Speechreading performance evaluated by means of TV and real-life presentation. A comparison between a normally hearing, moderately and profoundly hearing-impaired group.

The present study investigated speechreading performance as a function of TV versus real-life presentation. List length and type of material was also manipulated as well as degree of hearing handicap: normally hearing subjects, moderately impaired subjects and profoundly hearing-impaired subjects. The results showed that type of group and presentation medium interact. The impaired groups perform worst on 4-item lists with TV presentation, while a real life presentation facilitates performance of those groups relative to the normal group. The groups were, on a post hoc basis, divided into one superior and one inferior subgroup. The results of this analysis showed that this skill factor interacts in several ways with type of medium for presentation and type of material, the 4-item list provoking a larger number of interactions than the longer 7-item lists. Hence, it was concluded that the memory factor imposed by longer lists and the skill factor constitute two basic factors that must be taken into account in the evaluation and training of speechreading performance.