title: Rate and onset cues can improve cochlear implant synthetic vowel recognition in noise.
abstract: Understanding speech-in-noise is difficult for most cochlear implant (CI) users. Speech-in-noise segregation cues are well understood for acoustic hearing but not for electric hearing. This study investigated the effects of stimulation rate and onset delay on synthetic vowel-in-noise recognition in CI subjects. In experiment I, synthetic vowels were presented at 50, 145, or 795 pulse/s and noise at the same three rates, yielding nine combinations. Recognition improved significantly if the noise had a lower rate than the vowel, suggesting that listeners can use temporal gaps in the noise to detect a synthetic vowel. This hypothesis is supported by accurate prediction of synthetic vowel recognition using a temporal integration window model. Using lower rates a similar trend was observed in normal hearing subjects. Experiment II found that for CI subjects, a vowel onset delay improved performance if the noise had a lower or higher rate than the synthetic vowel. These results show that differing rates or onset times can improve synthetic vowel-in-noise recognition, indicating a need to develop speech processing strategies that encode or emphasize these cues.
authors: Hearing and Speech Research Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-5320, USA. myles.mclaughlin@uci.edu
authors: Myles
authors: M
authors: Mc Laughlin
authors: Richard B
authors: RB
authors: Reilly
authors: Fan-Gang
authors: FG
authors: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D032882:Comprehension; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000523:psychology*; D003463:Cues; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008144:Loudness Perception; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013997:Time Factors