title: The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to investigate whether a ski helmet interferes with the sound localization and the time of sound perception in the frontal plane.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three participants (age 30.7±10.2) were tested on the slope in 2 conditions, with and without wearing the ski helmet, by 6 different spatially distributed sound stimuli per each condition. Each of the subjects had to react when hearing the sound as soon as possible and to signalize the correct side of the sound arrival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed a significant difference in the ability to localize the specific ski sounds; 72.5±15.6% of correct answers without a helmet vs. 61.3±16.2% with a helmet (p < 0.01). However, the performance on this test did not depend on whether they were used to wearing a helmet (p = 0.89). In identifying the timing, at which the sound was firstly perceived, the results were also in favor of the subjects not wearing a helmet. The subjects reported hearing the ski sound clues at 73.4±5.56 m without a helmet vs. 60.29±6.34 m with a helmet (p < 0.001). In that case the results did depend on previously used helmets (p < 0.05), meaning that that regular usage of helmets might help to diminish the attenuation of the sound identification that occurs because of the helmets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ski helmets might limit the ability of a skier to localize the direction of the sounds of danger and might interfere with the moment, in which the sound is firstly heard.
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia (Faculty of Kinesiology, Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine). lana.ruzic@kif.hr.
authors.forename: Lana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ružić
authors.affiliation: University of Rijeka, Lovran, Croatia (Clinics for Orthopedics).
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tudor
authors.affiliation: University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (Institute of Sport Science).
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Radman
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia (Faculty of Kinesiology, Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine).
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasović
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia (Faculty of Kinesiology, Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine).
authors.forename: Vjekoslav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cigrovski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D011930:Reaction Time; D012865:Skiing / Q000502:physiology*; D013017:Sound Localization; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: hearing; ski helmet; skiing; sound localization