences in gap detection thresholds will be compared to differences in consonant manner identification. The goal is to lay the groundwork for developing hearing aid fitting protocols based on modulation and gap detection thresholds. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Hearing aid users continue to recognize less speech than normal hearing listeners and this might be because it is unclear how hearing aids alter important speech cues. This study will measure the ability of hearing aid users to detect acoustic cues essential for speech recognition and then relate those results to speech recognition. This may lead to improved speech recognition for hearing aid users.