Broadened auditory filters associated with sensorineural hearing loss have clearly been shown to diminish speech recognition in noise for adults, but far less is known about potential effects for children. This study examined speech recognition in noise for adults and children using simulated auditory filters of different widths. Specifically, 5 groups (20 listeners each) of adults or children (5 and 7 yrs), were asked to recognize sentences in speech-shaped noise. Seven-year-olds listened at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) only; 5-yr-olds listened at +3 or 0 dB SNR; and adults listened at 0 or −3 dB SNR. Sentence materials were processed both to smear the speech spectrum (i.e., simulate broadened filters), and to enhance the spectrum (i.e., simulate narrowed filters). Results showed: (1) Spectral smearing diminished recognition for listeners of all ages; (2) spectral enhancement did not improve recognition, and in fact diminished it somewhat; and (3) interactions were observed between smearing and SNR, but only for adults. That interaction made age effects difficult to gauge. Nonetheless, it was concluded that efforts to diagnose the extent of broadening of auditory filters and to develop techniques to correct this condition could benefit patients with hearing loss, especially children.
References
1.
Baer
, T.
, Moore
, B. C.
, and Gatehouse
, S.
(1993
). “Spectral contrast enhancement of speech in noise for listeners with sensorineural hearing impairment: Effects on intelligibility, quality, and response times
,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev.
30
, 49
–72
.2.
Baer
, T.
, and Moore
, B. C. J.
(1993
). “Effects of spectral smearing on the intelligibility of sentences in noise
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
94
, 1229
–1241
.3.
Bess
, F. H.
, Dodd-Murphy
, J.
, and Parker
, R. A.
(1998
). “Children with minimal sensorineural hearing loss: Prevalence, educational performance, and functional status
,” Ear Hear.
19
, 339
–354
.4.
Blair
, J. C.
, Peterson
, M. E.
, and Viehweg
, S. H.
(1985
). “The effects of mild sensorineural hearing loss on academic performance of young school age children
,” Volta Rev.
87
, 87
–93
.5.
Boers
, P. M.
(1980
). “Formant enhancement of speech for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss
,” IPO Ann. Prog. Rep.
15
, 21
–28
.6.
Boothroyd
, A.
, and Nittrouer
, S.
(1988
). “Mathematical treatment of context effects in phoneme and word recognition
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
84
, 101
–114
.7.
Calderon
, R.
, and Naidu
, S.
(1998
). “Further support for the benefits of early identification and intervention for children with hearing loss
,” Volta Rev.
100
, 53
–84
.8.
Carney
, A. E.
, and Nelson
, D. A.
(1983
). “An analysis of psychophysical tuning curves in normal and pathological ears
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
73
, 268
–278
.9.
Ching
, T. Y.
, Dillon
, H.
, Marnane
, V.
, Hou
, S.
, Day
, J.
, Seeto
, M.
, Crowe
, K.
, Street
, L.
, Thomson
, J.
, Van Buynder
, P.
, Zhang
, V.
, Wong
, A.
, Burns
, L.
, Flynn
, C.
, Cupples
, L.
, Cowan
, R. S.
, Leigh
, G.
, Sjahalam-King
, J.
, and Yeh
, A.
(2013
). “Outcomes of early- and late-identified children at 3 years of age: Findings from a prospective population-based study
,” Ear Hear.
34
, 535
–552
.10.
Davis
, J. M.
, Elfenbein
, J.
, Schum
, R.
, and Bentler
, R. A.
(1986
). “Effects of mild and moderate hearing impairments on language, educational, and psychosocial behavior of children
,” J. Speech Hear. Dis.
51
, 53
–62
.11.
Dubno
, J. R.
, and Dirks
, D. D.
(1989
). “Auditory filter characteristics and consonant recognition for hearing-impaired listeners
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
85
, 1666
–1675
.12.
Eisenberg
, L. S.
, Shannon
, R. V.
, Schaefer Martinez
, A.
, Wygonski
, J.
, and Boothroyd
, A.
(2000
). “Speech recognition with reduced spectral cues as a function of age
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
107
, 2704
–2710
.13.
Florentine
, M.
, Buus
, S.
, Scharf
, B.
, and Zwicker
, E.
(1980
). “Frequency selectivity in normally-hearing and hearing-impaired observers
,” J. Speech Hear. Res.
23
, 646
–669
.14.
Gilbertson
, M.
, and Kamhi
, A. G.
(1995
). “Novel word learning in children with hearing impairment
,” J. Speech Hear. Res.
38
, 630
–642
.15.
Goldman
, R.
, and Fristoe
, M.
(2000
). Goldman Fristoe 2: Test of Articulation
(American Guidance Service, Inc.
, Circle Pines, MN
), pp. 1
–146
.16.
Greenlee
, M.
(1980
). “Learning the phonetic cues to the voiced-voiceless distinction: A comparison of child and adult speech perception
,” J. Child Lang.
7
, 459
–468
.17.
Halpin
, C.
, and Rauch
, S. D.
(2009
). “Clinical implications of a damaged cochlea: Pure tone thresholds vs information-carrying capacity
,” Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg.
140
, 473
–476
.18.
Hopkins
, K.
, and Moore
, B. C.
(2010
). “The importance of temporal fine structure information in speech at different spectral regions for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
127
, 1595
–1608
.19.
Jenkins
, J. J.
, Strange
, W.
, and Edman
, T. R.
(1983
). “Identification of vowels in ‘vowel-less’ syllables
,” Percept. Psychophys.
34
, 441
–450
.20.
Kewley-Port
, D.
, Pisoni
, D. B.
, and Studdert-Kennedy
, M.
(1983
). “Perception of static and dynamic acoustic cues to place of articulation in initial stop consonants
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
73
, 1779
–1793
.21.
Leek
, M. R.
, Dorman
, M. F.
, and Summerfield
, Q.
(1987
). “Minimum spectral contrast for vowel identification by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
81
, 148
–154
.22.
Léger
, A. C.
, Moore
, B. C.
, Gnansia
, D.
, and Lorenzi
, C.
(2012
). “Effects of spectral smearing on the identification of speech in noise filtered into low- and mid-frequency regions
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
131
, 4114
–4123
.23.
Martin
, N.
, and Brownell
, R.
(2011
). Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT)
, 4th ed. (Academic Therapy Publications, Inc.
, Novato, CA
), pp. 1
–99
.24.
Mayo
, C.
, Scobbie
, J. M.
, Hewlett
, N.
, and Waters
, D.
(2003
). “The influence of phonemic awareness development on acoustic cue weighting strategies in children's speech perception
,” J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.
46
, 1184
–1196
.25.
Moeller
, M. P.
(2000
). “Early intervention and language development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing
,” Pediatrics
106
, E43
.26.
Morrongiello
, B. A.
, Robson
, R. C.
, Best
, C. T.
, and Clifton
, R. K.
(1984
). “Trading relations in the perception of speech by 5-year-old children
,” J. Exp. Child. Psychol.
37
, 231
–250
.27.
Narayan
, S. S.
, Temchin
, A. N.
, Recio
, A.
, and Ruggero
, M. A.
(1998
). “Frequency tuning of basilar membrane and auditory nerve fibers in the same cochleae
,” Science
282
, 1882
–1884
.28.
Nittrouer
, S.
(2004
). “The role of temporal and dynamic signal components in the perception of syllable-final stop voicing by children and adults
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
115
, 1777
–1790
.29.
Nittrouer
, S.
(2006
). “Children hear the forest
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
120
, 1799
–1802
.30.
Nittrouer
, S.
(2007
). “Dynamic spectral structure specifies vowels for children and adults
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
122
, 2328
–2339
.31.
Nittrouer
, S.
(2010
). Early Development of Children with Hearing Loss
(Plural Publishing
, San Diego, CA
), pp. 1
–345
.32.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Boothroyd
, A.
(1990
). “Context effects in phoneme and word recognition by young children and older adults
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
87
, 2705
–2715
.33.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Burton
, L. T.
(2005
). “The role of early language experience in the development of speech perception and phonological processing abilities: Evidence from 5-year-olds with histories of otitis media with effusion and low socioeconomic status
,” J. Commun. Disord.
38
, 29
–63
.34.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Lowenstein
, J. H.
(2009
). “Does harmonicity explain children's cue weighting of fricative-vowel syllables?
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
125
, 1679
–1692
.35.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Lowenstein
, J. H.
(2010
). “Learning to perceptually organize speech signals in native fashion
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
127
, 1624
–1635
.36.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Lowenstein
, J. H.
(2014
). “Dynamic spectral structure specifies vowels for adults and children
,” Lang. Speech
57
, 487
–512
.37.
Nittrouer
, S.
, Lowenstein
, J. H.
, and Packer
, R.
(2009
). “Children discover the spectral skeletons in their native language before the amplitude envelopes
,” J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform.
35
, 1245
–1253
.38.
Nittrouer
, S.
, Lowenstein
, J. H.
, and Tarr
, E.
(2013
). “Amplitude rise time does not cue the /b
ɑ
/-/w
ɑ
/ contrast for adults or children
,” J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.
56
, 427
–440
.39.
Nittrouer
, S.
, and Studdert-Kennedy
, M.
(1987
). “The role of coarticulatory effects in the perception of fricatives by children and adults
,” J. Speech Hear. Res.
30
, 319
–329
.40.
Nittrouer
, S.
, Tarr
, E.
, Bolster
, V.
, Caldwell-Tarr
, A.
, Moberly
, A. C.
, and Lowenstein
, J. H.
(2014
). “Low-frequency signals support perceptual organization of implant-simulated speech for adults and children
,” Int. J. Audiol.
53
, 270
–284
.41.
Oxenham
, A. J.
, and Bacon
, S. P.
(2003
). “Cochlear compression: Perceptual measures and implications for normal and impaired hearing
,” Ear Hear.
24
, 352
–366
.42.
Simpson
, A. M.
, Moore
, B. C.
, and Glasberg
, B. R.
(1990
). “Spectral enhancement to improve the intelligibility of speech in noise for hearing-impaired listeners
,” Acta Otolaryngol. Suppl.
469
, 101
–107
.43.
Sininger
, Y. S.
, Grimes
, A.
, and Christensen
, E.
(2010
). “Auditory development in early amplified children: Factors influencing auditory-based communication outcomes in children with hearing loss
,” Ear Hear.
31
, 166
–185
.44.
Souza
, P.
, Wright
, R.
, and Bor
, S.
(2012
). “Consequences of broad auditory filters for identification of multichannel-compressed vowels
,” J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.
55
, 474
–486
.45.
Souza
, P. E.
, and Tremblay
, K. L.
(2006
). “New perspectives on assessing amplification effects
,” Trends Amplif.
10
, 119
–143
.46.
Stelmachowicz
, P. G.
, Hoover
, B. M.
, Lewis
, D. E.
, Kortekaas
, R. W.
, and Pittman
, A. L.
(2000
). “The relation between stimulus context, speech audibility, and perception for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children
,” J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.
43
, 902
–914
.47.
Stelmachowicz
, P. G.
, Pittman
, A. L.
, Hoover
, B. M.
, and Lewis
, D. E.
(2004
). “Novel-word learning in children with normal hearing and hearing loss
,” Ear Hear.
25
, 47
–56
.48.
49.
Stiles
, D. J.
, Bentler
, R. A.
, and McGregor
, K. K.
(2012
). “The Speech Intelligibility Index and the pure-tone average as predictors of lexical ability in children fit with hearing aids
,” J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.
55
, 764
–778
.50.
Strange
, W.
, Jenkins
, J. J.
, and Johnson
, T. L.
(1983
). “Dynamic specification of coarticulated vowels
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
74
, 695
–705
.51.
ter Keurs
, M.
, Festen
, J. M.
, and Plomp
, R.
(1992
). “Effect of spectral envelope smearing on speech reception. I
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
91
, 2872
–2880
.52.
ter Keurs
, M.
, Festen
, J. M.
, and Plomp
, R.
(1993
). “Effect of spectral envelope smearing on speech reception. II
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
93
, 1547
–1552
.53.
Turner
, C. W.
, and Van Tasell
, D. J.
(1984
). “Sensorineural hearing loss and the discrimination of vowel-like stimuli
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
75
, 562
–565
.54.
Vongpaisal
, T.
, Trehub
, S. E.
, Glenn Schellenberg
, E.
, and van Lieshout
, P.
(2012
). “Age-related changes in talker recognition with reduced spectral cues
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
131
, 501
–508
.55.
Walden
, T. C.
, and Walden
, B. E.
(2004
). “Predicting success with hearing aids in everyday living
,” J. Am. Acad. Audiol.
15
, 342
–352
.56.
Wardrip-Fruin
, C.
, and Peach
, S.
(1984
). “Developmental aspects of the perception of acoustic cues in determining the voicing feature of final stop consonants
,” Lang. Speech
27
, 367
–379
.57.
Wilkinson
, G. S.
, and Robertson
, G. J.
(2006
). The Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT)
, 4th ed. (Psychological Assessment Resources
, Lutz, FL
), pp. 1
–494
.58.
Yanbay
, E.
, Hickson
, L.
, Scarinci
, N.
, Constantinescu
, G.
, and Dettman
, S. J.
(2014
). “Language outcomes for children with cochlear implants enrolled in different communication programs
,” Cochlear Implants Int.
15
, 121
–135
.© 2015 Acoustical Society of America.
2015
Acoustical Society of America
You do not currently have access to this content.