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Subjective Differences Between Premium And Mid-Level Digital Hearing Aids, Dakota Sharp
Subjective Differences Between Premium And Mid-Level Digital Hearing Aids, Dakota Sharp
Dissertations, 2014-2019
This study compared perceptual differences between premium and mid-level hearing aids from a major manufacturer in normal hearing listeners. Limited literature currently exists comparing perceptual differences between premium and mid-level digital hearing aids. This information is highly important in decision-making for clinicians and patients alike. Barry et al. (2018) evaluated four major hearing aid models’ noise reduction properties and determined that one manufacturer’s premium and mid-level devices demonstrated significant differences in noise reduction gain in frequencies associated with human speech. We programmed this device for a mild sloping to moderately-severe SNHL using the manufacturer’s proprietary fitting formula and noise reduction …
Objective Differences Between Premium And Mid-Level Digital Hearing Aids, Chelsea C. Barry
Objective Differences Between Premium And Mid-Level Digital Hearing Aids, Chelsea C. Barry
Dissertations, 2014-2019
This ongoing study compared premium and mid-level hearing aids from major manufacturers on noise reduction and general electroacoustic characteristics. The findings of this study will contribute to the scarce independent literature evaluating currently available hearing aid technology. Measuring the overall gain reduction in response to a steady state noise can objectively test noise reduction. However, such a method does not specifically test a hearing aid’s ability to reduce speech in specific narrow frequency bands. Hanline & Rout (2008) developed a set of stimuli to evaluate multichannel noise reduction algorithms more precisely. We used these stimuli to test noise reduction abilities …
Development Of A Questionnaire To Assess Attitudes Toward Hearing Aids, Corinne O'Shaughnessy
Development Of A Questionnaire To Assess Attitudes Toward Hearing Aids, Corinne O'Shaughnessy
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Many reasons have been postulated as to why persons with hearing loss are reluctant to engage in the hearing rehabilitation process. While not the only determinant, an individual's attitudes toward hearing loss and hearing aids have been shown to affect adoption of amplification adversely and eventual outcomes of hearing aid use. Several attempts have been made to develop test instruments for attitudes toward hearing loss, but nothing specific to attitudes toward hearing aids or hearing aid technology. The primary objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess attitudes toward hearing aids using the ABC model of attitude …
Effect Of Adaptive Frequency Lowering On Phoneme Identification And Sound Quality Of Music In Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Kaitlyn A. Sabri
Effect Of Adaptive Frequency Lowering On Phoneme Identification And Sound Quality Of Music In Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Kaitlyn A. Sabri
Dissertations, 2014-2019
The most common type and configuration of hearing loss seen in clinics is high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. High-frequency hearing losses can lead to difficulties understanding speech in noise. Traditional amplification can aid in audibility of high-frequency information; however, its success is limited due to acoustic feedback, output limitations of the hearing aids, and loudness discomfort (Bohnert, Nyffeler, & Keilmann, 2010, Turner & Cummings, 1999). Cochlear dead regions further hinder the success of traditional hearing aids, as speech recognition may not improve with increased audibility (Turner & Cummings, 1999). Frequency-lowering algorithms, developed by four major hearing aid manufacturers, attempt to …
Effects Of Auditory And Visual Distracters On Acceptable Background Noise Level In Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Elizabeth A. Ripley
Effects Of Auditory And Visual Distracters On Acceptable Background Noise Level In Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Elizabeth A. Ripley
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Acceptable Noise Level (ANL), is an established procedure for determining the amount of background noise a listener is willing to accept while listening to speech. ANL is established by having the listener select most amount of background noise they are willing to accept while listening to a speech stimulus presented at their most comfortable listening level (MCL). While ANLs have been established as good predictors of hearing aid use, little is known on how hearing aid users accept background noise while engaged in cognitively demanding tasks. Previous research in normal hearing listeners has demonstrated that listeners will allow the most …
Perceived Occlusion And Comfort In Receiver-In-The-Ear Hearing Aids, Sara A. Conrad
Perceived Occlusion And Comfort In Receiver-In-The-Ear Hearing Aids, Sara A. Conrad
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Purpose: In this study participants rated self-perceived occlusion and physical comfort for receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) hearing aids with different sizes of standard domes. Perceived occlusion was rated across listening and own voice conditions. Method: Twenty-one older adults with hearing impairment were fitted with bilateral RITE hearing aids and tested with three dome size conditions: open, plus, and power domes, and one control condition: the participants' own aids. Participants ranked self-perceived occlusion across the dome size conditions as well as across listening and own voice conditions, and also ranked level of physical comfort across dome sizes. Results: Self-perceived occlusion increased as dome …
Objective And Subjective Evaluation Of Wind Noise Reduction In Digital Hearing Aids, Sheena Kate Jessee
Objective And Subjective Evaluation Of Wind Noise Reduction In Digital Hearing Aids, Sheena Kate Jessee
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Wind noise is problematic for hearing aid users who enjoy outdoor activities. Not only is it annoying, it can create distortion by overloading the microphone and masking signals that hearing aid users desire to hear. Some hearing aid manufacturers offer wind noise reduction in addition to general noise reduction (WNR + NR) for clinicians to manipulate in their software. This study compares objective and subjective measures of wind noise reduction as well as subjective measure of intelligibility obtained using various hearing aid manufacturers and noise reduction settings while HINT sentences were played in the presence of constantly generated wind. Significant …