Abstract
Previous studies have shown that single-sided-deaf (SSD) patients implanted with cochlear implants (CIs) can receive spatial release-from-masking (SRM), likely due to head-shadowing effects. This study investigated the possibility that SSD-CI patients might also obtain SRM benefits from binaural-integration cues when the target speech is masked by a spatially separated fluctuating masker. Experiment 1 measured psychometric functions for word-recognition performance in the presence of stationary noise, modulated noise, and one or two same- or opposite-gender interfering talkers. The first ear received an unprocessed mixture containing the target and masker(s). The second ear received no signal (SSD), an unprocessed mixture containing just the maskers (NH-Binaural), or a mixture containing just the maskers that was processed with an eight-channel noise vocoder (SSD+CI). The results show that SRM occurs in the NH-Binaural condition for all masker types, but that it only occurs in the SSD+CI condition with same-gender interfering talkers. Experiment 2 revealed that SRM occurred in the SSD+CI condition with as few as two vocoder channels, and that maximum performance occurred with six or more channels. These results suggest that CIs for SSD have the potential to produce SRM in situations where monaural cues are insufficient for concurrent speech-stream segregation.
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.
