title: A Comparison of Two Methods for Measuring Listening Effort As Part of an Audiologic Test Battery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated 2 measures of listening effort (a self-report measure and a word recall measure) regarding their suitability for inclusion in a comprehensive audiologic testing protocol. The relationship between the 2 measures was explored, and both measures were examined with regard to validity, sensitivity, and effect on speech intelligibility performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty adults with normal hearing participated. Speech intelligibility performance was evaluated at 4 signal-to-noise ratios by using keywords embedded in both high- and low-context sentences. Listening effort was evaluated at set intervals throughout the speech intelligibility task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results obtained with the 2 measures were consistent with expected changes in listening effort. However, data obtained with the self-report method demonstrated greater sensitivity to these changes. The 2 measures were uncorrelated. Under certain conditions, speech intelligibility performance was more negatively affected when the word recall measure was used. Exploration of additional theoretical and practical considerations supported a conclusion that the self-report measure was preferable for measuring listening effort simultaneously with speech intelligibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study provide a rationale for preferring the self-report measure of listening effort over the word recall measure when testing audiologic outcomes.
authors.forename: Jani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pendergraft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D057566:Self Report; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013067:Speech Perception; D055815:Young Adult