title: Effect of spatial separation and noise type on sentence recognition by Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of spatial separation and noise type on sentence recognition by unilateral Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two unilateral Mandarin-speaking CI users and six NH listeners participated in this study. Speech reception thresholds were measured for three noise types (steady state noise, speech babble, and music). Sentences from the Mandarin Speech Perception test were presented directly in front of the listener (0°). Noise was presented from one of the five speaker locations: -90°, -45°, 0°, +45°, and +90°.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, CI performance was significantly poorer than NH performance for all spatial separation and noise type conditions. NH listeners performed best with music and poorest with steady noise. CI users performed best with steady noise, and poorest with babble. Performance was significantly affected by noise location and noise type. There was no significant difference in head shadow effects among the different noise types for CI users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Performance was much poorer in CI than in NH listeners for all noise types and spatial separations. Noise type differently affected unilateral CI users and NH listeners. The limited spectral resolution in CI users did not appear to affect head shadow.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery , Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.|b Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Ministry of Health, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.
authors.forename: Yang-Wenyi
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat , The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University , Suzhou , China.
authors.forename: Duo-Duo
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery , Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.|b Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Ministry of Health, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: d Department of Head and Neck Surgery , David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: GalvinIII
authors.affiliation: d Department of Head and Neck Surgery , David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Qian-Jie
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery , Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.|b Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Ministry of Health, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.
authors.forename: Ya-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery , Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.|b Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Ministry of Health, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests; D013067:Speech Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cochlear implant; head shadow effect; noise; speech perception