scholarly journals A Speech Intelligibility Index-based approach to predict the speech reception threshold for sentences in fluctuating noise for normal-hearing listeners

2005 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 2181-2192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koenraad S. Rhebergen ◽  
Niek J. Versfeld
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index

Binaural speech-to-noise loudness ratio at the speech reception threshold in vehicles

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-179
Author(s):  
Nilolina Samardzic ◽  
Brian C.J. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
New Method ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Typical Error ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Speech Transmission ◽  
Articulation Index ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index ◽  
Binaural Listening

Traditional methods for predicting the intelligibility of speech in the presence of noise inside a vehicle, such as the Articulation Index (AI), the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII), and the Speech Transmission Index (STI), are not accurate, probably because they do not take binaural listening into account; the signals reaching the two ears can differ markedly depending on the positions of the talker and listener. We propose a new method for predicting the intelligibility of speech in a vehicle, based on the ratio of the binaural loudness of the speech to the binaural loudness of the noise, each calculated using the method specified in ISO 532-2 (2017). The method was found to give accurate predictions of the speech reception threshold (SRT) measured under a variety of conditions and for different positions of the talker and listener in a car. The typical error in the predicted SRT was 1.3 dB, which is markedly smaller than estimated using the SII and STI (2.0 dB and 2.1 dB, respectively).

Impact of Background Noise Fluctuation and Reverberation on Response Time in a Speech Reception Task

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 4179-4195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Prodi ◽  
Chiara Visentin
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Closed Set ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose This study examines the effects of reverberation and noise fluctuation on the response time (RT) to the auditory stimuli in a speech reception task. Method The speech reception task was presented to 76 young adults with normal hearing in 3 simulated listening conditions (1 anechoic, 2 reverberant). Speechlike stationary and fluctuating noise were used as maskers, in a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios. The speech-in-noise tests were presented in a closed-set format; data on speech intelligibility and RT (time elapsed from the offset of the auditory stimulus to the response selection) were collected. A slowing down in RTs was interpreted as an increase in listening effort. Results RTs slowed down in the more challenging signal-to-noise ratios, with increasing reverberation and for stationary compared to fluctuating noise, consistently with a fluctuating masking release scheme. When speech intelligibility was fixed, it was found that the estimated RTs were similar or faster for stationary compared to fluctuating noise, depending on the amount of reverberation. Conclusions The current findings add to the literature on listening effort for listeners with normal hearing by indicating that the addition of reverberation to fluctuating noise increases RT in a speech reception task. The results support the importance of integrating noise and reverberation to provide accurate predictors of real-world performance in clinical settings.

Accuracy of Speech Intelligibility Index Predictions for Noise-Masked Young Listeners With Normal Hearing and for Elderly Listeners With Hearing Impairment

1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Hargus ◽  
Sandra Gordon-Salant
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Auditory Sensitivity ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Speech Test ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index ◽  
Speech Presentation

This study examined whether the accuracy of Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) predictions is affected by subject age when between-groups auditory sensitivity differences are controlled. SII predictive accuracy was assessed for elderly listeners with hearing impairment (EHI) and for young noise-masked listeners with normal hearing (NMN). SII predictive accuracy was poorer for the EHI subjects than for the NMN subjects across a range of test conditions and stimuli. Speech test redundancy, speech presentation level, signal-to-babble ratio, and babble level also affected SII predictive accuracy. The results suggest that the speech recognition difficulties experienced in noise by elderly listeners do not result solely from reduced auditory sensitivity.

Subjective Judgments of Clarity and Intelligibility for Filtered Stimuli With Equivalent Speech Intelligibility Index Predictions

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie S. Eisenberg ◽  
Donald D. Dirks ◽  
Sumiko Takayanagi ◽  
Amy Schaefer Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Hearing In Noise ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index ◽  
Subjective Judgments ◽  
Intelligibility Ratings ◽  
High Pass

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether subjective judgments of clarity or intelligibility would be rated equally among conditions in which speech was equated for predicted intelligibility (using the Speech Intelligibility Index, SII) but varied in bandwidth. Twenty listeners with normal hearing rated clarity and intelligibility for sentence material (Hearing In Noise Test) in speech-shaped noise at six paired low- and high-pass filtered conditions in which SII was equated for each pair. For three paired conditions, predicted intelligibility increased as SII increased monotonically (0.3, 0.4, 0.5). In the remaining paired conditions, SII continued to increase monotonically (0.6, 0.7, 0.8) but predicted intelligibility was held at a maximal level (≥95%). Predicted intelligibility was estimated from the transfer function relating SII to speech recognition scores determined in preliminary experiments. Differences in ratings between paired low- and high-pass filtered sentences did not reach statistical significance for either clarity or intelligibility, indicating that the spectral differences at equivalent SIIs did not influence the judgments for either of the two dimensions. For conditions in which predicted intelligibility increased, both clarity and intelligibility ratings increased in a similar manner. For conditions in which predicted intelligibility was maximized, intelligibility ratings remained the same statistically across conditions while clarity ratings changed modestly. Although high correlations were observed between clarity and intelligibility ratings, intelligibility ratings were consistently higher than clarity ratings for comparable conditions. The results indicated that listeners with normal hearing produced clarity and intelligibility ratings for the same speech material and experimental conditions that were highly related but differed in magnitude. Caution is required when substituting clarity for intelligibility.

scholarly journals The Influence of the Semantic Material on the Assessment of Speech Reception Threshold

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
Magdalena Krenz ◽  
Andrzej Wicher ◽  
Aleksander Sęk
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The Subject

Abstract To determine speech intelligibility using the test suggested by Ozimek et al. (2009), the subject composed sentences with the words presented on a computer screen. However, the number and the type of these words were chosen arbitrarily. The subject was always presented with 18, similarly sounding words. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the number and the type of alternative words used by Ozimek et al. (2009), had a significant influence on the speech intelligibility. The aim was also to determine an optimal number of alternative words: i.e., the number that did not affect the speech reception threshold (SRT) and not unduly lengthened the duration of the test. The study conducted using a group of 10 subjects with normal hearing showed that an increase in the number of words to choose from 12 to 30 increased the speech intelligibility by about 0.3 dB/6 words. The use of paronyms as alternative words as opposed to random words, leads to an increase in the speech intelligibility by about 0.6 dB, which is equivalent to a decrease in intelligibility by 15 percentage points. Enlarging the number of words to choose from, and switching alternative words to paronyms, led to an increase in response time from approximately 11 to 16 s. It seems that the use of paronyms as alternative words as well as using 12 or 18 words to choose from is the best choice when using the Polish Sentence Test (PST).

scholarly journals The Role of Sentence Position, Allomorph, and Morpheme Type on Accurate Use of s-Related Morphemes by Children Who Are Hard of Hearing

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keegan Koehlinger ◽  
Amanda Owen Van Horne ◽  
Jacob Oleson ◽  
Ryan McCreery ◽  
Mary Pat Moeller
Keyword(s):  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Sensation Level ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Pure Tone Average ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index

Purpose Production accuracy of s-related morphemes was examined in 3-year-olds with mild-to-severe hearing loss, focusing on perceptibility, articulation, and input frequency. Method Morphemes with /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/ as allomorphs (plural, possessive, third-person singular –s, and auxiliary and copula “is”) were analyzed from language samples gathered from 51 children (ages: 2;10 [years;months] to 3;8) who are hard of hearing (HH), all of whom used amplification. Articulation was assessed via the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation–Second Edition, and monomorphemic word final /s/ and /z/ production. Hearing was measured via better ear pure tone average, unaided Speech Intelligibility Index, and aided sensation level of speech at 4 kHz. Results Unlike results reported for children with normal hearing, the group of children who are HH correctly produced the /ɪz/ allomorph more than /s/ and /z/ allomorphs. Relative accuracy levels for morphemes and sentence positions paralleled those of children with normal hearing. The 4-kHz sensation level scores (but not the better ear pure tone average or Speech Intelligibility Index), the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation–Second Edition, and word final s/z use all predicted accuracy. Conclusions Both better hearing and higher articulation scores are associated with improved morpheme production, and better aided audibility in the high frequencies and word final production of s/z are particularly critical for morpheme acquisition in children who are HH.

scholarly journals Auditory Comprehension in School-Aged Children With Normal Hearing and With Unilateral Hearing Loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Griffin ◽  
Sarah F. Poissant ◽  
Richard L. Freyman
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Unilateral Hearing Loss ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index ◽  
Narrative Language

Purpose The purpose of this study was to measure auditory comprehension performance in school-aged children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and with normal hearing (NH) in quiet and in the presence of child-produced two-talker babble (TTB). Method Listeners were school-aged children (7–12 years) with permanent UHL ( n = 25) or NH ( n = 14). Comprehension of three short stories taken from the Test of Narrative Language ( Gillam & Pearson, 2004 ) was measured in quiet and in the presence of TTB at two signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs): (a) +6 dB and (b) the individualized SNR required to achieve 50% sentence understanding in the presence of the same TTB masker in a prior study ( Griffin, Poissant, & Freyman, 2019 ). Target/masker spatial configuration was 0°/±60° azimuth. Results As a group, subjects with UHL demonstrated auditory comprehension abilities in favorable listening environments (i.e., quiet, +6 dB SNR) that were statistically equivalent to the NH group. However, in the most challenging listening condition (individualized SNR), many subjects with UHL demonstrated poorer comprehension performance than their age-matched peers with NH. Comprehension abilities were not associated with degree of UHL, unaided speech intelligibility index at 65 dB SPL in the impaired ear, side of UHL, or sex. Conclusions As a group, children with UHL demonstrated deficits in auditory comprehension compared to age-matched peers with NH in challenging listening environments. Findings highlight the importance of ensuring good SNRs for children with UHL.

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