Effects of training on speech recognition performance in noise using lexically hard words.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined how repeated presentations of lexically difficult words within a background noise affect a listener's ability to understand both trained (lexically difficult) and untrained (lexically easy) words in isolation and within sentences.


METHODS
In the 1st experiment, 9 young listeners with normal hearing completed a short-term auditory training protocol (5 hr) while 8 other young listeners with normal hearing completed a similar protocol lasting about 15 hr in the 2nd experiment. All training made use of multiple talkers and was in a closed-set condition. Feedback was provided on a trial-to-trial basis and consisted of either orthographic or orthographic and auditory feedback. Performance on both the trained and untrained words in isolation and within sentences was measured pre- and posttraining.


RESULTS
Listeners' performance improved significantly for the trained words in an open and closed-set condition, as well as the untrained words in the closed-set condition. Although there was no mean improvement in the number of keywords identified within sentences posttraining, 50% of the listeners who completed the long-term training showed improvement beyond the 95% critical difference.


CONCLUSIONS
With enough training on isolated words, individual listeners can generalize knowledge gained through isolated word training to the recognition of lexically similar words in running speech.
Burk
Matthew H
MH
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, 200 South Jordan Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7002, USA. maburk@indiana.edu
Humes
Larry E
LE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D010700:Phonetics; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013067:Speech Perception; D013663:Teaching; D014825:Vocabulary