HEARING AIDS, COCHLEAR IMPLANTS AND SPEECH RECOGNITION

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Three sets of experiments are proposed that address clinically-relevant questions for the management of hearing-impaired persons. The information obtained will assist in deciding which device (hearing aid, traditional cochlear implant, or short-electrode cochlear implant) is most appropriate for a particular patient. The project will also address the question of whether a device is performing adequately in the transmission of speech cues to the patient. Specifically, the project will 1) obtain speech recognition data from normal-hearing listeners using a simulation of the short-electrode cochlear implant to determine which types of hearing loss configurations might be appropriate candidates for this device; 2) to obtain speech recognition in noise data from listeners with cochlear implants and hearing aids to determine the potential advantages or disadvantages of a cochlear implant (both short- and long-electrode) for various degrees of hearing loss; and 3) to use a direct test of the ability to perceive the spectral and temporal cues of speech to predict the abilities of hearing aids and cochlear implants to recognize speech.