title: Relations between psychophysical measures of spatial hearing and self-reported spatial-hearing abilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to investigate how well the virtual psychophysical measures of spatial hearing from the preliminary auditory profile predict self-reported spatial-hearing abilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Virtual spatial-hearings tests (conducted unaided, via headphones) and a questionnaire were administered in five centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. Correlations and stepwise linear regression models were calculated among a group of hearing-impaired listeners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty normal-hearing listeners aged 19-39 years, and 72 hearing-impaired listeners aged 22-91 years with a broad range of hearing losses, including asymmetrical and mixed hearing losses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several significant correlations (between 0.24 and 0.54) were found between results of virtual psychophysical spatial-hearing tests and self-reported localization abilities. Stepwise linear regression analyses showed that the minimum audible angle (MAA) test was a significant predictor for self-reported localization abilities (5% extra explained variance), and the spatial speech reception threshold (SRT) benefit test for self-reported listening to speech in spatial situations (6% extra explained variance).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MAA test and spatial SRT benefit test are indicative measures of everyday binaural functioning. The binaural SRT benefit test was not found to predict self-reported spatial-hearing abilities.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Clinical and Experimental Audiology, Academic Medical Centre , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: T E M
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Van Esch
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lutman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vormann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lyzenga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hällgren
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larsby
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Athalye
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Houtgast
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kollmeier
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dreschler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001307:Auditory Perception; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006309:Hearing; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D057566:Self Report; D013028:Space Perception; D065855:Spatial Processing; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test / Q000379:methods; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Spatial hearing; audiological diagnosis; auditory profile; clinical tests; hearing impaired; multi-centre study