Hearing Perception Research Articles

ASSESSMENT OF SPEECH DEVELOPMENT IN SUBJECTS WITH PRELINGUAL HEARING IMPAIRMENT PRIOR TO OR AFTER COCHLEAR IMPLANTATION

Hearing is one of the most important features that every human being possesses, one of the five senses along with sight, smell, taste, and touch. This function is accomplished owing to the complex mechanism of the sensory organ for hearing, the ear, and its coordination with the nervous system. The impairment of the cochlear normal function, impairment of the transduction of the mechanical acoustic signal in the synaptic activity of the auditory nerve leads to disorders of the complex ear mechanism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the speech development, that is, to assess the speech-voice development by using the Test for recognition of simple questions in the period of 6, 12 and 24 months. The results of the test for development of hearing perception showed progression during the examined period. Subjects in whom cochlear implant was placed in the younger age showed better results at the Test for recognition of simple questions and they recognized the meaning of a larger number of questions. This was statistically confirmed with calculated correlations between the age when the intervention was realized and the number of perceived simple questions at 6, 12 and 24 months post-implantation. All three correlations were negative and statistically significant. Keywords: impaired hearing, cochlear implant, hearing perception, speech development

DEVELOPMENT OF HEARING PERCEPTION IN SUBJECTS WITH COCHLEAR IMPLANT

Development of speech is a highly integrative process which has to incorporate harmonic functioning of many aspects such as anatomical, physiоlogical, auditory, mental, emotional and social. Anatomical-physiological bases of hearing have been well studied. Cochlear implant is recommended in subjects who do not have any significant increase of the sound through the individual hearing amplifiers or have small benefit and also in subjects whose impairment is over 90dB to 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz.The aim of this study was to estimate the development of hearing perception in subjects with prelingual hearing impairment who used cochlear implant with regards to perception and identification of sounds from external environment. The results of the Test for development of hearing perception showed progression during the follow-up period at 6, 12 and 24 months. It was concluded that the longer the cochlear implant was used, the better results were achieved. Keywords: impaired hearing, cochlear implant, hearing perception, speech development

No Evidence That Music Training Benefits Speech Perception in Hearing-Impaired Listeners: A Systematic Review.

As musicians have been shown to have a range of superior auditory skills to non-musicians (e.g., pitch discrimination ability), it has been hypothesized by many researchers that music training can have a beneficial effect on speech perception in populations with hearing impairment. This hypothesis relies on an assumption that the benefits seen in musicians are due to their training and not due to innate skills that may support successful musicianship. This systematic review examined the evidence from 13 longitudinal training studies that tested the hypothesis that music training has a causal effect on speech perception ability in hearing-impaired listeners. The papers were evaluated for quality of research design and appropriate analysis techniques. Only 4 of the 13 papers used a research design that allowed a causal relation between music training and outcome benefits to be validly tested, and none of those 4 papers with a better quality study design demonstrated a benefit of music training for speech perception. In spite of the lack of valid evidence in support of the hypothesis, 10 of the 13 papers made claims of benefits of music training, showing a propensity for confirmation bias in this area of research. It is recommended that future studies that aim to evaluate the association of speech perception ability and music training use a study design that differentiates the effects of training from those of innate perceptual and cognitive skills in the participants.

Computational phonogram archiving

A general approach to analyzing audio files makes it possible to re-create the sound of ancient instruments, identify cross-cultural musical properties, and more.

Using McGurk effect to detect speech-perceptional abnormalities in refractory epilepsy

BackgroundMcGurk effect is a perceptual phenomenon that demonstrates an interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception. A wide range of neuropsychological deficits have been described in people with long-standing epilepsy, which affect multimodal integration in speech perception and hence refractory epilepsy patients are ideal for testing the McGurk effect. Materials and methodsWe studied the McGurk effect in 50 patients diagnosed with medically refractory left or right hemispheric epilepsy based on clinical, radiological, and electrophysiological data. ResultsThe McGurk effect was better perceived (p = 0.006) in patients with left hemispheric epilepsy (n = 12, 71%) compared to right (n = 5, 29%). The other factors which compromised the perception of the McGurk effect were impairments in visual memory (p = 0.041), facial emotion recognition (p = 0.001), and lip-reading (p = 0.006). Perception of the McGurk effect reduced significantly (p = 0.006) when the epilepsy duration was 10 years or beyond. ConclusionThe McGurk effect can be used in refractory epilepsy patients, to detect subtle abnormalities in speech perception, before significant irreversible speech and language dysfunction become evident.

The Effects of Clear Speech on American English Listener Perception of Spanish-Accented and Native English Speech

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore (a) the effect of clear speech on intelligibility, ease of understanding, and accentedness in Spanish-accented and native English speakers of American English and (b) the extent to which accentedness predicts intelligibility and ease of understanding. Method Ten adult talkers, five native English speakers and five native Spanish speakers, read aloud 28 short sentences in habitual speech and clear speech. One hundred monolingual English listeners transcribed what they heard and rated ease of understanding using a 10-cm visual analog scale while hearing the sentences in six-talker babble. Then, accentedness (using a visual analog scale) was judged in quiet. Intelligibility was calculated as the number of words transcribed correctly for each sentence. Ten listeners with significant exposure to Spanish-accented speech rated each talker. Each listener heard only one talker, rating half the sentences in clear speech and half in habitual speech, so that no listener heard a sentence more than once for the intelligibility and ease of understanding assessments. Results Clear speech improved intelligibility and ease of understanding for both language groups, with greater improvement in nonnative talkers. Clear speech did not alter accentedness in nonnative talkers but did increase accentedness in native talkers. Accentedness did not strongly predict intelligibility but did predict ease of understanding, although the relationship was nonlinear. Conclusions Listeners who are experienced in hearing Spanish-accented speech derive significant benefits from clear speech. The difference in the predictability of accentedness for intelligibility and ease of understanding contributes further evidence to the difference in underlying cognitive processes for these two variables.

The impact of cochlear implant microphone settings on the binaural hearing of experienced cochlear implant users with single-sided deafness

ObjectiveCochlear implantation has become a well-accepted treatment option for people with single-sided deafness (SSD) and has become a clinical standard in many countries. A cochlear implant (CI) is the only device which restores binaural hearing. The effect of microphone directionality (MD) settings has been investigated in other CI indication groups, but its impact on speech perception in noise has not been established in CI users with SSD. The focus of this investigation was, therefore, to assess binaural hearing effects using different MD settings in CI users with SSD.MethodsTwenty-nine experienced CI users with SSD were recruited to determine speech reception thresholds with varying target and noise sources to define binaural effects (head shadow, squelch, summation, and spatial release from masking), sound localization, and sound quality using the SSQ12 and HISQUI19 questionnaires. Outcome measures included the MD settings “natural”, “adaptive”, and “omnidirectional”.ResultsThe 29 participants involved in the study were divided into two groups: 11 SONNET users and 18 OPUS 2/RONDO users. In both groups, a significant head shadow effect of 7.4–9.2 dB was achieved with the CI. The MD setting “adaptive” provided a significant head shadow effect of 9.2 dB, a squelch effect of 0.9 dB, and spatial release from masking of 7.6 dB in the SONNET group. No significant summation effect could be determined in either group with CI. Outcomes with the omnidirectional setting were not significantly different between groups. For both groups, localization improved significantly when the CI was activated and was best when the omnidirectional setting was used. The groups’ sound quality scores did not significantly differ.ConclusionsAdaptive directional microphone settings improve speech perception and binaural hearing abilities in CI users with SSD. Binaural effect measures are valuable to quantify the benefit of CI use, especially in this indication group.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aids for the Treatment of Asymmetric Hearing Loss.

Asymmetric hearing loss is generally defined as a moderate-to-profound hearing loss in the poorer ear and a mild-to-moderate hearing loss in the better ear. Application of a bone conduction hearing aid is one of the possible treatments for the poorer ear in asymmetric hearing loss. However, the device essentially stimulates the contralateral better ear, precluding true binaural hearing. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the application and utility of bone-anchored hearing aids in the treatment of asymmetric hearing loss. We retrospectively evaluated 215 implanted subjects in our clinic and extracted a series of 27 patients affected by asymmetric hearing loss and treated with bone-anchored hearing aids. All 27 subjects had a mixed hearing loss after middle ear surgery. The preoperative and postoperative audiological data of these patients were collected and analyzed. The audiological tests showed an improvement in the performance of hearing perception of sound and speech in quiet and noise. Moreover, the subjects have positively answered the questionnaires administered to evaluate subjective benefits. All subscales of the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit and speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale showed a significant improvement with the device. Bone-anchored hearing aids are a suitable treatment for asymmetric hearing loss. When other devices cannot be utilized or are not indicated, the bone conduction devices may allow good audiological results.

Is the cochlear implant a successful long-term solution for single-sided deaf and asymmetric hearing-impaired patients?

PurposeWe investigated the long-term results of cochlear implant (CI) recipients with asymmetric hearing loss (AHL) or single-sided deafness (SSD). We focused on wearing behavior, audiometric hearing rehabilitation, and subjective benefits of the CI. CI is expected to improve audiological results, subjective hearing perception, and tinnitus burden.MethodsSpeech recognition in background noise and sound localization were assessed preoperatively and after at least six years of CI experience. Validated questionnaires determined the subjective benefit of CI use and the subjective evaluation of tinnitus.ResultsOver 80% of the included AHL and SSD CI recipients used their CI between 6 and 10 h daily; four subjects with SSD were non-users. Speech recognition in background noise and sound localization improved significantly compared with the unaided preoperative situation. Additionally, CI improved subjective speech intelligibility and spatial hearing impression while reducing tinnitus burden.ConclusionSubjects with AHL and SSD benefit from CI, subjectively and audiologically. Cochlear implant is a successful long-term treatment for AHL and SSD.

Effects of Three Common Choral Configurations on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of a Soprano Section’s Sound

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of three choral configurations on a soprano section’s sound. The first configuration resembled a choir section without an assigned standing position, the second configuration grouped singers by timbre, and the third used acoustic-compatibility placement. Three conductors configured a university soprano section ( N = 13) who were audio-recorded singing in each configuration and answered questions about their perceptions. Audio recordings were analyzed acoustically using long-term average spectra and perceptually through pitch analysis and listener perceptions. Results indicated that participants sang with significantly increased spectral energy in the acoustic-compatibility configuration ( p < .001), and both singer and listener participants preferred intentional standing configurations over the random standing configuration. Findings from this study suggest that choral directors can use intentional configurations in conjunction with 2 ft intersinger spacing to improve singer comfort and overall sound.

Benefits of extended high-frequency hearing for speech perception

Each species has a frequency range of hearing tailored to meet the demands placed upon that species by its environment and experiences. Why have humans retained extended high-frequency (EHF) hearing (i.e., sensitivity to acoustical energy beyond 8 kHz)? In this talk I will provide an overview of EHF hearing and report on studies from our lab revealing the utility of EHF hearing for speech perception. Historically, speech energy beyond 8 kHz was deemed unnecessary for applications of interest (i.e., telephony), and has often been neglected by tradition. We find, however, that speech energy beyond 13 kHz is audible for healthy young adult listeners. Access to EHFs improves (1) listeners' judgements of a talker's head orientation, and (2) speech recognition scores in a listening scenario where the target talker faces the listener, but masker talkers face away from the listener. This improvement is likely due to the directional nature of EHF energy radiating from the mouth and has some reliance on EHF spectral detail. Our results indicate that EHF energy in speech is audible and provides useful information about the speech signal.

Examining spectral and intensity resolution in web-based vocoder simulations of electric hearing

The poor spectral resolution in current cochlear implants contributes to the difficulty implant users face when trying to listen in noisy backgrounds. Recent work examining measures of spectral resolution and speech perception in normal-hearing and cochlear-implant listeners found that the amount of simulated spectral resolution producing similar speech-in-noise performance between groups resulted in poorer performance for the normal-hearing group on spectral-ripple detection and discrimination tasks. The results suggest that simulating poorer spectral resolution alone is not sufficient to explain implant user performance. Spectral-ripple detection performance likely reflects both spectral- and intensity-resolution, but few vocoder simulations utilize implant-like intensity resolution. In this study, a vocoder processing strategy simulating both electric field spread and dynamic range limitations was used to evaluate performance of normal-hearing and cochlear-implant listeners on speech-in-noise and spectral-resolution tasks. Data were collected using a novel online remote testing platform developed implemented with the MATLAB Web App Server. A comparison of results between groups highlights the implications of including psychophysically measured estimates of cochlear-implant performance in acoustic simulations of electric hearing. [Work supported by NIH grant R01DC012262.]

Auditory sensory gating in Huffaz using an auditory brainstem response with a psychological task: A preliminary investigation

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the auditory sensory gating capacity in Huffaz using an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test with and without psychological tasks. MethodsTwenty-three participants were recruited for this study. The participants were comprised of 11 Huffaz who memorized 30 chapters of the Islamic Scripture (from the Quran) and 12 non-Huffaz as the control group. All participants had normal hearing perception and underwent an ABR test with and without psychological tasks. The ABR was elicited at 70 dB nHL using a 3000 Hz tone burst stimulus with a 2-0-2 cycle at a stimulus repetition rate of 40 Hz. The ABR wave V amplitude and latencies were measured and statistically compared. A forward digit span test was also conducted to determine participants’ working memory capacity. ResultsThere were no significant differences in the ABR wave V amplitudes and latencies between Huffaz and non-Huffaz in ABR with and without psychological tasks. There were also no significant differences in the ABR wave V amplitudes and latencies in both groups of ABR with and without psychological tasks. In addition, no significant differences were identified in the digit span working memory score between both groups. ConclusionsIn this study, based on the ABR findings, Huffaz showed the same auditory sensory gating capacity as the non-Huffaz group. The ABR result was consistent with the digit span working memory test score. This finding implies that both groups have similar working memory performance. However, the conclusion is limited to the specific assessment method that we used in this study.

Visual displays enhance vocal duet production and the perception of coordination despite spatial separation of partners

Many group-living animals use precisely coordinated vocalizations to signal group quality and cohesion. However, the timing of these signals depends not only on the precision of signallers, which has been studied in detail, but also on the geometric location of both signallers and receivers. This is because the timing of notes within signals is affected by the speed of sound and relative location of senders and receivers, yet these spatial effects have not been examined experimentally. We studied how spatial separation of signallers affects production of and response to vocal duets in Australian magpie-larks, Grallina cyanoleuca. We specifically tested whether the visual displays that accompany duets reduce spatial effects on the production of natural duets and enhance the listener's perception of note coordination within experimental, multimodal playbacks of duets. Visual displays are not subject to time lags on a biological scale, because of the speed of light, and so might be used to compensate for the slow speed of sound during both production and reception of signals. Observations of natural duets suggest that the visual component of these multimodal displays reduces the effect of partner separation on duet tempo, which would otherwise decline linearly with separation, and enhances the regularity of duets. Acoustic playbacks with robotic models showed in turn that visual displays reduced the effect of spatial separation of partners on the response to their duets. Spatial separation of robots led to temporal offset within duets from the perspective of the listener, yet the visual display ameliorated the negative effect of offset on response. In addition, a greater tempo of vocal duets, which is promoted by visual coordination during production, increased response to duets. We conclude that the visual component of duet displays helps compensate for the effects of spatial separation of partners during the production and response to duets.

Communicated perspective-taking (CPT) and storylistening: Testing the impact of CPT in the context of friends telling stories of difficulty

Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making theory (CNSM), the purpose of the current study was to test the effects of storylisteners’ communicated perspective taking (CPT) on storytellers’ well-being and evaluations of storylisteners’ communication skills in the context of telling stories about difficulty. Pairs of friends ( n = 37) engaged in a storytelling interaction in which one person told a story of a difficult life experience (DLE). Listeners’ CPT was rated by observers using the Communicated Perspective-Taking Rating System (CPTRS) and tellers reported on listeners’ behaviors and their own psychosocial health. Results indicate that observed CPT relates positively to tellers’ perceptions of listeners’ communication competence and CPT, and negatively to listeners’ perceived face threat. Particularly important were the identity validation, agreement, and affective tone dimensions of the CPTRS. The links between observed CPT and communication skills were moderated by the degree to which the DLE was considered upsetting, significant, and based on how often the DLE story had been told. Despite previous research, observed CPT was not related to psychosocial health in the current study.

Dissonance in the Expressive System and Performing Practice of Baroque Keyboard Music

The research focused on the important aesthetic category of Baroque music — a dissonance, and methods of its interpretation in keyboard music of the era. The author has identified the key problem of stylus phantasticus in keyboard pieces’ interpretation. For the first time in Ukrainian historically informed performance it was noticed the ways to solve the sketchy notation of Johann Caspar Kerll’s keyboard works, whose style was influenced by Neapolitan style durezze e ligature, the manner of J. Frescobaldi. Music theory and performing practice of the 17th — 18th centuries recognizes the dissonance as a moving concept, creating an effect of both movement and tension, so the performing tradition required that dissonance should be manifested in every possible way so the performer should subordinate performance primarily to harmony, rhythm and emphasis, overcoming from time to time the regularity of metric pulsation. Kerll’s manner of composing his Toccata at first glance is regulated. However, in the case of a literal reading of the piece schematic notation, sound and rhythmic monotony occurs. Relying on the methods of contemporary researches and recommendations of Baroque authors it was proposed the methods for deciphering musical notes of Toccata: chords, dissonances, ornamentation, articulation techniques and agogics, which individualize and make expressive every next performance of stylus phantasticus keyboard piece. Systematizing experience of interpretation methods for early Baroque keyboard music gives reason to compile a base for theoretical background for future research by young generation of Ukrainian musicians, being just at the beginning of their carrier. This investigation significantly expands the perception of listeners and professional musicians about aesthetic conventions of Baroque keyboard performing art.

Effects of Historical Recording Technology on Vibrato in Modern-Day Opera Singers

Past literature indicates that vibrato measurements of singers objectively changed (i.e., vibrato rate decreased and vibrato extent increased) from 1900 to the present day; however, historical audio recording technology may distort acoustic measurements of the voice output signal, including vibrato. As such, the listener's perception of historical singing may be influenced by the limitations of historical technology. This study attempts to show how the wax cylinder phonograph system-the oldest form of mass-produced audio recording technology-alters the recorded voice output signal of modern-day singers and, thus, provides an objective lens through which to study the effect(s) of historical audio recording technology on vibrato measurements. Twenty professional Western opera singers sang a messa di voce on the vowel [a] and on the pitch C4 for male singers and C5 for female singers, three times into a flat-response omnidirectional microphone and onto an Edison Home Phonograph simultaneously. The middle 1-3 seconds (6-10 vibrato cycles) of each sample was analyzed for vibrato rate, vibrato extent, jitter (ddp), shimmer (dda), and fundamental frequency for each recording condition (wax cylinder phonograph or microphone). Steady-state and frequency-modulating sinewave test signals were also recorded under the multiple recording conditions. Results indicated no significant effect of recording condition on vibrato rate (mean [standard deviation], cylinder: 5.3 Hz [0.5], microphone: 5.3 Hz [0.5]) and no significant difference was found for mean fundamental frequency (cylinder: 389 Hz [137], microphone: 390 Hz [137]). A significant main effect of recording condition was found for vibrato extent (cylinder: ±103 cents [30], microphone: ±100 cents [31]). Additionally, mean jitter (ddp) (cylinder: 1.22% [1.09], microphone: 0.24% [0.12]) and mean shimmer (dda) (cylinder: 9.40% [4.90], microphone: 1.92% [0.94]) were significantly higher for the cylinder recording condition, indicating more cycle-to-cycle variability in the wax cylinder recorded signal. Analysis of test signals revealed similar patterns based on recording condition. This study validates past scholarly inquiry about vibrato measurements as extracted from digitized wax cylinder phonograph recordings by demonstrating that measured vibrato rate remains constant during both recording conditions. In other words, vibrato rate as measured from historical recordings can be viewed as an accurate representation of the historical singer being studied. Furthermore, it suggests that the value of prior vibrato extent measurements from these acoustic recordings may be slightly overestimated from the original voice output signals produced by singers near the beginning of the 20th century (i.e., a narrow vibrato extent might have been numerically smaller on average). Increased jitter and shimmer in the wax cylinder recording conditions may be indicative of nonlinearities in the phonograph recording or playback systems.

Improved binaural speech reception thresholds through small symmetrical separation of speech and noise.

Speech perception in noise is challenging and is improved by binaural hearing. Since signal processing of assistive hearing devices often modifies or masks the peripheral binaural head-shadow or better-ear effects, central binaural processing should be measured separately. In a prospective study, 10 listeners with normal hearing were tested with the German matrix sentence test in a set-up with two loudspeakers located at opposite angles in the horizontal plane with respect to S0N0. The speech reception threshold (SRT) was investigated depending on the separation angle between speech and noise. The lowest (best) SRT was obtained for a separation of target and interfering source from S0N0 at an angle of about S±60°N∓60°. The derived normative curve was comparable to SRTs predicted by the binaural-speech-intelligibility-model. The systematic separation of signal and noise showed a significant improvement in speech intelligibility for normal-hearing people even for small separation angles. This experimental setting was verified. This study aimed to assess the effect of small sound source separation on binaural hearing and speech perception.

Melodic Language and Linguistic Melodies: Text Setting in Igbo

There are no other sense-altering aspects of culture that equate with language’s effect on aural perception (hearing). Increased sensitivity to pitch is a cognitive characteristic in the 60% of the world’s ethnolinguistic cultures that speak tone languages (Yip 2002). Lexical tone is a pitch contrast akin to the contour of a melody that distinguishes between words. An example is [íké] (high-high, like a repeated note) and [íkè] (high-low, like a falling interval) which forms a minimal pair between the Ìgbò words for strength and buttocks. Being a tone language speaker also impacts ways of musicking, especially singing. This is the case in sub-Saharan Africa, where “language and music are tied, as if by an umbilical cord” (Agawu 2016:113). A favorite tool for evangelism among 19th- and 20th-century European missionaries in West Africa was to translate European hymn texts into the language of the missionized and teach them to sing the translation to the original hymn tune. An example included in the video is “All hail the power of Jesus’ name” which is often sung to the Coronation hymn tune by Oliver Holden (1792). Unfortunately, early missionaries would translate the texts metrically (to preserve the number of syllables) but had no understanding of the necessary tone. Because of the link between lyrics and melody in tone languages, composers of vocal music in tone languages have argued that one should not compose vocal music in isolation from text or vice-versa. In 1974, Laz Ekwueme, a doctoral advisee of Allen Forte, published an article on Ìgbò text setting and harmonization. In addition to parallel harmony, Ekwueme recommends staggering text (as in European polyphony or African call-and-response) and using alliterative sounds (vocables and onomatopoeia) in subordinate voices. Drawing on field recordings gathered in Nigeria from 2011–2020 by the authors, and commentary by Ekwueme and Dr. Christian Onyeji, this SMT-V article studies the phenomenon of “tone-and-tune” in Ìgbò culture. Compositions by Laz Èkwúèmé, Sam Òjúkwū, Christian Ònyéji, Joshua Úzọ̀ígwē Commentary by Laz Èkwúèmé, Christian Ònyéjì Performances by Ogene Uzodinma, Laz Ekwueme Chorale, Agbani-Nguru Ikorodo, Lagos City Chorale, Elizabeth Ime Ònyéjì, University of Lagos Choir, Morehouse College Glee Club Video scores by Ebruphiyor Omodoro Field recordings and interviews are provided by the Africana Digital Ethnography Project (ADEPt), with support from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the Fulbright Program, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Suprathreshold Differences in Competing Speech Perception in Older Listeners With Normal and Impaired Hearing.

Purpose Age-related declines in auditory temporal processing and cognition make older listeners vulnerable to interference from competing speech. This vulnerability may be increased in older listeners with sensorineural hearing loss due to additional effects of spectral distortion and accelerated cognitive decline. The goal of this study was to uncover differences between older hearing-impaired (OHI) listeners and older normal-hearing (ONH) listeners in the perceptual encoding of competing speech signals. Method Age-matched groups of 10 OHI and 10 ONH listeners performed the coordinate response measure task with a synthetic female target talker and a male competing talker at a target-to-masker ratio of +3 dB. Individualized gain was provided to OHI listeners. Each listener completed 50 baseline and 800 "bubbles" trials in which randomly selected segments of the speech modulation power spectrum (MPS) were retained on each trial while the remainder was filtered out. Average performance was fixed at 50% correct by adapting the number of segments retained. Multinomial regression was used to estimate weights showing the regions of the MPS associated with performance (a "classification image" or CImg). Results The CImg weights were significantly different between the groups in two MPS regions: a region encoding the shared phonetic content of the two talkers and a region encoding the competing (male) talker's voice. The OHI listeners demonstrated poorer encoding of the phonetic content and increased vulnerability to interference from the competing talker. Individual differences in CImg weights explained over 75% of the variance in baseline performance in the OHI listeners, whereas differences in high-frequency pure-tone thresholds explained only 10%. Conclusion Suprathreshold deficits in the encoding of low- to mid-frequency (~5-10 Hz) temporal modulations-which may reflect poorer "dip listening"-and auditory grouping at a perceptual and/or cognitive level are responsible for the relatively poor performance of OHI versus ONH listeners on a different-gender competing speech task. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12568472.