Effects of hearing and use on speech discrimination and listening effort.

Effects of hearing-aid use on measures of speech discrimination and listening effort were investigated in 23 hearing-impaired adults. Speech discrimination testing was conducted with and without hearing aid use. A probe reaction time task was performed simultaneously to assess the amount of listening effort devoted to the speech discrimination task. The results indicated that hearing aid use improved speech discrimination and reduced listening effort. The probe reaction time task may have potential as an objective measure of listening effort in hearing-impaired individuals.