title: Air traffic controllers' long-term speech-in-noise training effects: A control group study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Speech perception in noise relies on the capacity of the auditory system to process complex sounds using sensory and cognitive skills. The possibility that these can be trained during adulthood is of special interest in auditory disorders, where speech in noise perception becomes compromised. Air traffic controllers (ATC) are constantly exposed to radio communication, a situation that seems to produce auditory learning. The objective of this study has been to quantify this effect.
  
  
  METHODS
  19 ATC and 19 normal hearing individuals underwent a speech in noise test with three signal to noise ratios: 5, 0 and -5 dB. Noise and speech were presented through two different loudspeakers in azimuth position. Speech tokes were presented at 65 dB SPL, while white noise files were at 60, 65 and 70 dB respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Air traffic controllers outperform the control group in all conditions [P<0.05 in ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests]. Group differences were largest in the most difficult condition, SNR=-5 dB. However, no correlation between experience and performance were found for any of the conditions tested. The reason might be that ceiling performance is achieved much faster than the minimum experience time recorded, 5 years, although intrinsic cognitive abilities cannot be disregarded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ATC demonstrated enhanced ability to hear speech in challenging listening environments. This study provides evidence that long-term auditory training is indeed useful in achieving better speech-in-noise understanding even in adverse conditions, although good cognitive qualities are likely to be a basic requirement for this training to be effective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that ATC outperform the control group in all conditions. Thus, this study provides evidence that long-term auditory training is indeed useful in achieving better speech-in-noise understanding even in adverse conditions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Psicoacústica, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria T P
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zaballos
authors.affiliation: ENT Department & Departamento de CC Quirúrgicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Plasencia
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: María L Z
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Instituto Universitario de Sistemas Inteligentes y Aplicaciones Numéricas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: de Miguel
authors.affiliation: ENT Department & Departamento de CC Quirúrgicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel R
authors.initials: ÁR
authors.lastname: Macías
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001359:Aviation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009623:Noise, Occupational; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult