The Effect of Free-Field Presentation and Processing Strategy on a Measure of Spectro-Temporal Processing by Cochlear-Implant Listeners.
Alan W Archer-Boyd, Tobias Goehring, Robert P Carlyon
PMID 33305696WHAT IT FOUND
Changing STRIPES from direct input on a research processor to loudspeaker presentation on a clinical Naida device with Optima-S processing did not change average cochlear-implant listener scores.
One listener performed markedly better, but group scores did not differ across conditions.
Key findings
01The ten experienced unilateral Advanced Bionics CI listeners showed no overall difference across STRIPES presentation and processing conditions.
02Moving STRIPES from direct input to loudspeaker presentation kept listeners' relative scores similar and showed no consistent shift in scores.
03Using each listener's clinical Naida device with Optima-S processing over a loudspeaker also kept relative scores similar, but one listener performed markedly better.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were experienced unilateral Advanced Bionics CI listeners, so the findings are limited to that group. The study measured STRIPES thresholds, a laboratory task, not everyday listening performance. A listener's unusually high performance with the clinical device and Optima-S condition was not explained. The authors note that electrodograms do not show current interactions or neural response changes, so cue interpretations are limited.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The paper reports financial support from the UK Medical Research Council to an author.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the clinical Naida processor with Optima-S strategy, presented over a loudspeaker through the T-mic, improves spectro-temporal hearing for all cochlear-implant users. The overall comparison showed no condition effect, and the listener with markedly better performance had an unexplained outlier.