scholarly journals Validation of the U-STARR with the AB-York Crescent of Sound, a New Instrument to Evaluate Speech Intelligibility in Noise and Spatial Hearing Skills

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette E. Smulders ◽  
Albert B. Rinia ◽  
Vanessa E.C. Pourier ◽  
Alice Van Zon ◽  
Gijsbert A. Van Zanten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Spatial Listening ◽  
Straight Ahead

The Advanced Bionics® (AB)-York crescent of sound is a new test setup that comprises speech intelligibility in noise and localization tests that represent everyday listening situations. One of its tests is the Sentence Test with Adaptive Randomized Roving levels (STARR) with sentences and noise both presented from straight ahead. For the Dutch population, we adopted the AB-York setup and replaced the English sentences with a validated set of Dutch sentences. The Dutch version of the STARR is called the Utrecht-STARR (U-STARR). This study primarily assesses the validity and reliability of the U-STARR compared to the Plomp test, which is the current Dutch gold standard for speech-in-noise testing. The outcome of both tests is a speech reception threshold in noise (SRTn). Secondary outcomes are the SRTn measured with sounds from spatially separated sources (SISSS) as well as sound localization capability. We tested 29 normal-hearing adults and 18 postlingually deafened adult patients with unilateral cochlear implants (CI). This study shows that the U-STARR is adequate and reliable and seems better suited for severely hearing-impaired persons than the conventional Plomp test. Further, CI patients have poor spatial listening skills, as demonstrated with the AB-York test.

The Developmental Trajectory of Spatial Listening Skills in Normal-Hearing Children

2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 865-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Elizabeth Susan Lovett ◽  
Pádraig Thomas Kitterick ◽  
Shan Huang ◽  
Arthur Quentin Summerfield
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
Spatial Listening ◽  
Movement Tracking

Purpose To establish the age at which children can complete tests of spatial listening and to measure the normative relationship between age and performance. Method Fifty-six normal-hearing children, ages 1.5–7.9 years, attempted tests of the ability to discriminate a sound source on the left from one on the right, to localize a source, to track moving sources, and to perceive speech in noise. Results Tests of left–right discrimination, movement tracking, and speech perception were completed by ≥75% of children older than 3 years. Children showed adult levels of performance from age 1.5 years (movement tracking), 3 years (left–right discrimination), and 6 years (localization and speech in noise). Spatial release from masking—calculated as the difference in speech reception thresholds between conditions with spatially coincident and spatially separate speech and noise—remained constant at 5 dB from age 3 years. Data from a separate study demonstrate the age at which children with cochlear implants can complete the same tests. Assessments of left–right discrimination, movement tracking, and speech perception were completed by ≥75% of children who are older than 5 years and who wear cochlear implants. Conclusion These data can guide the selection of tests for future studies and inform the interpretation of results from clinical populations.

scholarly journals Efficient Adaptive Speech Reception Threshold Measurements Using Stochastic Approximation Algorithms

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121652091919
Author(s):  
Gertjan Dingemanse ◽  
André Goedegebure
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Stochastic Approximation ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Efficient Estimation ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Clinical Procedures ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Adaptive Procedures ◽  
Intelligibility Score

This study examines whether speech-in-noise tests that use adaptive procedures to assess a speech reception threshold in noise ( SRT50n) can be optimized using stochastic approximation (SA) methods, especially in cochlear-implant (CI) users. A simulation model was developed that simulates intelligibility scores for words from sentences in noise for both CI users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners. The model was used in Monte Carlo simulations. Four different SA algorithms were optimized for use in both groups and compared with clinically used adaptive procedures. The simulation model proved to be valid, as its results agreed very well with existing experimental data. The four optimized SA algorithms all provided an efficient estimation of the SRT50n. They were equally accurate and produced smaller standard deviations (SDs) than the clinical procedures. In CI users, SRT50n estimates had a small bias and larger SDs than in NH listeners. At least 20 sentences per condition and an initial signal-to-noise ratio below the real SRT50n were required to ensure sufficient reliability. In CI users, bias and SD became unacceptably large for a maximum speech intelligibility score in quiet below 70%. In conclusion, SA algorithms with word scoring in adaptive speech-in-noise tests are applicable to various listeners, from CI users to NH listeners. In CI users, they lead to efficient estimation of the SRT50n as long as speech intelligibility in quiet is greater than 70%. SA procedures can be considered as a valid, more efficient, and alternative to clinical adaptive procedures currently used in CI users.

The effect of early auditory experience on the spatial listening skills of children with bilateral cochlear implants

2015 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 2159-2165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine F. Killan ◽  
Nicola Royle ◽  
Catherine L. Totten ◽  
Christopher H. Raine ◽  
Rosemary E.S. Lovett
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Bilateral Cochlear Implants ◽  
Auditory Experience ◽  
Spatial Listening

scholarly journals Using recurrent neural networks to improve the perception of speech in non-stationary noise by people with cochlear implants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Goehring ◽  
Mahmoud Keshavarzi ◽  
Robert P. Carlyon ◽  
Brian C. J. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Stationary Noise ◽  
Speech In Noise

Speech-in-noise perception is a major problem for users of cochlear implants (CIs), especially with non-stationary background noise such as competing talkers or traffic. Algorithms that facilitate speech perception by attenuating background noise have produced benefits but relied on a priori information about the target speaker and/or background noise. We developed a recurrent neural network (RNN) algorithm for enhancing speech in non-stationary noise and evaluated its benefits for speech perception, using objective measures, experiments with normal-hearing (NH) subjects listening to CI simulations and experiments with CI users. The RNN was trained using a data set that included speech from many talkers mixed with a set of real-world multi-talker or traffic noise recordings. Its performance was evaluated using speech from a novel talker mixed with novel noise recordings of the same class, either babble or traffic noise. The signal-to-noise ratios also differed from those used for training. Objective measures indicated benefits of using a recurrent architecture over a simpler feed-forward architecture and predicted better speech intelligibility than for the unprocessed speech in noise. The experimental results showed significant improvements in speech intelligibility for the speech in babble for both CI simulations and CI subjects; speech reception thresholds were improved by 1.4 to 3.4 dB. There was no significant improvement for the traffic noise. CI subjects rated stimuli processed using the RNN algorithm as significantly better in terms of speech distortions, noise intrusiveness and overall quality than unprocessed stimuli for both babble and traffic noise, with larger improvements for the former. These results extend previous findings and indicate benefits in speech-in-noise performance by CI listeners for mostly unseen acoustic conditions when using a speaker-independent algorithm that was optimized for non-stationary noises.

Speech-in-Noise Tests for Multilingual Hearing Screening and Diagnostics1

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Zokoll ◽  
Sabine Hochmuth ◽  
Anna Warzybok ◽  
Kirsten C. Wagener ◽  
Michael Buschermöhle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Model Function ◽  
Minimum Quality Standards ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Minimum Quality

Purpose New complementary multilingual speech-in-noise tests in Russian, Turkish, and Spanish for hearing self-screening purposes and follow-up hearing diagnostics are compared to the speech tests of the European project, HearCom (Hearing in the Communication Society). Method The tests consist of spoken numbers (Digit Triplet Test; Smits, Kapteyn, & Houtgast, 2004) or sentences (Matrix Test; e.g., Hagerman, 1982) presented in a background noise and estimate the speech reception threshold, which is the signal-to-noise ratio that yields 50% speech intelligibility. All tests were developed according to the HearCom minimum quality standards for speech intelligibility tests. This report presents a cross-language comparison of reference speech intelligibility functions for monaural headphone measurements with normal-hearing listeners. The same model function was employed to describe the speech intelligibility functions for all of the tests. Results Reference speech intelligibility functions of the new versions of the Digit Triplet Test and Matrix Test show high comparability to the HearCom tests. In order to achieve the highest possible comparability across languages, language- and speaker-dependent factors in speech intelligibility should be compensated for. Conclusion To date, several complementary tests for screening and diagnostics have been developed in several languages. Adhering to the HearCom standards, the tests are highly comparable across languages. For the Matrix Test, equal syntax and linguistic complexity were maintained across languages due to common methodological standards.

scholarly journals Translation, adaptation, validity and reliability of the Dutch version of the ‘blue flags’ questionnaire

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Anne Westerweel ◽  
Yvonne F. Heerkens ◽  
Wiebke Oswald ◽  
Charlotte Post Sennehed ◽  
Kjerstin Stigmar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Dutch Version

scholarly journals Integrated Bimodal Fitting for Unilateral CI Users with Residual Contralateral Hearing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-206
Author(s):  
Gennaro Auletta ◽  
Annamaria Franzè ◽  
Carla Laria ◽  
Carmine Piccolo ◽  
Carmine Papa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Performance Difference ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Noisy Conditions ◽  
New Formula ◽  
Better Than

Background: The aim of this study was to compare, in users of bimodal cochlear implants, the performance obtained using their own hearing aids (adjusted with the standard NAL-NL1 fitting formula) with the performance using the Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power hearing aid adjusted with both NAL-NL1 and a new bimodal system (Adaptive Phonak Digital Bimodal (APDB)) developed by Advanced Bionics and Phonak Corporations. Methods: Eleven bimodal users (Naìda CI Q70 + contralateral hearing aid) were enrolled in our study. The users’ own hearing aids were replaced with the Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power and fitted following the new formula. Speech intelligibility was assessed in quiet and noisy conditions, and comparisons were made with the results obtained with the users’ previous hearing aids and with the Naída Link hearing aids fitted with the NAL-NL1 generic prescription formula. Results: Using Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power hearing aids with the Adaptive Phonak Digital Bimodal fitting formula, performance was significantly better than that with the users’ own rehabilitation systems, especially in challenging hearing situations for all analyzed subjects. Conclusions: Speech intelligibility tests in quiet settings did not reveal a significant difference in performance between the new fitting formula and NAL-NL1 fittings (using the Naída Link hearing aids), whereas the performance difference between the two fittings was very significant in noisy test conditions.

scholarly journals Evidence of validity and reliability of the adaptive functioning scale for intellectual disability (EFA-DI)

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thais Selau ◽  
Mônia Aparecida da Silva ◽  
Euclides José de Mendonça Filho ◽  
Denise Ruschel Bandeira
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
International Context ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Item Response Theory Analysis ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

Abstract Intellectual disability (ID) is a developmental disorder characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) defines adaptive functioning as a severity measure of ID. The availability of tests in the international context to assess this construct has increased in recent years. In Brazil, however, non-systematic assessment of adaptive functioning, such as through observation and interviews, still predominates. The Escala de Funcionamento Adaptativo para Deficiência Intelectual EFA-DI [Adaptive Functioning Scale for Intellectual Disabilities] is a new instrument developed in Brazil to assess the adaptive functioning of 7- to 15-year-old children and support the diagnosis of ID. This study’s objectives were to investigate evidence of validity related to the EFA-DI’s internal structure, criterion validity, and reliability. The psychometric analyses involved two statistical modeling types, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory analysis (IRT). These results highlight the EFA-DI scale’s strong psychometric properties and support its use as a parental report measure of young children’s adaptive functioning. Future studies will be conducted to develop norms of interpretation for the EFA-DI. This study is expected to contribute to the fields of psychological assessment and child development in Brazil.

scholarly journals Development and Preliminary Validation of Social Media as an Educational and Professional Tool Student Perceptions Scale (SMEPT-SPS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Samuel López-Carril ◽  
María Huertas González-Serrano ◽  
Ferran Calabuig-Moreno ◽  
Vicente Añó ◽  
Christos Anagnostopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Sports Management ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Preliminary Validation ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Management Students ◽  
Professional Tool

Although social media has an increasing presence both in university and sports settings, in the sports-management education context, no instruments (without being focused on one particular social-media platform, e.g., Facebook and Twitter) have been developed and validated that globally allow the academy to explore the perceptions of sports-management students concerning the educational and professional learning potential that these tools offer. Therefore, this research’s main objective is to develop and perform a preliminary validation of the social media as an educational and professional tool student perceptions scale (SMEPT-SPS). This study sample was composed of 90 Spanish undergraduate sports-management students (M = 22.56; SD = 3.55). A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the psychometric properties of the SMEPT-SPS. The statistical analysis reflects the scale’s three-dimensional nature, explaining 67.87% of the variance and presents adequate psychometric properties (α = 0.87). Nevertheless, further validity and reliability analysis are required to confirm these initial findings with a larger and more representative sample. Considering the foregoing limitation, this research contributes to the literature by providing a new instrument, the SMEPT-SPS, that could help sports-management faculty expand the scope and understanding of social media’s educational and professional potential.

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