Dissertation
Factors underlying individual differences of speech-in-noise understanding in normal hearing listeners with various musical experience
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007763
Abstract
Early cochlear damage is difficult to detect in the current clinical setting, as the standard hearing test may remain clinically “normal” even with some early cochlear damage. Exploring speech-in-noise understanding could be a promising approach to detect early cochlear damage. Many previous studies contributed information to explain the large variance in normal hearing listeners’ abilities to understand speech in noise. These studies revealed several factors associated with the speech-in-noise variance in normal hearing listeners, including the loss of auditory nerve fibers, poorer auditory grouping, and attention and memory deficits. We investigate if a test battery can predict speech-in-noise performance in a group of young normal hearing adults with various levels of musical training. It is well documented that musicians have a greater risk of noise-induced hearing loss due to exposure to louder sounds for a longer period. We investigated an audiologically diverse normal listening population utilizing multiple speech-in-noise tests of behavioral, peripheral, and central measures. We tested the association of the above measures to predict speech-in-noise performance. Prediction of speech-in-noise understanding was influenced by both peripheral and central factors.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Factors underlying individual differences of speech-in-noise understanding in normal hearing listeners with various musical experience
- Creators
- Kayla M. Howerton
- Contributors
- Inyong Choi (Advisor)Shawn Goodman (Committee Member)Phillip Gander (Committee Member)Joel Berger (Committee Member)Kate Gfeller (Committee Member)Hae Sun Kim (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Speech Pathology and Audiology
- Date degree season
- Summer 2024
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007763
- Number of pages
- xiii, 103 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 Kayla M. Howerton
- Grant note
- Source of Support: US Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (92)
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 05/13/2024
- Description illustrations
- color illustrations
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 76-84).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Detecting early damage to the hearing system is difficult with the standard hearing tests because they might show normal results, even if there is some noise damage. To address this problem, we are looking into how well people understand speech in noisy environments as well as combining standard hearing measures. Not only do people with hearing loss struggle with understanding speech in noise, but many normal hearing people struggle as well. Past research has given some clues as to why people with normal hearing might struggle in noisy situations, like issues with the auditory nerve fibers, how sounds are grouped together in the brain, and problems with attention and memory.
This study attempted to discover a combination of tests that can help predict an individual’s speech-in-noise performance. We looked at a diverse group of people with varying levels of musical training using different speech-in-noise tests and other various measures related to hearing. We found some predictors of speech-in-noise performance when we examined measures related to both the peripheral and central parts of the hearing system.
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Record Identifier
- 9984698153402771
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