Synthetic Sentence Identification Test Research Articles

Psychoacoustic and electrophysiologic effects of partial eighth nerve damage

The authors present psychoacoustic and electrophysiologic data concerning a patient with partial damage to the auditory nerve, presumably from a dilated arterial vessel. The lesion was described and documented during neurosurgery for vestibular nerve decompression. Pure tone thresholds, psychoacoustical tuning curves, speech reception ability for spondaic words, maximum word recognition performance for monosyllabic NU-6 word lists, and performance on the synthetic sentence identification test in the ipsilateral and contralateral competing message modalities were normal. Findings consistent with eighth nerve dysfunction, absent contralateral acoustic reflexes, absent or unrecognizable early evoked potentials occurring in the first 10 msec, brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), and slight rollover of the performance intensity function for monosyllabic words were obtained on the involved side. In spite of the grossly abnormal BAEPs, two late, presumably cortical, auditory evoked potential components, which occur in the 60 to 250-msec range--vertex potential and T complex--were present and normal. The findings indicate that the perceptual processes needed for speech reception and recognition and for the appearance of later, presumably cortical-evoked potentials can be preserved despite partial damage to the auditory nerve.

Dichotic paradigms in multiple sclerosis.

A total of 20 "definite" multiple sclerosis patients were administered three commonly used dichotic speech paradigms. The tests included the Consonant-Vowel (CV) Nonsense Syllable test, the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test, and the Staggered Spondaic Word (SSW) test. Results of the test procedures were variable, with the higher percentage of abnormalities obtained with the CV test, followed by the SSI, and finally, the SSW. These findings suggest that brain stem lesions may influence higher order auditory processing as measured by certain dichotic test procedures.

Suggestions for optimizing reliability with the synthetic sentence identification test.

The reliability of the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test was determined for a group of 33 listeners with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Randomizations of the 10-item test were administered 12 times (six trials on each of two days) under identical listening conditions. Lists were presented monaurally, under earphones, at 90 dB SPL with a cafeteria background noise set at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) estimated (by adaptive procedure for each subject) to obtain 50% performance. Average scores ranged from 48.8% for Trial 1 to 67.9% for Trial 9. Reliability of the 12 measurements was determined by Pearson correlation, analyses of variance, and by testing individual differences in scores against a theoretical statistical distribution. Results evidenced large intra-subject variability, especially for the initial trials conducted in each testing session. However, if sufficient practice trials are presented each day under relatively difficult listening conditions, the scores on subsequent lists tend to remain relatively stable. Suggested procedures to optimize reliability are included.

Practice effects of a four-talker babble on the synthetic sentence identification test.

This investigation was designed to : (1) collect normative data on a commercially available recording of the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test mixed with a four-talker (FT) competitor at several message-to-competition ratios (MCRs), and (2) assess the effects of practice on SSI-FT performance at each MCR. Sixteen normal-hearing subjects responded to a total of 140 sentences during four trials at MCRs ranging from -6 to +4 dB. The results showed a marked learning effect, especially at the more favorable MCRs; approximately 60 practice sentences were required to ensure stable SSI scores. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Maturation effects on the synthetic sentence identification-ipsilateral competing message.

The Synthetic Sentence Identification test with ipsilateral competing message was presented to six groups of six normal-hearing subjects ranging in age from 8 through 25 years to assess whether performance improved as age increased. The scores improved for all age groups as the message-to-competition ratio decreased. Scores also improved as age increased. The interaction effect between age and message-to-competition ratio was significant (P less than 0.001). The results support previous findings and give strong evidence to support there being a maturation factor involved in auditory processing. Establishing normative data for normal-hearing children at various ages as well as data for children having central problems would now be required to make the Synthetic Sentence Identification test with ipsilateral competing message a useful test with children.

Evaluation of a new tape recording of the synthetic sentence identification test.

The purpose of this study was to collect normative data on a commercially available tape recording of the Synthetic Sentence Identification test with ipsilateral competing message. Twenty normal-hearing subjects with no history of central auditory dysfunction were used. Mean percentage of intelligibility scores and standard deviations were obtained at various message-competition ratios. Results were compared to previous research. The data obtained using this recording can now be used as a reference for making clinical judgments.

A Study of the Central Auditory Processes in Stutterers Using the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) Test Battery

The performance of a group of stutters (N = 14) and a group of nonstutterers (N = 14) was compared on the Synthetic Sentence Identification Test (Speaks and Jerger, 1965). The test is designed to assess central auditory function. It was hypothesized that because of subtle neurologically based differences in perceptual processing, the performance of the two groups would differ significantly on one or more of the subtests. An analysis of variance revealed that the performance of the stuttering group was significantly poorer (0.01 level of confidence) than that of the nonstutteres on the Ipsilateral Competing Message Subtest. The results of the investigation were compatible with other studies that suggest a neurological dysfunction within the central auditory apparatus as at least one of the underlying causes of disfluency. It was concluded that further investigations of the central auditory processes in stutterers are warranted to make a more definitive statement about the etiology of stuttering.

Articulation functions for normal and hearing impaired subjects on the MRT and SSI tests in multitalker noise

Articulation functions were established for three groups using the Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test and the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT) in three message competition ratios (MCR's) of multi-talker noise. Mean scores on the SSI and the MRT were obtained for 35 normally hearing and six flat sensorineural and six high-frequency sloping sensorineural hearing impaired subjects. An ANOVA revealed a significant difference between tests, groups, presenation conditions, and significant interactions between variables. SSI scores were not significantly different among the tested groups while the MRT scores were significantly different at two MCR conditions. Articulation functions were considered typical for each group tested. The results suggest that the SSI and MRT are two different tests, examining two separate areas of discrimination.