Listening Effort and Speech Perception Performance Using Different Facemasks.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of eight different facemasks on speech perception and listening effort in listeners with normal hearing (NH) and hearing loss by manipulating both mask type and background noise levels. METHOD: Forty adults listened to Quick Speech-in-Noise Test sentences recorded by a female talker through eight different facemasks including a baseline condition with no mask. Listeners were tested in the sound field positioned 6 ft from the loudspeaker. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss and listening effort were measured. RESULTS: Listeners with NH exhibited a mild SNR loss, whereas those with hearing loss experienced a moderate SNR loss. Scores for the mild hearing loss group were significantly poorer (higher) than those with slight hearing loss. Speech perception performance was best in the no mask, KN95, and surgical mask conditions and poorest in the cloth mask and cloth mask plus face shield conditions for all groups. As listening effort decreased, speech perception increased for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of different types of facemasks on speech perception in noise was demonstrated in this study indicating that as the SNR was reduced, listening effort increased and speech perception performance decreased for listeners with NH and slight/mild hearing loss. No mask, KN95, and surgical masks had the least impact on performance, whereas cloth masks posed a significant detriment to communication. If communication is to occur in a background of noise while wearing masks, a KN95 mask and an SNR of at least +15 dB is recommended regardless of hearing status.

Validation of Male Talker Recordings of the Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Threshold Test and the Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate recordings of the Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Threshold (SPSRT) test and Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test (SPPIT) for Spanish-speaking children using a native, bilingual Spanish-English male talker of Castilian peninsular dialect from Spain. METHOD: Seventy native Spanish-speaking children from a variety of countries participated. Fifty-eight participants had normal hearing, and the remaining 12 had mild hearing loss in at least one ear. Male talker recordings of the SPSRT and SPPIT were administered to obtain baseline validation data. Participants listened to the stimuli and pointed to the appropriate item on the picture boards that represented the word they heard. RESULTS: Mean SRTs were within 5 dB of mean pure-tone averages resulting in a positive correlation. Performance-intensity functions for the SPPIT showed minimal significant differences across the three test lists, and performance increased as the sensation level increased. CONCLUSIONS: The male talker recordings of the SPSRT and SPPIT are valid speech perception picture-pointing assessments that can be used with Spanish-speaking children. The recordings present the Spanish target word while simultaneously presenting the English interpretation for ease of scoring.

Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a recorded word recognition test for monolingual Spanish-speaking children utilizing a picture board and a picture-pointing task. Design The Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test was developed and validated in this study. Test construction steps included (a) producing new digital recordings of word lists created by Comstock and Martin (1984) using a bilingual Spanish-English female, (b) obtaining list equivalency, (c) creating digitally illustrated pictures representing the word lists, (d) validating the pictures using monolingual Spanish-speaking and bilingual Spanish-English children, and (e) re-establishing list equivalency and obtaining performance-intensity functions using a picture-pointing task with monolingual Spanish-speaking children and bilingual Spanish-English adults. Results Normative data for three Spanish word recognition lists were established. Performance-intensity functions at sensation levels from 0 to 40 dB SL in 8-dB steps were obtained, establishing list equivalency for Lists 1, 2, and 3. Conclusions The Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test was developed and validated as a picture-pointing task for word recognition with monolingual Spanish-speaking children. The two validated channel recordings include an English translation for ease of testing by clinicians lacking Spanish language skills. Future validation will be conducted with bilingual Spanish-English children with normal hearing and with hearing loss.

Variability of electrode positions using electrode caps.

We investigated the variability of electrode positions for a multi-channel, custom electrode cap placed onto participants' heads without taking scalp measurements. The electrode positions were digitized in a three-dimensional space for 10 young adult participants on three separate occasions. Positional variability was determined for 15 selected electrodes within the three-dimensional preauricular-nasion (PAN) coordinate system and from this system, angular coordinate variability was also determined. The standard deviations of the 15 selected electrodes ranged from 3.0 to 12.7 mm in the PAN system. These data resulted in a variability of 2.0 degrees to 10.4 degrees among the angular coordinates. The measurements indicated slightly greater variability of electrode positions compared to studies when electrodes were placed using scalp measurements. The implication of this study is that the use of electrode caps may not be appropriate when electroencephalographic (EEG) or evoked potential (EP) techniques depend on accurate electrode placement. Additionally, if a longitudinal study is performed, electrode locations should be checked to ensure that they conform with previous sessions.

Long-term stability of N1 sources using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term stability of auditory N1 sources using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). Data collected from 72 electrodes in ten young adult female participants were analyzed. For each participant, N1 peak amplitude and latency values at Cz (referred to M2) were compared for right, left, and bilateral stimulation across three separate recording sessions. Further, sources calculated by LORETA were analyzed in three regions of interest: right temporal, left temporal, and frontal. Peak amplitude and latency measurements were stable across session and ear of stimulation. Three-way RM-ANOVAs revealed relatively stable source amplitudes and stable three-dimensional locations of the sources in each region of interest with shifts of up to 2 cm around the mean locations. The 2 cm variability may be attributable both to normal hemispheric asymmetries and electrode placement variability. These results suggest that N1 scalp activity and its underlying sources are stable.