title: Development and evaluation of the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and evaluate the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level (ANL) test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Mandarin ANL tests were conducted using three different sets of Mandarin running speech materials which were chosen from textbooks for primary school, secondary school, and high school, respectively. For each discourse, two ANL measurements were obtained and averaged for each experimental condition using ANL test procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one normal-hearing listeners participated in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences for ANLs among the normal-hearing listeners, but no differences were found for MCLs and ANLs for the three sets of test materials. The Pearson correlations suggested significant correlations between MCL and ANL among the three test materials; also the results showed that the correlation coefficient between MCL-ANL of the primary material was much better than other two materials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (1) The contents of different Mandarin running speeches may not affect the acceptable noise level in Mandarin normal-hearing listeners; (2) The running speech selected from the primary school ought to be used as the Mandarin acceptable noise level test material to evaluate the outcomes of hearing aid fitting.
authors: Cinical Audiology Center, Beijing Tong Ren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Jianyong
authors: J
authors: Chen
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Patrick N
authors: PN
authors: Plyler
authors: Wen
authors: W
authors: Cao
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Chen