Hearing Study: Sensitivity to Features of Speech Sounds

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
• Interventions: Other: Signal processing to improve intelligibility

• Registration Number: NCT03666676
• Lead Sponsor: University of Rochester

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to better understand the sensitivity of listeners to the fast changes in frequency or amplitude of sounds that occur in speech. The investigators are studying ways to manipulate these aspects of sounds in an effort to make speech sounds more clear.

Detailed Description

The investigators will test listeners with normal hearing or with mild or moderate hearing loss. Tests will first focus on sensitivity to changes in fast changes in amplitude (loudness) or frequency (pitch) in sounds. Then the investigators will test the intelligibility of synthetic vowels and syllables in which these "chirps" are manipulated. Finally, the investigators will test intelligibility of words in noise while manipulating sounds in an effort to improve clarity.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2018-09-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-09-08
• Study First Posted: 2018-09-12
• Study Start: 2020-06-09
• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-11-27
• Last Update Posted: 2023-11-28
• Primary Completion: 2024-11-30
• Study Completion: 2024-11-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• Normal hearing, mild or moderate symmetric sensorineural hearing loss.

Exclusion Criteria

• Asymmetric hearing thresholds (more than 15 decibels (dB) threshold difference between the two ears at any frequency up to 4 kHz).
• Severe hearing loss (greater than 60 dB hearing thresholds at any frequency up to 4 kHz).

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Moderate hearing loss	Signal processing to improve intelligibility	Signal processing to improve intelligibility
Mild hearing loss	Signal processing to improve intelligibility	Signal processing to improve intelligibility
Normal Hearing	Signal processing to improve intelligibility	Signal processing to improve intelligibility

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Discrimination thresholds for formant-freq difference limens	5 years	Measures of discrimination thresholds (in units of "% of Formant Frequency" at the discrimination threshold) for different formant bandwidths and for different alignments of formants and harmonics.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
% of correct synthetic syllables	5 years	% correct answers
% of correct synthetic vowels	5 years	% correct answers
% of correct words	5 years	% correct answers using SPiN test

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Rochester; 🇺🇸 Rochester, New York, United States