Encoding a Melody Using Only Temporal Information for Cochlear-Implant and Normal-Hearing Listeners.
Ann E Todd, Griet Mertens, Paul Van de Heyning and 1 others
PMID 29161987WHAT IT FOUND
Among nine cochlear-implant users, a familiar song was not reliably judged as more or less out of tune when its melody was carried only by the rate of loudness fluctuations in electrical stimulation.
Ten normal-hearing listeners also struggled. Pure tones worked.
Key findings
01Cochlear-implant users did not consistently rate the melody as more out of tune when the electrically encoded melody was compressed or expanded.
02With pure tones, listeners rated the melody as more out of tune when it was more compressed or expanded.
03Normal-hearing listeners showed only weak rating changes when the melody was encoded by acoustic pulse-train rate.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only nine CI users and ten normal-hearing listeners were tested, so individual differences are hard to judge. The task used only Happy Birthday, so it may not apply to other songs. The study tested laboratory melody ratings, not speech, communication, or real-world music listening. Electrode insertion depths were not available for the participants, so the exact cochlear location of stimulation was uncertain.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cochlear-implant users cannot perceive music. They were familiar with Happy Birthday, and four CI users with acoustic hearing judged mistuning in pure tones as expected.