With the advent of cognitive hearing science, increased attention has been given to individual differences in functioning and their explanatory power accounting for inter-listener variability processing speech noise (SiN). The psychological construct that received much interest recent years is working memory. Empirical evidence indeed confirms association between WM capacity (WMC) SiN identification older hearing-impaired listeners. However, some theoretical models propose variations WMC are...

Stone et al. [J. Acoust. Soc Am. 130, 2874–2881 (2011)], using vocoder processing, showed that the envelope modulations of a notionally steady noise were more effective than energy as masker speech. Here same effect is demonstrated non-vocoded signals. Speech was filtered into 28 channels. A centered on each channel added to signal at target-to-background ratio −5 or −10 dB. Maskers sinusoids bands with bandwidth 1/3 1 ERBN (ERBN being “normal” auditory filters), synthesized Gaussian (GN)...

Purpose In this study, the author sought to investigate if and when ability process temporal-fine-structure (TFS) cues deteriorates with age in adults audiometrically normal hearing sensitivity. Method Using a cross-sectional design, assessed TFS sensitivity 102 normal-hearing sampled from across entire range of adulthood (ages 18–90 years), using 2 psychophysical tests for assessment within- across-ear processing. Results Both types (monaural binaural) declined gradually starting young...

It is possible for auditory prostheses to provide amplification frequencies above 6 kHz. However, most current hearing-aid fitting procedures do not give recommended gains such high frequencies. This study was intended information that could be useful in quantifying appropriate high-frequency gains, and establishing the population of hearing-impaired people who might benefit from amplification.The had two parts. In first part, wide-bandwidth recordings normal conversational speech were...

Spectrally shaped steady noise is commonly used as a masker of speech. The effects inherent random fluctuations in amplitude such are typically ignored. Here, the importance these was assessed by comparing two cases. For one, speech mixed with speech-shaped and N-channel tone vocoded, process referred to signal-domain mixing (SDM); this preserved noise. second, envelope alone extracted for each vocoder channel constant added corresponding root-mean-square value that channel. This...

Sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS) at low frequencies may be adversely affected by hearing loss high even when absolute thresholds are within the normal range. However, in several studies suggesting this, effects of and age were confounded. Here, interaural phase discrimination (IPD) for pure tones 500 750 Hz measured 39 subjects with ages from 61 83 yr. All had near-normal audiometric frequencies, but varied across frequencies. IPD correlated age. test frequency weakly these...

With the advent of cognitive hearing science, increased attention has been given to individual differences in functioning and their explanatory power accounting for inter-listener variability understanding speech noise (SiN). The psychological construct that received most interest is working memory (WM), representing ability simultaneously store process information. Common lore theoretical models assume WM-based processes subtend processing adverse perceptual conditions, such as those...

Individual differences and age-related normal pathological changes in mental abilities require the use of cognitive screening assessment tools. However, simultaneously occurring deficits sensory processing, whose prevalence increases especially old age, may negatively impact cognitive-test performance thus result an overestimation decline. This hypothesis was tested using impairment-simulation approach. Young normal-hearing university students performed three memory tasks, auditorily...

In cochlear implants, or vocoder simulations of the transmission envelope cues at high rates (related to voice fundamental frequency, f0) may be limited by widths filters used form channels and/or cutoff flp, low-pass for extraction. The effect varying flp in tone and noise vocoders was investigated channel numbers, N, from 6 18. As N increased, decreased. value 45Hz (envelope “E” filter), 180Hz (pitch “P” filter). following combinations frequencies were below above 1500Hz, respectively: EE,...

The benefit for speech intelligibility of extending the bandwidth hearing aids was assessed when target (sentences) and background (two talkers) were co-located or spatially separated. Also, relative benefits slow fast compression assessed. Sixteen hearing-impaired (HI) subjects with mild-to-moderate high-frequency loss eight normal-hearing (NH) tested. interfering sounds recorded using a KEMAR manikin located at ±60° azimuth, either Simulated binaural hearing-aid processing five-channel...

To determine preferred parameters of multichannel compression using individually fitted simulated hearing aids and a method paired comparisons.Fourteen participants with mild to moderate loss listened via five-channel aid the CAMEQ2-HF pairs speech sounds (a male talker female talker) musical percussion instrument, orchestral classical music, jazz trio) presented sequentially indicated which sound pair was by how much. The in each were derived from same token differed along single dimension...

This study evaluates the ability to process auditory temporal-envelope cues in a group of 6 children with dyslexia (mean age: 10;10 years;months). To address this issue, we measured (a) temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs), that is, detection thresholds sinusoidal amplitude (SAM) applied white noise carrier, as function frequency, fm (fm was 4, 16, 64, 256, and 1,024 Hz) (b) identification performance for vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) stimuli over 5 sessions. VCV were either...

This paper describes a preliminary laboratory-based evaluation of method for fitting hearing aids with an extended high-frequency response, called CAMEQ2-HF. Linear filtering was used to implement the CAMEQ2-HF-prescribed gains speech input level 65 dB SPL. The results obtained using four normal-hearing (NH) and fifteen hearing-impaired (HI) listeners showed: (1) were sufficient make components above 5 kHz audible when those presented alone, they together lower-frequency components; (2) NH...

Speech intelligibility depends heavily on the accurate perception of auditory temporal envelope cues, that is slower amplitude modulations present in speech waveform. In a previous study, McAnally and Stein demonstrated dyslexics may show impaired audibility (i.e. detectability) these cues. psychophysical ability to process cues was further investigated dyslexic children by measuring detection thresholds sinusoidal amplitude-modulation (SAM) discrimination SAM depth rate. Each threshold...

Objective: To develop and evaluate a test of the ability to process binaural temporal-fine-structure (TFS) information. The was intended provide graded measure TFS sensitivity for all listeners. Design: Sensitivity assessed at sensation level 30 dB using established TFS-LF centre frequencies 250, 500 750 Hz, new TFS-AF test, in which interaural phase difference (IPD) fixed frequency adaptively varied. IPDs varied from 180°. Study Sample: Nine young (19–25 years) 23 older (47–84 listeners...

The purpose of this article is to assess speech processing for listeners with simulated age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and investigate whether the observed performance can be replicated using an automatic recognition (ASR) system. long-term goal research develop a system that will assist audiologists/hearing-aid dispensers in fine-tuning aids.Sixty young participants normal listened materials mimicking perceptual consequences ARHL at different levels severity. Two intelligibility tests...

The ability to process binaural temporal fine structure (TFS) information was assessed using the TFS-AF test (where AF stands for adaptive frequency) 26 listeners aged 60 years or more with normal elevated low-frequency audiometric thresholds. estimates highest frequency at which a fixed interaural phase difference (IPD) of ϕ (varied here between 30° and 180°) can be discriminated from an IPD 0°, higher thresholds indicating better performance. A sensation level 30 dB used. All were able...

Differences in the temporal fine structure (TFS) of sounds at two ears are used for sound localization and perceptual analysis complex auditory scenes. The ability to process this binaural TFS information is poorer older than younger participants, may contribute age-related declines understand speech noisy situations. However, it unclear how sensitivity changes across age range. This article presents data a test TFS, "TFS-adaptive frequency" (AF) test, 118 listeners aged 60 96 years with...

It is generally agreed that the slow fluctuations in envelope of speech different spectral channels carry critical information for intelligibility. Previous studies which amplitude modulation (AM) was selectively removed from signal showed rates between 4 and 16Hz are most important, falling outside this range contribute little or not at all to The present study investigated role very low (<4Hz) AM ability identify sentences an interfering background talker. mixture processed through...

The effect of interaural time differences (ITDs) on obligatory stream segregation for successive tone bursts was investigated older listeners with normal hearing (ONH) and loss (OHL), by measuring the threshold detecting a rhythmic irregularity in an otherwise isochronous sequence interleaved “A” “B” tones. A B tones had equal but opposite ITDs from 0 to 0.5 ms. For some ONH listeners, increased increasing ITD, no OHL listener showed ITD. It is concluded that reduces potency inducing segregation.

Amplitude modulation (AM) is a pervasive feature of natural sounds. Neural detection and processing cues behaviourally important across species. Although most ecologically relevant sounds are not fully modulated, physiological studies have usually concentrated on modulated (100% depth) signals. Psychoacoustic experiments mainly operate at low depths, around threshold (∼5% AM). We presented sinusoidal amplitude-modulated tones, systematically varying depth between zero 100%, range...

For high-frequency sinusoidal carriers, the threshold for detecting amplitude modulation increases when signal frequency above about 120Hz. Using concept of a filter bank, this effect might be explained by (1) decreasing sensitivity or greater internal noise filters with center frequencies 120Hz; and (2) limited span filters, top being tuned to The second possibility was tested measuring masking in forward using an 8kHz carrier. 80, 120, 180Hz masker covered range below each frequency. Four...