Abstract
The visibility of open ear (OE) styles of hearing instruments was rigorously investigated for their potential to reduce the stigma of wearing hearing aids. Three groups of 50 young adults (150 total) rated the visibility of 6 hearing aid styles-OE, invisible completely-in-the-canal (CIC), mini in-the-canal (m-ITC), half- and full-shell in-the-ear (ITE), and behind-the-ear (BTE)-worn by a peer model with revealing hairstyle, photographed from 2 ft and at 3 different angles (45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 135 degrees). CIC was rated significantly most "invisible" at 45 degrees and 90 degrees, OE and m-ITC were next at those angles, and OE and BTE were least invisible at 135 degrees. The findings have implications for counseling potential users who are reluctant to try hearing aids for cosmetic reasons.
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