scholarly journals Virtual Reality in Audiology: Feasibility of Virtual Reality Audiological Testing (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Yoon Seol ◽  
Soojin Kang ◽  
Ji Hyun Lim ◽  
Sung Hwa Hong ◽  
Il Joon Moon
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Real World ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Speech Performance

UNSTRUCTURED It has been noted in literature that, there is a gap between clinical assessment and real-world performance. Real-world conversations entail visual and information and yet there are not any audiological assessment tools that include visual information. Virtual reality (VR) technology has been applied to various areas including audiology. However, the use of VR in speech in noise perception has not been investigated yet. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of virtual space on speech performance and its feasibility to be used as a speech test instrument. Thirty individuals with normal hearing and twenty-five individuals with hearing loss completed puretone audiometry and the Korean version of the Hearing in Noise Test (K-HINT) in conventional K-HINT, VS on PC, and VS on head-mounted display at -10, -5, 0 and +5dB signal-to-noise ratios. Participants listened to target speech and repeated back to the tester for all conditions. Hearing aid users in the hearing loss group completed testing in unaided and aided conditions. A questionnaire was administered after testing. Provision of visual information had a significant impact on speech performance between the normal hearing and hearing impairment groups. Hearing aid use led to better integration of audio and visual cues. Statistical significance was observed for some conditions in each group and between hearing aid and non-hearing aid users. Participants reported positive responses across almost all items on the questionnaire except for the weight of the headset. Participants preferred a test method with visual imagery, but the headset was heavy. Findings are in line with previous literature that visual cues are beneficial for communication. This is the first study to include hearing aid users with a more naturalistic stimulus and a relatively “simple” test environment, suggesting the feasibility of virtual reality audiological testing in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Correction: Feasibility of Virtual Reality Audiological Testing: Prospective Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Yoon Seol ◽  
Soojin Kang ◽  
Jihyun Lim ◽  
Sung Hwa Hong ◽  
Il Joon Moon
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Real World ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Speech Performance

UNSTRUCTURED It has been noted in the literature that there is a gap between clinical assessment and real-world performance. Real-world conversations entail visual and audio information, yet there are not any audiological assessment tools that include visual information. Virtual reality (VR) technology has been applied to various areas, including audiology. However, the use of VR in speech-in-noise perception has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of virtual space (VS) on speech performance and its feasibility to be used as a speech test instrument. We hypothesized that individuals’ ability to recognize speech would improve when visual cues were provided. A total of 30 individuals with normal hearing and 25 individuals with hearing loss completed pure-tone audiometry and the Korean version of the Hearing in Noise Test (K-HINT) under three conditions—conventional K-HINT (cK-HINT), VS on PC (VSPC), and VS head-mounted display (VSHMD)—at –10 dB, –5 dB, 0 dB, and +5 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Participants listened to target speech and repeated it back to the tester for all conditions. Hearing aid users in the hearing loss group completed testing under unaided and aided conditions. A questionnaire was administered after testing to gather subjective opinions on the headset, the VSHMD condition, and test preference. Provision of visual information had a significant impact on speech performance between the normal hearing and hearing impaired groups. The Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> test showed statistical significance (<i>P</i>&lt;.05) between the two groups under all test conditions. Hearing aid use led to better integration of audio and visual cues. Statistical significance through the Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> test was observed for –5 dB (<i>P</i>=.04) and 0 dB (<i>P</i>=.02) SNRs under the cK-HINT condition, as well as for –10 dB (<i>P</i>=.007) and 0 dB (<i>P</i>=.04) SNRs under the VSPC condition, between hearing aid and non–hearing aid users. Participants reported positive responses across almost all items on the questionnaire except for the weight of the headset. Participants preferred a test method with visual imagery, but found the headset to be heavy. Findings are in line with previous literature that showed that visual cues were beneficial for communication. This is the first study to include hearing aid users with a more naturalistic stimulus and a relatively simple test environment, suggesting the feasibility of VR audiological testing in clinical practice.

Measurements of Loudness Growth in 1/2-Octave Bands for Children and Adults With Normal Hearing

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melisa R. Ellis ◽  
Michael K. Wynne
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Lower Boundary ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Boundary Values ◽  
Simple Modification ◽  
Point Data ◽  
Loudness Growth

The loudness growth in 1/2-octave bands (LGOB) procedure has been shown previously to provide valid estimates of loudness growth for adults with normal hearing and those with hearing loss (Allen, Hall, & Jeng, 1990), and it has been widely incorporated into fitting strategies for adult hearing aid users by a hearing aid manufacturer. Here, we applied a simple modification of LGOB to children and adults with normal hearing and then compared the loudness growth functions (as obtained from end-point data) between the two age groups. In addition, reliability data obtained within a single session and between test sessions were compared between the two groups. Large differences were observed in the means between the two groups for the lower boundary values, the upper boundary values, and the range between boundaries both within and across all frequencies. The data obtained from children also had greater variance than the adult data. In addition, there was more variability in the data across test sessions for children. Many test-retest differences for children exceeded 10 dB. Adult test-retest differences were generally less than 10 dB. Although the LGOB with the modifications used in this study may be used to measure loudness growth in children, its poor reliability with this age group may limit its clinical use for children with hearing loss. Additional work is needed to explore whether loudness growth measures can be adapted successfully to children and whether these measures contribute worthwhile information for fitting hearing aids to children.

scholarly journals Survey of Hearing Aid Conditions for Hearing Impaired Persons While Driving

2020 ◽  
pp. 132-136
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ikeda ◽  
Shigeyuki Minami
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Actual Usage ◽  
Hearing Ability ◽  
Acquired Hearing Loss ◽  
The Impact

Hearing impaired persons are required to drive with hearing aids to supplement their hearing ability, however, there has not been sufficient discussion regarding the impact of the use of a hearing aid on driving a vehicle. In order to investigate the actual usage and driving conditions of using hearing aids while driving a vehicle, this paper uses a questionnaire to survey (1) how easy it is to drive when wearing hearing aids, and (2) how often hearing aids are not worn while driving. Concerning the ease of driving when wearing a hearing aid, it was suggested that people with congenital hearing loss were more likely to rely on visual information, and those with acquired hearing loss continue to use their experience of hearing. When the level of disability is high, it is difficult to drive when using the hearing aid, and when the disability level is low, it is easier to drive. Regarding the frequency of driving without wearing hearing aids, about 60 % of respondents had such an experience. Those who often drive without hearing aids had experienced headaches due to noise from wearing hearing aids compared to those who wear hearing aids at all times. Hearing aids are necessary assistive devices for hearing impaired persons to obtain hearing information, and to provide a safe driving environment. Therefore, this paper addresses issues to maintain a comfortable driving environment while wearing a hearing aid.

scholarly journals The use of speech sentence audiometry in a free sound field

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Mariya Yu. Boboshko ◽  
Irina P. Berdnikova ◽  
Natalya V. Maltzeva
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hearing Aid Benefit

Objectives -to determine the normative data of sentence speech intelligibility in a free sound field and to estimate the applicability of the Russian Matrix Sentence test (RuMatrix) for assessment of the hearing aid fitting benefit. Material and methods. 10 people with normal hearing and 28 users of hearing aids with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss were involved in the study. RuMatrix test both in quiet and in noise was performed in a free sound field. All patients filled in the COSI questionnaire. Results. The hearing impaired patients were divided into two subgroups: the 1st with high and the 2nd with low hearing aid benefit, according to the COSI questionnaire. In the 1st subgroup, the threshold for the sentence intelligibility in quiet was 34.9 ± 6.4 dB SPL, and in noise -3.3 ± 1.4 dB SNR, in the 2nd subgroup 41.7 ± 11.5 dB SPL and 0.15 ± 3.45 dB SNR, respectively. The significant difference between the data of both subgroups and the norm was registered (p

The Effects of Changes in Head Angle on Auditory and Visual Input for Omnidirectional and Directional Microphone Hearing Aids

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Henry ◽  
Todd Ricketts
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Increase Signal Intensity ◽  
Visual Mode

Improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for individuals with hearing loss who are listening to speech in noise provides an obvious benefit. Although binaural hearing provides the greatest advantage over monaural hearing in noise, some individuals with symmetrical hearing loss choose to wear only one hearing aid. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals with symmetrical hearing loss fit with one hearing aid would demonstrate improved speech recognition in background noise with increases in head turn. Fourteen individuals were fit monaurally with a Starkey Gemini in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid with directional and omnidirectional microphone modes. Speech recognition performance in noise was tested using the audiovisual version of the Connected Speech Test (CST v.3). The test was administered in auditory-only conditions as well as with the addition of visual cues for each of three head angles: 0°, 20°, and 40°. Results indicated improvement in speech recognition performance with changes in head angle for the auditory-only presentation mode at the 20° and 40° head angles when compared to 0°. Improvement in speech recognition performance for the auditory + visual mode was noted for the 20° head angle when compared to 0°. Additionally, a decrement in speech recognition performance for the auditory + visual mode was noted for the 40° head angle when compared to 0°. These results support a speech recognition advantage for listeners fit with one ITE hearing aid listening in a close listener-to-speaker distance when they turn their head slightly in order to increase signal intensity.

scholarly journals Masking Release in Children and Adults With Hearing Loss When Using Amplification

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Brennan ◽  
Ryan McCreery ◽  
Judy Kopun ◽  
Dawna Lewis ◽  
Joshua Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Noise Masking ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Masking Release ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Purpose This study compared masking release for adults and children with normal hearing and hearing loss. For the participants with hearing loss, masking release using simulated hearing aid amplification with 2 different compression speeds (slow, fast) was compared. Method Sentence recognition in unmodulated noise was compared with recognition in modulated noise (masking release). Recognition was measured for participants with hearing loss using individualized amplification via the hearing-aid simulator. Results Adults with hearing loss showed greater masking release than the children with hearing loss. Average masking release was small (1 dB) and did not depend on hearing status. Masking release was comparable for slow and fast compression. Conclusions The use of amplification in this study contrasts with previous studies that did not use amplification. The results suggest that when differences in audibility are reduced, participants with hearing loss may be able to take advantage of dips in the noise levels, similar to participants with normal hearing. Although children required a more favorable signal-to-noise ratio than adults for both unmodulated and modulated noise, masking release was not statistically different. However, the ability to detect a difference may have been limited by the small amount of masking release observed.

scholarly journals Hearing Loss, Hearing Aid Use and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults – Findings from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aishwarya Shukla ◽  
Nicholas Reed ◽  
Nicole M Armstrong ◽  
Frank R Lin ◽  
Jennifer A Deal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Atherosclerosis Risk

Abstract OBJECTIVES Investigate the cross-sectional association between hearing loss (HL), hearing aid use, and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults. METHOD The analytic sample consisted of 3188 participants (age range 71-94 years) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS). Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of audiometric hearing status and self-reported hearing aid use with depressive symptoms (11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). RESULTS 4.6% of participants had depressive symptoms. 40% had mild HL and 27% had moderate or greater HL. In multivariable-adjusted models, mild HL was associated with 1.90 times higher odds (95% Confidence Interval, [CI] 1.20-3.01) and moderate or greater HL with 2.42 times higher odds (95% CI 1.44-4.07) of depressive symptoms compared to normal hearing. Each 10dB increase in HL was associated with 1.30 higher odds of depressive symptoms (95% CI 1.14-1.49). Hearing aid use was not associated with depressive symptoms among those with mild (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.35-2.54) or moderate or greater (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.60-2.11) HL. DISCUSSION Older adults with HL have higher odds of depressive symptoms compared to adults with normal hearing. Future studies are needed to assess whether hearing care is protective against depressive symptoms in older adults.

Using Trainable Hearing Aids to Examine Real-World Preferred Gain

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 758-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Gustav Mueller ◽  
Benjamin W.Y. Hornsby ◽  
Jennifer E. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Real World ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Volume Control ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
Few Data

Background: While there have been many studies of real-world preferred hearing aid gain, few data are available from participants using hearing aids with today's special features activated. Moreover, only limited data have been collected regarding preferred gain for individuals using trainable hearing aids. Purpose: To determine whether real-world preferred hearing aid gain with trainable modern hearing aids is in agreement with previous work in this area, and to determine whether the starting programmed gain setting influences preferred gain outcome. Research Design: An experimental crossover study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Following initial treatment, each subject crossed to the opposite group and experienced that treatment. Study Sample: Twenty-two adults with downward sloping sensorineural hearing loss served as participants (mean age 64.5; 16 males, 6 females). All were experienced users of bilateral amplification. Intervention: Using a crossover design, participants were fitted to two different prescriptive gain conditions: VC (volume control) start-up 6 dB above NAL-NL1 (National Acoustic Laboratories—Non-linear 1) target or VC start-up 6 dB below NAL-NL1 target. The hearing aids were used in a 10 to 14 day field trial for each condition, and using the VC, the participants could “train” the overall hearing aid gain to their preferred level. During the field trial, daily hearing aid use was logged, as well as the listening situations experienced by the listeners based on the hearing instrument's acoustic scene analysis. The participants completed a questionnaire at the start and end of each field trial in which they rated loudness perceptions and their satisfaction with aided loudness levels. Results: Because several participants potentially experienced floor or ceiling effects for the range of trainable gain, the majority of the statistical analysis was conducted using 12 of the 22 participants. For both VC-start conditions, the trained preferred gain differed significantly from the NAL-NL1 prescriptive targets. More importantly, the initial start-up gain significantly influenced the trained gain; the mean preferred gain for the +6 dB start condition was approximately 9 dB higher than the preferred gain for the −6 dB start condition, and this difference was statistically significant (p < .001). Partial eta squared (η2) = 0.919, which is a large effect size.Deviation from the NAL-NL1 target was not significantly influenced by the time spent in different listening environments, amount of hearing aid use during the trial period, or amount of hearing loss. Questionnaire data showed more appropriate ratings for loudness and higher satisfaction with loudness for the 6 dB below target VC-start condition. Conclusions: When trainable hearing aids are used, the initial programmed gain of hearing instruments can influence preferred gain in the real world.

scholarly journals Enhancing Auditory Selective Attention Using a Visually Guided Hearing Aid

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 3027-3038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Kidd
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Sound Source ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Spatial Filter ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Auditory Selective Attention

Purpose Listeners with hearing loss, as well as many listeners with clinically normal hearing, often experience great difficulty segregating talkers in a multiple-talker sound field and selectively attending to the desired “target” talker while ignoring the speech from unwanted “masker” talkers and other sources of sound. This listening situation forms the classic “cocktail party problem” described by Cherry (1953) that has received a great deal of study over the past few decades. In this article, a new approach to improving sound source segregation and enhancing auditory selective attention is described. The conceptual design, current implementation, and results obtained to date are reviewed and discussed in this article. Method This approach, embodied in a prototype “visually guided hearing aid” (VGHA) currently used for research, employs acoustic beamforming steered by eye gaze as a means for improving the ability of listeners to segregate and attend to one sound source in the presence of competing sound sources. Results The results from several studies demonstrate that listeners with normal hearing are able to use an attention-based “spatial filter” operating primarily on binaural cues to selectively attend to one source among competing spatially distributed sources. Furthermore, listeners with sensorineural hearing loss generally are less able to use this spatial filter as effectively as are listeners with normal hearing especially in conditions high in “informational masking.” The VGHA enhances auditory spatial attention for speech-on-speech masking and improves signal-to-noise ratio for conditions high in “energetic masking.” Visual steering of the beamformer supports the coordinated actions of vision and audition in selective attention and facilitates following sound source transitions in complex listening situations. Conclusions Both listeners with normal hearing and with sensorineural hearing loss may benefit from the acoustic beamforming implemented by the VGHA, especially for nearby sources in less reverberant sound fields. Moreover, guiding the beam using eye gaze can be an effective means of sound source enhancement for listening conditions where the target source changes frequently over time as often occurs during turn-taking in a conversation. Presentation Video http://cred.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2601621

Effects of CIC Hearing Aids on Auditory Localization by Listeners With Normal Hearing

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1209-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. D'Angelo ◽  
Robert S. Bolia ◽  
Pamela J. Mishler ◽  
Linda J. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Real World ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Auditory Localization ◽  
Ear Canal ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Significant Decrement ◽  
Localization Performance

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids on auditory localization performance. Six normal-hearing listeners localized a 750-ms broadband noise from loudspeakers ranging in azimuth from –180° to +180° and in elevation from –75° to +90°. Independent variables included the presence or absence of the hearing aid and the elevation of the source. Dependent measures included azimuth error, elevation error, and the percentage of trials resulting in a front-back confusion. The findings indicate a statistically significant decrement in localization acuity, both in azimuth and elevation, occasioned by the wearing of CIC hearing aids. However, the magni-tude of this decrement was small compared to those typically caused by other ear-canal occlusions, such as earplugs, and would probably not engender mislocalization of real-world sounds.

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