Older Adult Performance on an Altered Version of the SSI Test The Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test has been used extensively in investigations of reduced speech understanding skills in older adults. In this study the SSI test was altered by adding noise to the competing message and by administering practice lists and equivalent test lists, as well as versions of the ... Research Article
Research Article  |   December 01, 2003
Older Adult Performance on an Altered Version of the SSI Test
Nancy L. Aarts, PhD, Elizabeth M. Adams, and Kathy R. Duncan
 
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Nancy L. Aarts, PhD
    Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2000 University Commons, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
  • Elizabeth M. Adams
    Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2000 University Commons, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
  • Kathy R. Duncan
    Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2000 University Commons, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
  • Corresponding author: e-mail: naarts@usouthal.edu
  • Copyright © 2003 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Article Information
Hearing Disorders / Special Populations / Older Adults & Aging / Attention, Memory & Executive Functions / Research and Technology / Research Articles
Research Article   |   December 01, 2003
Older Adult Performance on an Altered Version of the SSI Test
American Journal of Audiology, December 2003, Vol. 12, 137-145. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2003/021)
History: Received April 29, 2003 , Accepted October 23, 2003
 
American Journal of Audiology, December 2003, Vol. 12, 137-145. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2003/021)
History: Received April 29, 2003; Accepted October 23, 2003

The Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test has been used extensively in investigations of reduced speech understanding skills in older adults. In this study the SSI test was altered by adding noise to the competing message and by administering practice lists and equivalent test lists, as well as versions of the test that have 4- and 12-s interstimulus intervals (ISIs), along with the standard 8-s ISI. The purpose was to determine the effect of these alterations on performance in a group of older adults with average pure-tone average 2 values less than 33 dB HL. Performance changed as a function of the ISI, with less rollover occurring for the 4-s ISI condition than the other 2 ISIs.

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