A Speech Perception Test in Simulated Reverberation Conditions Purpose This study developed new test materials by applying various reverberation treatments to sentences having high and low contextual redundancy. Method The Speech Perception in Noise–Revised (SPIN-R; Bilger, Nuetzel, Rabinowitz, & Rzeczkowski, 1984; Kalikow, Stevens, & Elliott, 1977) sentences were modified (SPIN-Reverb) with reverberation times (RT60) from simulated ... Research Article
Research Article  |   June 01, 2015
A Speech Perception Test in Simulated Reverberation Conditions
Jaclyn B. Spitzer, Sharon A. Sandridge, Craig W. Newman, Sarah Sydlowski, and Robert M. Ghent, Jr.
 
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Jaclyn B. Spitzer
    Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
    Montclair State University, Bloomfield, NJ
  • Sharon A. Sandridge
    Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
  • Craig W. Newman
    Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
  • Sarah Sydlowski
    Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
  • Robert M. Ghent, Jr.
    Auditory Sciences Group, PLLC, American Fork, UT
  • Disclosure: The authors have declared that no competing interests existed at the time of publication.
    Disclosure: The authors have declared that no competing interests existed at the time of publication.×
  • Correspondence to Jaclyn B. Spitzer: jbs50@columbia.edu
  • Editor and Associate Editor: Larry Humes
    Editor and Associate Editor: Larry Humes×
  • Copyright © 2015 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Article Information
Hearing & Speech Perception / Hearing Disorders / Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants & Assistive Technology / Research Articles
Research Article   |   June 01, 2015
A Speech Perception Test in Simulated Reverberation Conditions
American Journal of Audiology, June 2015, Vol. 24, 169-177. doi:10.1044/2015_AJA-14-0028
History: Received June 12, 2014 , Revised December 16, 2014 , Accepted January 11, 2015
 
American Journal of Audiology, June 2015, Vol. 24, 169-177. doi:10.1044/2015_AJA-14-0028
History: Received June 12, 2014; Revised December 16, 2014; Accepted January 11, 2015
Web of Science® Times Cited: 2

Purpose This study developed new test materials by applying various reverberation treatments to sentences having high and low contextual redundancy.

Method The Speech Perception in Noise–Revised (SPIN-R; Bilger, Nuetzel, Rabinowitz, & Rzeczkowski, 1984; Kalikow, Stevens, & Elliott, 1977) sentences were modified (SPIN-Reverb) with reverberation times (RT60) from simulated environments: unprocessed, RevCond 1 (RT60 = 600 ms), RevCond 2 (RT60 = 1200 ms), and RevCond 3 (RT60 = 3600 ms). Phase 1 investigated list equivalency among 75 listeners with normal hearing; Phase 2 examined the utility of SPIN-Reverb for 15 cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Results Equivalent lists within each reverberation condition (unprocessed, RevCond 1, 2, and 3) were identified using nonparametric bootstrapping. Analysis of variance (Phase 1) demonstrated significant differences across conditions for high predictability and total scores. Listening performance decreased for both high and low predictability as RT60 increased for listeners with normal hearing and CI recipients. Unprocessed, RevCond 1, RevCond 2, and RevCond 3 conditions were significantly different from each other. Within RevCond conditions, high- and low-predictability sentences were significantly different from each other.

Conclusions RevCond 1 and RevCond 2 may be useful supplements to the current CI battery. The SPIN-Reverb has potential as a set of clinically feasible materials that are graded in difficulty and representative of real-life acoustic challenges for the evaluation of sensory devices.

Acknowledgments
This work was carried out at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and at the Cleveland Clinic.
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