Masking Effects in the Perception of Multiple Simultaneous Talkers in Normal-Hearing and Cochlear Implant Listeners.
Biao Chen, Ying Shi, Lifang Zhang and 4 others
PMID 32324486WHAT IT FOUND
Normal-hearing listeners did worse as more competing talkers spoke.
Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant users did slightly better with 4 competing talkers than with 1, but they still performed worse than normal-hearing listeners.
Key findings
01Normal-hearing Mandarin-speaking listeners performed worse as competing talkers increased from 1 to 4, with mean SRTs worsening from -22.0 dB to -5.2 dB.
02Mandarin-speaking CI users' mean SRTs improved from +5.9 dB with 1 competing talker to +2.8 dB with 4 competing talkers.
03Normal-hearing listeners showed 12.3 dB of masking release with 1 competing talker, while CI users showed 2.5 dB.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used a small sample: 12 CI users and 10 normal-hearing controls. The CI users were heterogeneous, with duration of auditory deprivation from 0.5 to 29.7 years and CI experience from 0.4 to 16.5 years. Testing used a closed-set Mandarin task with a male target talker and limited word categories, so it may not reflect everyday conversation. The hearing-age subgroup analysis was not significant, and the paper notes the small number of subjects. The study measured perception in controlled lab conditions, not clinical benefit from a treatment or strategy.
Declared interests
The supplied text names the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health as funder and gives no further author disclosure.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cochlear implant users hear better in busy rooms. Their mean SRTs improved from +5.9 dB with 1 competing talker to +2.8 dB with 4 competing talkers, but normal-hearing listeners' mean SRTs were -22.0 dB with 1 competing talker and -5.2 dB with 4 competing talkers.