Abstract
Spectral-ripple discrimination thresholds have been used effectively to assess frequency-resolving power in cochlear implant users. To improve potential clinical utility as a reliable and time-efficient measure of auditory bandwidth for listeners with acoustic hearing, possible confounds and limitations of the method must be addressed. This study examined frequency specificity and the possibility of edge-listening with narrowband stimuli. An adaptive 4-IFC procedure was used to determine ripple discrimination thresholds for normally hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) listeners. Stimuli were broadband (100–5000 Hz), high pass (1000–5000 Hz), or low pass (100–1000 Hz) logarithmically scaled, sinusoidally modulated Gaussian noises. In some conditions, Gaussian flanking noise was introduced to eliminate potential edge-listening cues. As expected, discrimination thresholds were significantly reduced for the HI listeners. Additionally, results indicate that both NH and HI listeners are able to use edge cues to improve discrimination thresholds. The introduction of flanking noise significantly reduced thresholds, and this effect was largest for the high pass stimuli. These results can be used to evaluate the usefulness of this method as a rapid and efficient means of assessing the effective frequency bandwidth of listeners with acoustical hearing. [Work supported by NIH.]
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
