2 - Speech Testing Flashcards
What are 5 reasons why speech in noise testing is a valuable tool?
1) it may address patient’s complaints, providing speech in noise testing conveys that we understand the reason out patients are seeking services
2) it may impact the level of technology, the arrangement (unilateral or bilateral fitting), or the recommendation of additional accessories (remote microphone) we select
3) it can establish a baseline or monitor progress over time
4) it can help us in counselling or establishing realistic expectations with HA use
5) it can facilitates decision making for the patient
How often do audiologists perform SIN testing?
15% = always (76-100% of the time)
39% = seldom (1-25% of the time)
16% = never
What 8 pieces of information do we want to know from speech testing?
1) how patients recognize speech in quiet?
2) how they recognize speech in noise?
3) how they get annoyed by noise when listening to speech?
4) how well they can process speech?
5) how well they use contextual cues when listening to speech in noise?
6) how do they perceive their ability to understand speech? does this match their measured speech perception abilities?
7) how much benefit is provided by a technology feature (DM)?
8) how much effort (or concentration) is required to understand speech?
What are the 4 testing considerations for speech testing?
1) single words or sentences?
2) competing noise?
3) presentation level?
4) earphones or sound field?
Monosyllables vs sentences
- single monosyllabic words, target words embedded in sentences, single sentences, sentence lists with context
- sentences are more representative of real life listening situations
- sentences provide closer approximation of how conversational speech is understood (sentences have syntactic and semantic context)
- drawback os using sentences: people with cognitive decline may show worse performance using sentence tests (more working memory effort required)
What are 5 examples of competing noise?
1) speech noise
2) multi-talkers
3) multi-talker babble
4) cocktail party/cafeteria noise
5) speech
What is speech noise (speech shaped noise)?What SIN test uses this?
broadband, non-modulated, shaped to be consistent with the LTASS (HINT uses this)
What is multi-talker noise? Which SIN tests use this?
meaningful words or a string of words may be detected (QuickSIN and BKB-SIN uses this)
What is multi-talker babble noise? Which SIN tests use this?
True babble, the competing speech is virtually unrecognizable (WIN and R-SPIN uses this)
What is cocktail party/cafeteria noise work?
like multi-talker babble, but may also have transient noises like a glass clinking or dishes
What is speech noise? What SIN test uses this?
for higher level of auditory processing testing, a single talker is used to compete against another (the target) talker, and the patient is trying to focus on a voice (the SSI uses this)
Presentation levels
- choose PL recommended by the test if you want to compare the patient’s scores to norms
- choose PL that addresses a patient’s specific complaint (difficulty hearing soft speech)
- consider the patient’s comfort levels
Earphones or sound field? Why sound field?
- there are some compelling reasons to use earphones, primarily with reliability, consistence, and calibration
- reasons to use SF? testing of directional microphone systems in a functional setting
Listening effot
- listening is tiring
- people with hearing loss have to work harder cognitively to process speech
- increased listening effort related to mental fatigue
- individuals with similar scores on speech recognition in noise measures may vary on the listening effort that was needed to achieve those scores
- more listening effort = greater daily challenges
How can listening effort be measured?
- some issues: lack of goof clinical tools and no widely accepted definition of listening effort
- interviewing patients
- self-assessment questionnaires