Interaural Effects upon Speech Intelligibility at High Noise Levels

Abstract

The role of interaural effects upon speech intelligibility was examined at high noise levels. Over a wide range of conditions, a “mixed” listening condition (speech and noise to one ear and noise alone to the other ear) produced substantially lower intelligibility scores than monaural or binaural presentation of both speech and noise. The results are interpreted in terms of the interaction between the intelligibility of speech cross-conducted to the other ear and the apparent localization in space of the speech and noise.