ERIC Number: EJ1187655
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Aug
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Reliability and Repeatability of the Speech Cue Profile
Souza, Pamela; Wright, Richard; Gallun, Frederick; Reinhart, Paul
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v61 n8 p2126-2137 Aug 2018
Purpose: Researchers have long noted speech recognition variability that is not explained by the pure-tone audiogram. Previous work (Souza, Wright, Blackburn, Tatman, & Gallun, 2015) demonstrated that a small number of listeners with sensorineural hearing loss utilized different types of acoustic cues to identify speechlike stimuli, specifically the extent to which the participant relied upon spectral (or temporal) information for identification. Consistent with recent calls for data rigor and reproducibility, the primary aims of this study were to replicate the pattern of cue use in a larger cohort and to verify stability of the cue profiles over time. Method: Cue-use profiles were measured for adults with sensorineural hearing loss using a syllable identification task consisting of synthetic speechlike stimuli in which spectral and temporal dimensions were manipulated along continua. For the first set, a static spectral shape varied from alveolar to palatal, and a temporal envelope rise time varied from affricate to fricative. For the second set, formant transitions varied from labial to alveolar and a temporal envelope rise time varied from approximant to stop. A discriminant feature analysis was used to determine to what degree spectral and temporal information contributed to stimulus identification. A subset of participants completed a 2nd visit using the same stimuli and procedures. Results: When spectral information was static, most participants were more influenced by spectral than by temporal information. When spectral information was dynamic, participants demonstrated a balanced distribution of cue-use patterns, with nearly equal numbers of individuals influenced by spectral or temporal cues. Individual cue profile was repeatable over a period of several months. Conclusion: In combination with previously published data, these results indicate that listeners with sensorineural hearing loss are influenced by different cues to identify speechlike sounds and that those patterns are stable over time.
Descriptors: Speech Communication, Acoustics, Cues, Auditory Stimuli, Adults, Hearing Impairments, Auditory Discrimination, Listening, Reliability, Repetition
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (DHHS); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01DC006014; UL1TR001422