title: Assessing variability in audiovisual speech integration skills using capacity and accuracy measures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While most normal-hearing listeners rely on the auditory modality to obtain speech information, research has demonstrated the importance that non-auditory modalities have on language recognition during face-to-face communication. The efficient utilization of the visual modality becomes increasingly important in difficult listening conditions, and especially for older and hearing-impaired listeners with sensory or cognitive decline. First, this report will quantify audiovisual integration skills using a recently developed capacity measure that incorporates speed and accuracy. Second, to investigate sensory factors contributing to integration ability, high and low-frequency hearing thresholds will be correlated with capacity, as well as gain measures from sentence recognition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Integration scores were obtained from a within-subjects design using an open-set sentence speech recognition experiment and a closed set speeded-word classification experiment, designed to examine integration (i.e. capacity).
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 44 adult listeners without a self-reported history of hearing-loss was recruited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RESULTS demonstrated a significant relationship between measures of audiovisual integration and hearing thresholds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicated that a listener's ability to integrate auditory and visual speech information in the domains of speed and accuracy is associated with auditory sensory capabilities and possibly other sensory and cognitive factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Idaho State University , Pocatello , USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Altieri
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hudock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013067:Speech Perception; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Speech perception; aging; behavioral measures; noise