Visemes Observed by Hearing-Impaired and Normal-Hearing Adult Viewers

1985 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmer Owens ◽  
Barbara Blazek
Keyword(s):  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
The Other ◽  
Vowel Context ◽  
Statistical Criteria ◽  
Nonsense Syllables

A series of VCV nonsense syllables formed with 23 consonants and the vowels //, /i/, /u/, and // was presented on videotape without sound to 5 hearing-impaired adults and 5 adults with normal hearing. The two-fold purpose was (a) to determine whether the two groups would perform the same in their identification of visemes and (b) to observe whether the identification of visemes is influenced by vowel context. There were no differences between the two groups either with respect to the overall percentage of items correct or to the visemes identified. Noticeable differences occurred in viseme identification between the /u/ context and the other 3 vowel contexts; visemes with // differed slightly from those with // and /i/; and there were no differences in viseme identification for // and /i/ contexts. Findings were in general agreement with other studies with respect to the visemes identified, provided it is acknowledged that changes can occur depending on variables such as talkers, stimuli, recording and viewing conditions, training procedures, and statistical criteria. A composite grouping consists of /p,b,m/; /f,v/; /θ,ð/; /w,r/; /t∫,d,∫,/; and /t,d,s,k,n,g,l/.

Phoneme Feature Perception in Noise by Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Subjects

1985 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Gordon-Salant
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Noise Condition ◽  
Percent Correct ◽  
Vowel Context ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Vowel Recognition ◽  
Phoneme Perception ◽  
The Individual

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners perceive phoneme features differently in noise and to determine whether phoneme perception changes as a fuction of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Consonant-vowel recognition by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners was assessed in quiet and in three noise conditions. Analysis of total percent correct recognition scores revealed significant effects of hearing status, S/N, and vowel context. Patterns of phoneme errors were analyzed by INDSCAL, Derived consonant features that accounted for phoneme errors by both subject groups were similar to ones reported by other investigators. However, weightings associated with the individual features varied with changes in noise condition. Although hearing-impaired listeners exhibited poorer overall nonsense syllable recognition scores in noise than normal-hearing listeners, no specific set of features emerged from the multidimensional scaling procedures that could uniquely account for this performance deficit.

Temporal Resolution in Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Listeners Using Frequency-Modulated Stimuli

1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Madden ◽  
Lawrence L. Feth
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Discrimination Performance ◽  
Frequency Discrimination ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual

This study compares the temporal resolution of frequency-modulated sinusoids by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects in a discrimination task. One signal increased linearly by 200 Hz in 50 msec. The other was identical except that its trajectory followed a series of discrete steps. Center frequencies were 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. As the number of steps was increased, the duration of the individual steps decreased, and the subjects’ discrimination performance monotonically decreased to chance. It was hypothesized that the listeners could not temporally resolve the trajectory of the step signals at short step durations. At equal sensation levels, and at equal sound pressure levels, temporal resolution was significantly reduced for the impaired subjects. The difference between groups was smaller in the equal sound pressure level condition. Performance was much poorer at 4000 Hz than at the other test frequencies in all conditions because of poorer frequency discrimination at that frequency.

The Effects of Different Frequency Responses on Sound Quality Judgments and Speech Intelligibility

1988 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alf Gabrielsson ◽  
Bo N. Schenkman ◽  
Björn Hagerman
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Quality Measures ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Music Programs ◽  
The Other ◽  
Frequency Responses ◽  
Word Lists ◽  
Lower Frequencies

Four speech programs and two music programs were reproduced using five different frequency responses: one flat and the others combinations of reductions at lower frequencies and/or increases at higher frequencies. Twelve hearing impaired (HI) and 8 normal hearing (NH) subjects listened monaurally to the reproductions at comfortable listening level and judged the sound quality on seven perceptual scales and a scale for total impression. Speech intelligibility was measured for phonetically balanced (PB) word lists and for sentences in noise. Significant differences among the reproductions appeared in practically all scales. The most preferred system was characterized by a fiat response at lower frequencies and a 6 dB/octave increase thereafter. There were certain differences between the NH and HI listeners in the judgments of the other systems. The intelligibility of PB word lists did not differ among the systems, and the S/N threshold for the sentences in noise only distinguished the flat response as worse than all others for the HI listeners. There was little correspondence between intelligibility measures and sound quality measures. The latter provided more information and distinctions among systems.

scholarly journals Dichotic Listening in Hearing-Impaired Children

1971 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 793-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes H. Ling
Keyword(s):  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
The Other ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Intersubject Variability ◽  
Impaired Group ◽  
Ear Advantage ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Hearing Impaired Children

Ear asymmetry for dichotic digits was used in an attempt to estimate speech laterality in 19 children with impaired hearing and 19 with normal hearing. Sequences of digits were also presented monaurally. The normal-hearing group was significantly superior to the hearing-impaired in the recall of both monaural and dichotic digits. No ear advantage was observed for either group on the monaural test. Right-ear dichotic scores were significantly superior for the normal-hearing group, but intersubject variability resulted in a nonsignificant right-ear trend for the hearing-impaired group, with individuals showing marked right- or left-ear advantage. No correlation was found between degree of ear asymmetry on the dichotic test and vocabulary scores for hearing-impaired subjects. Both members of a dichotic pair were rarely reported by hearing-impaired subjects, with one digit apparently masking or suppressing the other. It was concluded that speech lateralization could not safely be inferred from dichotic digit scores of hearing-impaired children.

Training Effects on Vowel Production by Two Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Speakers

1987 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Joe Osberger
Keyword(s):  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Training Effects ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Speech Training

Two profoundly hearing-impaired adolescents received systematic speech training to improve their production of the vowels /i/ and /æ/. Acoustic measures of F 1 , F 2 , and duration, and listener judgments of vowel acceptability, were used to quantify vowel production before and after training. Both subjects demonstrated significant changes in their production of the two vowels at the acoustic and perceptual levels following treatment. The changes were highly individualized. For some features, significant improvement occurred posttreatment with differences between the hearing-impaired subject and a control group of subjects with normal hearing no longer present. There was a significant improvement in the acceptability of the two vowels in each subject's speech after training. Vowel duration remained unchanged in the speech of one subject whereas it increased in the speech of the other subject following training. There was a trend toward reduced token-to-token variation in the posttreatment samples. Acoustic and perceptual measures also were obtained on two vowels not directly trained in the program. Significant changes occurred in the production of these segments but some of the changes resulted in greater deviation in the post- than in the pretreatment samples.

Speech Recognition in Amplitude-Modulated Noise of Listeners With Normal and Listeners With Impaired Hearing

1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie S. Eisenberg ◽  
Donald D. Dirks ◽  
Theodore S. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Release From Masking ◽  
High Pass ◽  
Nonsense Syllables

The effect of amplitude-modulated (AM) noise on speech recognition in listeners with normal and impaired hearing was investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment, nonsense syllables were presented in high-pass steady-state or AM noise to determine whether the release from masking in AM noise relative to steady-state noise was significantly different between normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects when the two groups listened under equivalent masker conditions. The normal-hearing subjects were tested in the experimental noise under two conditions: (a) in a spectrally shaped broadband noise that produced pure tone thresholds equivalent to those of the hearing-impaired subjects, and (b) without the spectrally shaped broadband noise. The release from masking in AM noise was significantly greater for the normal-hearing group than for either the hearing-impaired or masked normal-hearing groups. In the second experiment, normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects identified nonsense syllables in isolation and target words in sentences in steady-state or AM noise adjusted to approximate the spectral shape and gain of a hearing aid prescription. The release from masking was significantly less for the subjects with impaired hearing. These data suggest that hearingimpaired listeners obtain less release from masking in AM noise than do normal-hearing listeners even when both the speech and noise are presented at levels that are above threshold over much of the speech frequency range.

Effects of Visual Message-Related Cues, Age, and Hearing Impairment on Speechreading Performance

1974 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney O. Pelson ◽  
William F. Prather
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
The Other ◽  
Visual Message ◽  
Older Subjects ◽  
Better Than

Three groups of adult subjects, differing primarily in age and auditory status, performed two speechreading tasks. One task consisted of speechreading sentences in which the only cues provided were those from the speaker’s face and lips. In the other task, a related picture was presented just prior to speechreading a given sentence. Results indicated that while message-related pictures markedly enhanced speechreading performance for all groups, the older hearing-impaired subjects improved more than the two groups of normal-hearing subjects, regardless of age. In terms of absolute speechreading performance, however, the younger normal-hearing subjects speechread better than either of the two older groups while the older adults with hearing impairment tended to speechread better than the older subjects with normal hearing.

Hearing Aid Amplification Reduces Communication Effort of People With Hearing Impairment and Their Conversation Partners

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Beechey ◽  
Jörg M. Buchholz ◽  
Gitte Keidser
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Directional Hearing ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Communication Task ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
The Impact

Objectives This study investigates the hypothesis that hearing aid amplification reduces effort within conversation for both hearing aid wearers and their communication partners. Levels of effort, in the form of speech production modifications, required to maintain successful spoken communication in a range of acoustic environments are compared to earlier reported results measured in unaided conversation conditions. Design Fifteen young adult normal-hearing participants and 15 older adult hearing-impaired participants were tested in pairs. Each pair consisted of one young normal-hearing participant and one older hearing-impaired participant. Hearing-impaired participants received directional hearing aid amplification, according to their audiogram, via a master hearing aid with gain provided according to the NAL-NL2 fitting formula. Pairs of participants were required to take part in naturalistic conversations through the use of a referential communication task. Each pair took part in five conversations, each of 5-min duration. During each conversation, participants were exposed to one of five different realistic acoustic environments presented through highly open headphones. The ordering of acoustic environments across experimental blocks was pseudorandomized. Resulting recordings of conversational speech were analyzed to determine the magnitude of speech modifications, in terms of vocal level and spectrum, produced by normal-hearing talkers as a function of both acoustic environment and the degree of high-frequency average hearing impairment of their conversation partner. Results The magnitude of spectral modifications of speech produced by normal-hearing talkers during conversations with aided hearing-impaired interlocutors was smaller than the speech modifications observed during conversations between the same pairs of participants in the absence of hearing aid amplification. Conclusions The provision of hearing aid amplification reduces the effort required to maintain communication in adverse conditions. This reduction in effort provides benefit to hearing-impaired individuals and also to the conversation partners of hearing-impaired individuals. By considering the impact of amplification on both sides of dyadic conversations, this approach contributes to an increased understanding of the likely impact of hearing impairment on everyday communication.

Orosensory Perception, Speech Production, and Deafness

1973 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milo E. Bishop ◽  
Robert L. Ringel ◽  
Arthur S. House
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Functional Disorders ◽  
Form Discrimination ◽  
School Subjects ◽  
Oral Form ◽  
Similarities And Differences

The oral form-discrimination abilities of 18 orally educated and oriented deaf high school subjects were determined and compared to those of manually educated and oriented deaf subjects and normal-hearing subjects. The similarities and differences among the responses of the three groups were discussed and then compared to responses elicited from subjects with functional disorders of articulation. In general, the discrimination scores separated the manual deaf from the other two groups, particularly when differences in form shapes were involved in the test. The implications of the results for theories relating orosensory-discrimination abilities are discussed. It is postulated that, while a failure in oroperceptual functioning may lead to disorders of articulation, a failure to use the oral mechanism for speech activities, even in persons with normal orosensory capabilities, may result in poor performance on oroperceptual tasks.

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