title: The 500 Hz masking-level difference and word recognition in multitalker babble for 40- to 89-year-old listeners with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if performances on a 500 Hz MLD task and a word-recognition task in multitalker babble covaried or varied independently for listeners with normal hearing and for listeners with hearing loss. Young listeners with normal hearing (n = 25) and older listeners (25 per decade from 40-80 years, n = 125) with sensorineural hearing loss were studied. Thresholds at 500 and 1000 Hz were < or = 30 dB HL and < or = 40 dB HL, respectively, with thresholds above 1000 Hz < 100 dB HL. There was no systematic relationship between the 500 Hz MLD and word-recognition performance in multitalker babble. Higher SoNo and SpiNo thresholds were observed for the older listeners, but the MLDs were the same for all groups. Word recognition in babble in terms of signal-to-babble ratio was on average 6.5 (40- to 49-year-old group) to 10.8 dB (80- to 89-year-old group) poorer for the older listeners with hearing loss. Neither pure-tone thresholds nor word-recognition abilities in quiet accurately predicted word-recognition performance in multitalker babble.
authors.affiliation: James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, Tennessee 37684, USA. RICHARD.WILSON2@MED.VA.GOV
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Deborah G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Weakley
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000295:instrumentation; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D004056:Differential Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013067:Speech Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014825:Vocabulary