On the relation between hearing sensitivity and otoacoustic emissions

Abstract

The auditory literature suggests that ears having spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) should also evidence overall better hearing in the quiet than ears with no SOAEs, but no direct tests of this presumed relationship have been made. Accordingly, hearing sensitivity was measured in both males and females having either no SOAEs or at least four SOAEs in the right ear. Averaged across frequencies, the hearing of the subjects with SOAEs was about 3 dB better, in both ears, than the hearing of the subjects with no SOAEs. In accord with past findings, sensitivity was also significantly better in right ears than left. However, the common finding of better hearing in females than males did not emerge, suggesting that this difference may exist only when the sex difference in SOAE prevalence is not taken into account. The existence of a direct relationship between hearing sensitivity in the quiet and the presence of SOAEs suggests that a common mechanism may be responsible for both.