Speech signals used to evaluate functional status of the auditory system.
This review presents a brief history of the evolution of speech audiometry from the 1800s to present day. The two-component aspect of hearing loss (audibility and distortion), which was formalized into a framework in past literature, is presented in the context of speech recognition. The differences between speech recognition in quiet and in background noise are discussed as they relate to listeners with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss. A discussion of the use of sentence materials versus word materials for clinical use is included as is a discussion of the effects of presentation level on recognition performance in quiet and noise. Finally, the effects of age and hearing loss on speech recognition are considered.
James H. Quillen Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN 37684, USA. richard.wilson2@med.va.gov
Richard H
RH
Wilson
Rachel
R
McArdle
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001299:Audiometry / Q000266:history*; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000266:history; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000503:physiopathology*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test / Q000266:history