title: Free Field Word recognition test in the presence of noise in normal hearing adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In ideal listening situations, subjects with normal hearing can easily understand speech, as can many subjects who have a hearing loss.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present the validation of the Word Recognition Test in a Free Field in the Presence of Noise in normal-hearing adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sample consisted of 100 healthy adults over 18 years of age with normal hearing. After pure tone audiometry, a speech recognition test was applied in free field condition with monosyllables and disyllables, with standardized material in three listening situations: optimal listening condition (no noise), with a signal to noise ratio of 0dB and a signal to noise ratio of -10dB. For these tests, an environment in calibrated free field was arranged where speech was presented to the subject being tested from two speakers located at 45°, and noise from a third speaker, located at 180°.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All participants had speech audiometry results in the free field between 88% and 100% in the three listening situations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Word Recognition Test in Free Field in the Presence of Noise proved to be easy to be organized and applied. The results of the test validation suggest that individuals with normal hearing should get between 88% and 100% of the stimuli correct. The test can be an important tool in measuring noise interference on the speech perception abilities.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná (UTP), Programa de Mestrado e Doutorado em Distúrbios da Comunicação, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: fono.gleidevivi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gleide Viviani Maciel
authors.initials: GVM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná (UTP), Programa de Mestrado e Doutorado em Distúrbios da Comunicação, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Acústica e Equipamentos Audiológicos, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calleros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D012015:Reference Standards; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests / Q000379:methods*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Auditory perception; Audição; Hearing; Hearing tests; Noise; Percepção auditiva; Ruído; Testes auditivos