An Examination of Speech Recognition in a Modulated Background and of Forward Masking in Younger and Older Listeners

Autor/inn/en	Gifford, Rene H.; Bacon, Sid P.; Williams, Erica J.
Titel	An Examination of Speech Recognition in a Modulated Background and of Forward Masking in Younger and Older Listeners
Quelle	In: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50 (2007) 4, S.857-864 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1092-4388
DOI	10.1044/1092-4388(2007/060)
Schlagwörter	Sentences; Recognition (Psychology); Auditory Perception; Auditory Tests; Acoustics; Age Differences; Comparative Testing; Auditory Stimuli + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sentence analysis; Satzanalyse; Recognition; Wiedererkennen; Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Auditory test; Autismus; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Auditive Stimulation
Abstract	Purpose: To compare speech intelligibility in the presence of a 10-Hz square-wave noise masker in younger and older listeners and to relate performance to recovery from forward masking. Method: The signal-to-noise ratio required to achieve 50% sentence identification in the presence of a 10-Hz square-wave noise masker was obtained for each of the 8 younger/older listener pairs. Listeners were matched according to their quiet thresholds for frequencies from 600 to 4800 Hz in octave steps. Forward masking was also measured in 2 younger/older threshold-matched groups for signal delays of 2-40 ms. Results: Older listeners typically required a significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio than younger listeners to achieve 50% correct sentence recognition. This effect may be understood in terms of increased forward-masked thresholds throughout the range of signal delays corresponding to the silent intervals in the modulated noise (e.g., less than 50 ms). Conclusions: Significant differences were observed between older and younger listeners on measures of both speech intelligibility in a modulated background and forward masking over a range of signal delays (0-40 ms). Age-related susceptibility to forward masking at relatively short delays may reflect a deficit in processing at a fairly central level (e.g., broader temporal windows or less efficient processing). (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10