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Informational Masking and Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Seeman, Scott E.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250704738

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Speech and Hearing Science.
A simulation was developed to examine the role reduced frequency selectivity has in explaining why hearing impaired listeners often have difficulty communicating in noise. This difficulty is the hallmark complaint of sensorineural hearing loss. More specifically, this simulation addresses the impact of poor spectral resolution on informational masking for multiple-burst stimuli. Perception of these complex tonal signals likely involves the same processing necessary for comprehending speech in complex listening environments (i.e., auditory stream segregation). Reduced frequency selectivity was simulated by restricting the frequency range of the masker pool in multiple-burst same (MBS) and multiple-burst different (MBD) informational maskers. MBS maskers have the same components in each burst of a sequence, while MBD maskers have different frequencies in each burst. In normal hearing listeners, MBS is a more effective masker, where signal and masker streams perceptually fuse, while MBD signal-masker streams are more easily segregated. Large differences in masker effectiveness for MBS and MBD are not seen for hearing impaired listeners however. A reduced difference in masking between MBS and MBD and increased effectiveness for MBD maskers in the hearing impaired has been attributed to deficits in frequency selectivity. Results for the simulation (in normal hearing subjects) confirm that restricting the masker range has demonstrative effects on multiple-burst IM. Reduced spectral resolution at restricted masker ranges results in greater MBD masking and reduced differences between MBS and MBD compared to results at wider masker ranges. Furthermore, results in hearing impaired listeners also show a reduced MBS-MBD difference, yet overall masking is reduced for both MBD and MBS. Predictions based on simulation experiments at an equal sensation level (26 dB SL) in normal hearing subjects are on average within 6 dB of hearing impaired data when frequency selectivity (i.e. psychophysical three-point tuning curves) estimates are taken into account. Results are both consistent with the reduced sensation level and the reduced frequency selectivity hypotheses in explaining multiple-burst informational masking in the hearing impaired.
Lawrence Feth, PhD (Advisor)
Christina Roup, PhD (Committee Member)
Gail Whitelaw, PhD (Committee Member)
106 p.
Acoustics
Informational Masking Sensorineural Hearing Loss Frequency Selectivity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Seeman, S. E. (2009). Informational Masking and Sensorineural Hearing Loss [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250704738

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Seeman, Scott. Informational Masking and Sensorineural Hearing Loss. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250704738.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Seeman, Scott. "Informational Masking and Sensorineural Hearing Loss." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250704738

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1250704738
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.