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., <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).
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., <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).
Authors: Joseph G Desloge; Charlotte M Reed; Louis D Braida; Zachary D Perez; Lorraine A Delhorne Journal: J Acoust Soc Am Date: 2010-07 Impact factor: 1.840
Authors: Joseph G Desloge; Charlotte M Reed; Louis D Braida; Zachary D Perez; Lorraine A Delhorne Journal: J Acoust Soc Am Date: 2011-08 Impact factor: 1.840