The Effect of Nonlinear Amplitude Growth on the Speech Perception Benefits Provided by a Single-Sided Vocoder

Autor/inn/en	Wess, Jessica M.; Bernstein, Joshua G. W.
Titel	The Effect of Nonlinear Amplitude Growth on the Speech Perception Benefits Provided by a Single-Sided Vocoder
Quelle	In: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62 (2019) 3, S.745-757 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1092-4388
DOI	10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-18-0001
Schlagwörter	Auditory Perception; Speech Communication; Deafness; Assistive Technology; Cues; Simulation; Listening; Hearing (Physiology); Audio Equipment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Gehörlosigkeit; Taubstummheit; Stichwort; Simulation program; Simulationsprogramm; Hörvorgang; Zuhören; Gehör; Hören; Audio-CD
Abstract	Purpose: For listeners with single-sided deafness, a cochlear implant (CI) can improve speech understanding by giving the listener access to the ear with the better target-to-masker ratio (TMR; head shadow) or by providing interaural difference cues to facilitate the perceptual separation of concurrent talkers (squelch). CI simulations presented to listeners with normal hearing examined how these benefits could be affected by interaural differences in loudness growth in a speech-on-speech masking task. Method: Experiment 1 examined a target-masker spatial configuration where the vocoded ear had a poorer TMR than the nonvocoded ear. Experiment 2 examined the reverse configuration. Generic head-related transfer functions simulated free-field listening. Compression or expansion was applied independently to each vocoder channel (power-law exponents: 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, or 2). Results: Compression reduced the benefit provided by the vocoder ear in both experiments. There was some evidence that expansion increased squelch in Experiment 1 but reduced the benefit in Experiment 2 where the vocoder ear provided a combination of head-shadow and squelch benefits. Conclusions: The effects of compression and expansion are interpreted in terms of envelope distortion and changes in the vocoded-ear TMR (for head shadow) or changes in perceived target-masker spatial separation (for squelch). The compression parameter is a candidate for clinical optimization to improve single-sided deafness CI outcomes. [This study was supported by a grant from the Defense Medical Research and Development Program.] (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01