Speech Perception Research Articles

PERSEPSI SISWA TERHADAP TUTURAN IMPERATIF GURU DALAM INTERAKSI BELAJAR MENGAJAR BAHASA INDONESIA DI SMP NEGERI 3 SUNGGUMINASA

This research is a quantitative descriptive study that aims to describe students' perceptions of teacher imperative speech in teaching and learning interactions in Indonesian at SMP Negeri 3 Sungguminasa. The method used in this study is a survey method with data collection techniques using questionnaires. The population in this study was all class VIII students of SMP Negeri 3 Sungguminasa as many as 331 students, while the sample was 60 students. The research data was obtained by distributing questionnaires in hardcopy form to students. The results of the accumulation state that the indicator of attention is on the "positive" criterion with a percentage of 85%. On the indicators of student learning motivation, it meets the criteria of "very positive" with a percentage of 88%. On the indicator of teaching methods of teachers meet the criteria of "very positive" with a percentage of 86%. Meanwhile, the overall accumulated results stated that students' perceptions of teacher imperative speech were on the "very positive" criterion with a percentage of 86%. Based on these results, it was concluded that students of SMP Negeri 3 Sungguminasa have a very positive perception of teacher imperative speech in teaching and learning interactions Indonesian.

Selective Word Stress Effect for Speech Perception Enhancement in Hearing-Impaired Older Listeners

Purpose: Although it is known that communication problem of the older adults might be overcome by using slower speech or talking in a less noisy environment, there is still a lack of detailed skills. This study aimed to identify word stress benefit in speech perception for older listeners when different levels of background noise and speech rate were presented.Methods: Forty elderly (20 for hearing loss and 20 for normal hearing) were randomly recruited. Both groups conducted sentence tests at quiet and three signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (+6, +3, 0 dB) and did them under four timealteration conditions (± 30% and ± 15%). Further, all sentences of both the noise and time alteration conditions had a 4, 6, or 8 dB up emphasized key word.Results: As expected, the hearing-impaired group had lower scores than the group with normal hearing in quiet and three SNR conditions. In quiet, both groups performed best at 6 dB emphasis. However, there was no significant difference in performance across 4, 6, and 8 dB up stress conditions when background noise was present. As time compression increased, speech perception scores decreased in both groups. Notably, at 30% expansion (slower speed), the normal hearing group scored the highest at 4 dB up emphasis, while the hearing-impaired group showed the best performance best at 8 dB up emphasis.Conclusion: Based on the current results, rather than simply speaking slowly, it would be more helpful for older adults with hearing loss to control their speech rate also emphasize key words during the conversation.

Linguistic correlates of second language users’ attitudes to Arabic and Chinese varieties of English: a verbal guise study

ABSTRACT Research into language attitudes suggests that L2 users often hold negative attitudes toward their own and others’ L2 accents. However, less is known about specific features that affect these attitudes. Beinhoff’s study explored consonantal variation and its impact on perceptions of L2 speakers, but this study further examines linguistic correlates of L2 users’ attitudes toward Arabic and Chinese varieties of English. Using the verbal guise method, Arabic and Chinese male and female speakers read a paragraph in English with varying L1 influences. Each sample was rated by 30 L2 listeners on a 6-point semantic differential scale assessing status, solidarity, and dynamism. Phonological and fluency analyses of the samples revealed that non-segmental features, such as prosody, play a more significant role in eliciting positive attitudes toward these English varieties than do segmental features. These findings highlight the importance of suprasegmental aspects in shaping listener perceptions of L2 English speech.

Spectral and temporal acoustic differences between English and Dutch vowels

This study aims to compare the acoustic characteristics of English and Dutch vowels and to model the perception of Dutch vowels by English speakers on the basis of crosslinguistic acoustic similarity. The first three formant frequencies and the duration of vowels were extracted from the output of 20 native English and 20 native Dutch speakers. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) algorithm was trained on the productions of English speakers and the Dutch productions were later supplied to the model to provide a predicted proportion of how each nonnative vowel would be classified in terms of the speakers’ L1 categories. The results of LDA demonstrated that all but one Dutch vowel were classified as above-chance responses in terms of two or more English categories. Due to the large and complex vowel system of English, completely overlapping contrasts were absent, while there was a large number of partially overlapping contrasts, which are predicted to exhibit moderate-to-good discrimination. The results of crosslinguistic acoustic similarity are largely consistent with those involving other English listeners of Dutch, potentially highlighting the importance of acoustic cues in estimating listeners’ speech perception patterns.

Effect of perceptual training without feedback on bilingual speech perception

This study examines the effect of perceptual training without feedback on the discrimination of the Spanish stop-approximant contrasts [b]–[B], [d]–[ð], and [g]–[y]. Of interest is if the aural repetition of target stimuli improves discrimination accuracy, how many repetitions are needed to observe a significant increase in perceptual discrimination accuracy, and if there is an effect of contrast type. Perception of the Spanish target phones was assessed in adult native (L1) Spanish speakers (n = 10) and L1 English bilingual learners of L2 Spanish (n = 23) via VCV nonwords over six blocks of 10 trials, featuring Spanish approximants and voiced stops in an AX discrimination task. Results indicate a significant effect of aural stimulus repetition on discrimination accuracy scores improvement. Significant improvements were observed for all three contrasts, with discrimination gradually improving across blocks. The data indicated that the [y]–[g] contrast was the most difficult contrast and exhibited the highest rate of discrimination accuracy improvement. Discrimination accuracy score improvements were also significantly larger for L1 English listeners in comparison with the L1 Spanish listeners for this contrast.

Predictive brain activity related to auditory information is associated with performance in speech comprehension tasks in noisy environments.

Understanding speech in noisy environments is challenging even for individuals with normal hearing, and it poses a significant challenge for those with hearing impairments or listening difficulties. There are limitations associated with the current methods of evaluating speech comprehension in such environments, especially in individuals with peripheral hearing impairments. According to the predictive coding model, speech comprehension is an active inference process that integrates sensory information through the interaction of bottom-up and top-down processing. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the role of prediction in speech comprehension using an electrophysiological marker of anticipation: stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN). We measured SPN amplitude in young adults with normal hearing during a time-estimation task with auditory feedback under both quiet and noisy conditions. The results showed that SPN amplitude significantly increased in noisy environments. Moreover, individual differences in SPN amplitude correlated with performance in a speech-in-noise test. The increase in SPN amplitude was interpreted as reflecting the increased requirement for attentional resources for accurate prediction of speech information. These findings suggest that SPN could serve as a noninvasive neural marker for assessing individual differences in top-down processing involved in speech comprehension in noisy environments.

Are tinnitus burden and tinnitus exacerbation after cochlear implantation influenced by insertion technique, array dislocation, and intracochlear trauma?

Although numerous studies suggest that cochlear implantation (CI) generally alleviates the overall burden of tinnitus, certain patients experience tinnitus exacerbation following CI. The exact cause of this exacerbation is still uncertain. This prospective study aimed to investigate whether cochlear trauma, resulting from scalar dislocation of the electrode array, affected postoperative tinnitus intensity, tinnitus burden, and speech perception. Additionally, the influence of CI insertion technique, insertion depth, insertion angle, and cochlear morphology on postoperative tinnitus was assessed. We evaluated 66 CI recipients preoperatively at 2 days, 4 weeks, and 12- and 24-months following surgery. Digital volume tomography was employed to document scalar position, insertion depth, and cochlear morphology postoperatively. Speech perception was analyzed using Freiburg monosyllables. The tinnitus burden was evaluated using the tinnitus questionnaire, while the tinnitus intensity was quantified using a visual analog scale. Study results pertaining to tinnitus intensity and burden did not reveal a significant difference in elevation regarding scalar position and dislocation after CI surgery compared to preoperative tinnitus levels. However, dislocation was only identified in four patients, and scala vestibuli insertions were observed in two patients. Comparing preoperative and 1-year postoperative outcomes, CI was noted to substantially reduce the tinnitus burden. When the speech processor was worn, the tinnitus intensity was significantly diminished. In comparison to round window (RW) insertion, the insertion technique cochleostomy (CS) did not exhibit a significant difference or a trend toward increased tinnitus intensity. This study demonstrates that CI significantly decreases the tinnitus burden. The observation implies that the electrical stimulation of the auditory pathway, facilitated by wearing the speech processor, significantly reduced the tinnitus intensity. The incidence of dislocations and scala vestibuli insertions has declined to the extent that it is no longer feasible to formulate statistically significant conclusions.

Associations between teachers’ beliefs and their perception of hate speech in school: a study in Germany and Switzerland

Hate speech is a global issue that is also prevalent among adolescents and requires an educational response. Teachers handle hate speech as part of their professional role. To date, we know little about their beliefs in relation to the early stages of their interventional actions, specifically to their perception of hate speech in school. Thus, this study examined associations between teachers’ social dominance orientation, their pluralist attitude, and their hate speech perception in school. A sample of 471 secondary school teachers from 38 schools (Germany: n = 251; Switzerland: n = 220) participated in a self-report survey from December 2020 to April 2021 (MAge = 42.8 years; 57.7% females; 21.0% with migration status). Data from a total of 3,560 students from grades 7–9 (Germany: n = 1,841; Switzerland: n = 1,719) were matched with teachers’ data to control for students’ hate speech perception in school. Fixed effects multilevel regressions were run, including covariates (teachers’ age, gender, migration status, students’ hate speech perception), teachers’ social dominance orientation, pluralist attitude, and their hate speech perception in school. Teachers perceived a higher frequency of offline hate speech than online hate speech. Contrary to the hypotheses, social dominance orientation was positively associated with offline and online hate speech perception. As predicted, teachers’ pluralist attitude was positively linked to their off- and online hate speech perception. Further research must now clarify how the investigated beliefs and attitudes and teachers’ hate speech perception in school relate to other aspects of their professional competence.

The Critical Thing about the Ear's Sensory Hair Cells.

The capabilities of the human ear are remarkable. We can normally detect acoustic stimuli down to a threshold sound-pressure level of 0 dB (decibels) at the entrance to the external ear, which elicits eardrum vibrations in the picometer range. From this threshold up to the onset of pain, 120 dB, our ears can encompass sounds that differ in power by a trillionfold. The comprehension of speech and enjoyment of music result from our ability to distinguish between tones that differ in frequency by only 0.2%. All these capabilities vanish upon damage to the ear's receptors, the mechanoreceptive sensory hair cells. Each cochlea, the auditory organ of the inner ear, contains some 16,000 such cells that are frequency-tuned between ∼20 Hz (cycles per second) and 20,000 Hz. Remarkably enough, hair cells do not simply capture sound energy: they can also exhibit an active process whereby sound signals are amplified, tuned, and scaled. This article describes the active process in detail and offers evidence that its striking features emerge from the operation of hair cells on the brink of an oscillatory instability-one example of the critical phenomena that are widespread in physics.

Executive Function Associations With Audibility-Adjusted Speech Perception in Noise.

Speech recognition in noise is challenging for listeners and appears to require support from executive functions to focus attention on rapidly unfolding target speech, track misunderstanding, and sustain attention. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that lower executive function abilities explain poorer speech recognition in noise, including among older participants with hearing loss who often exhibit diminished speech recognition in noise and cognitive abilities. A cross-sectional sample of 400 younger-to-older adult participants (19 to < 90 years of age) from the community-based Medical University of South CarolinaLongitudinal Cohort Study of Age-related Hearing Loss were administered tasks with executive control demands to assess individual variability in a card-sorting measure of set-shifting/performance monitoring, a dichotic listening measure of selective attention/working memory, sustained attention, and processing speed. Key word recognition in the high- and low-context speech perception-in-noise (SPIN) tests provided measures of speech recognition in noise. The SPIN scores were adjusted for audibility using the Articulation Index to characterize the impact of varied hearing sensitivity unrelated to reduced audibility on cognitive and speech recognition associations. Set-shifting, dichotic listening, and processing speed each explained unique and significant variance in audibility-adjusted, low-context SPIN scores (ps < .001), including after controlling for age, pure-tone threshold average (PTA), sex, and education level. The dichotic listening and processing speed effect sizes were significantly diminished when controlling for PTA, indicating that participants with poorer hearing sensitivity were also likely to have lower executive function and lower audibility-adjusted speech recognition. Poor set-shifting/performance monitoring, slow processing speed, and poor selective attention/working memory appeared to partially explain difficulties with speech recognition in noise after accounting for audibility. These results are consistent with the premise that distinct executive functions support speech recognition in noise.

Timing of bilateral sequential cochlear implantation for children: determination of its benefit.

To evaluate monosyllable word recognition in noise under different conditions in bilateral sequential cochlear implants (CIs). Second, to assess subjective hearing benefits among bilateral sequential CIs, bimodal hearing, and CI-only groups. Lastly, to analyze the prognostic factors affecting CI outcomes in children with bilateral sequential CIs. Sixty-five children with CI were enrolled. Mandarin monosyllable recognition tests in noise and the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) were used to assess post-CI outcomes. The SSQ benefits were compared among children with bilateral CIs, bimodal hearing, and CI-only. Bilateral CIs significantly outperformed the first or second CI alone using in noise. The bilateral CI group had significantly better SSQ scores for speech, qualities, and total scores compared to the CI-only group. Additionally, 41% of the variance in speech perception of the second CI can be attributed to the inter-implantation interval between bilateral CIs. Bilateral sequential CIs can enhance speech perception in noise and daily life-functioning for children. Earlier implantation of bilateral sequential CIs results in better outcomes, while inter-implantation interval exceeding 9.6 years between bilateral CIs may lead to poor second CI performance in noise. Therefore, early bilateral sequential CIs should be encouraged.

Spatiotemporal mapping of auditory onsets during speech production.

The human auditory cortex is organized according to the timing and spectral characteristics of speech sounds during speech perception. During listening, the posterior superior temporal gyrus is organized according to onset responses, which segment acoustic boundaries in speech, and sustained responses, which further process phonological content. When we speak, the auditory system is actively processing the sound of our own voice to detect and correct speech errors in real time. This manifests in neural recordings as suppression of auditory responses during speech production compared to perception, but whether this differentially affects onset and sustained temporal profiles is not known. Here we investigated this question using intracranial EEG recorded from seventeen pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients with medication-resistant epilepsy while they performed a reading/listening task. We identified onset and sustained responses to speech in bilateral auditory cortex and observed a selective suppression of onset responses during speech production. We conclude that onset responses provide a temporal landmark during speech perception that is redundant with forward prediction during speech production and are therefore suppressed. Phonological feature tuning in these "onset suppression" electrodes remained stable between perception and production. Notably, auditory onset responses and phonological feature tuning were present in the posterior insula during both speech perception and production, suggesting an anatomically and functionally separate auditory processing zone that we believe to be involved in multisensory integration during speech perception and feedback control.Significance Statement Specific neural populations in the auditory cortex preferentially respond to the onset of speech sounds. These "onset responses" aid in perceiving boundaries in continuous speech. We recorded neural responses from patients with intracranial electrodes during a speaking and listening task to investigate the role of onset responses in speech production. Onset responses were present in the auditory cortex during listening, but absent during speaking. On the other hand, onset responses were observed in the insula during both conditions, suggesting a different functional role for the insula in auditory feedback processing. These findings extend our knowledge of how different parts of the brain involved in feedback control operate during speech production by identifying two functionally and anatomically distinct patterns of activity.

Impact of age-related hearing loss on decompensation of left DLPFC during speech perception in noise: a combined EEG-fNIRS study.

Understanding speech-in-noise is a significant challenge for individuals with age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Evidence suggests that increased activity in the frontal cortex compensates for impaired speech perception in healthy aging older adults. However, whether older adults with ARHL still show preserved compensatory function and the specific neural regulatory mechanisms underlying such compensation remains largely unclear. Here, by utilizing a synchronized EEG-fNIRS test, we investigated the neural oscillatory characteristics of the theta band and synchronous hemodynamic changes in the frontal cortex during a speech recognition task in noise. The study included healthy older adults (n = 26, aged 65.4 ± 2.8), those with mild hearing loss (n = 26, aged 66.3 ± 3.8), and those with moderate to severe hearing loss (n = 26, aged 67.5 ± 3.7). Results showed that, relative to healthy older adults, older adults with ARHL exhibited lower activation and weakened theta band neural oscillations in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) under noisy conditions, and this decreased activity correlated with high-frequency hearing loss. Meanwhile, we found that the connectivity of the frontoparietal network was significantly reduced, which might depress the top-down articulatory prediction function affecting speech recognition performance in ARHL older adults. The results suggested that healthy aging older adults might exhibit compensatory attentional resource recruitment through a top-down auditory-motor integration mechanism. In comparison, older adults with ARHL reflected decompensation of the left DLPFC involving the frontoparietal integration network during speech recognition tasks in noise.

Segmentation window of speech information processing in the human auditory cortex

Humans perceive continuous speech signals as discrete sequences. To clarify the temporal segmentation window of speech information processing in the human auditory cortex, the relationship between speech perception and cortical responses was investigated using auditory evoked magnetic fields (AEFs). AEFs were measured while participants heard synthetic Japanese words /atataka/. There were eight types of /atataka/ with different speech rates. The durations of the words ranged from 75 to 600 ms. The results revealed a clear correlation between the AEFs and syllables. Specifically, when the durations of the words were between 375 and 600 ms, the evoked responses exhibited four clear responses from the superior temporal area, M100, that corresponded not only to the onset of speech but also to each group of consonant/vowel syllable units. The number of evoked M100 responses was correlated to the duration of the stimulus as well as the number of perceived syllables. The approximate range of the temporal segmentation window limit of speech perception was considered to be between 75 and 94 ms. This finding may contribute to optimizing the temporal performance of high-speed synthesized speech generation systems.

Audiological and Subjective Benefits in a Child with Microtia and Atresia After Sequential Bilateral Implantation with Active Bone Conduction Devices: A Case Study

Background: With bilateral hearing loss, the main problems for the patient are speech understanding in noise and, especially in asymmetrical hearing loss, an inability to correctly localize sound sources. There are multiple methods of treatment and rehabilitation for people with conductive hearing loss, and one of them is to use an active bone conduction implant. This case study is designed to evaluate the auditory benefits and sound localization accuracy with active bilateral bone conduction implants—in comparison to unilateral ones—in a patient with congenital bilateral conductive hearing loss caused by a congenital malformation. We assess subjective and audiological benefits (functional, directional hearing, speech comprehension in quiet and noise). Case report: This study describes the results in a 15-year-old patient with bilateral congenital malformation of the outer ears and associated conductive hearing loss who was treated with two Bonebridge active bone conduction implants. Speech recognition ability, hearing thresholds, and sound localization were tested under three conditions: unaided, unilateral on the right-side, and bilateral on both sides. The patient filled in an Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire (APHAB) to evaluate limitations in daily life caused by hearing impairment. The results show an improvement in free-field hearing thresholds and the ability to discriminate speech, both in quiet and in noise after implantation. Subjectively, the patient had significantly fewer problems with two implants than with one (or with no implant) in terms of hearing in everyday situations. Conclusions: Unilateral use of the Bonebridge device in a patient with congenital bilateral conductive hearing loss did not provide full benefits. However, bilateral implantation improved speech understanding in noise and sound localization.

A comparison of Heritage vs Homeland Taiwanese Mandarin speaker attitudes towards sajiao

This study investigates the language attitudes and perceptions of Taiwanese Mandarin heritage and homeland listeners towards the use of sajiao, a stylized speech type, in two varieties of Mandarin. A matched guise experiment was conducted via Qualtrics with heritage listeners from the United States (n = 6) and homeland listeners from Taiwan (n = 7). Participants listened to a recording and rated their perceived social constructions of the speakers in terms of their cuteness, pleasantness, femininity, masculinity, and professionalism on a scale from one to seven. In total, participants listened to 130 recordings, 64 target and 66 filler, of 4 different sentences with both sajiao and non-sajiao forms. We find that heritage speakers pattern similarly to homeland speakers, although not to the same extent. This positions heritage speakers in their own category, where they have acquired the social associations with this specialized speech style, but not to the same degree as homeland speakers. This research sheds new light on heritage language socialization and perceptions of language variation, namely regarding two varieties of Mandarin and speech style. Further research is needed to investigate how Beijing Mandarin heritage speakers would perform in this same task.

Cortical Tracking of Speech Is Reduced in Adults Who Stutter When Listening for Speaking.

The purpose of this study was to investigate cortical tracking of speech (CTS) in adults who stutter (AWS) compared to typically fluent adults (TFAs) to test the involvement of the speech-motor network in tracking rhythmic speech information. Participants' electroencephalogram was recorded while they simply listened to sentences (listening only) or completed them by naming a picture (listening for speaking), thus manipulating the upcoming involvement of speech production. We analyzed speech-brain coherence and brain connectivity during listening. During the listening-for-speaking task, AWS exhibited reduced CTS in the 3- to 5-Hz range (theta), corresponding to the syllabic rhythm. The effect was localized in the left inferior parietal and right pre/supplementary motor regions. Connectivity analyses revealed that TFAs had stronger information transfer in the theta range in both tasks in fronto-temporo-parietal regions. When considering the whole sample of participants, increased connectivity from the right superior temporal cortex to the left sensorimotor cortex was correlated with faster naming times in the listening-for-speaking task. Atypical speech-motor functioning in stuttering impacts speech perception, especially in situations requiring articulatory alertness. The involvement of frontal and (pre)motor regions in CTS in TFAs is highlighted. Further investigation is needed into speech perception in individuals with speech-motor deficits, especially when smooth transitioning between listening and speaking is required, such as in real-life conversational settings. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27234885.

Neuroimaging Findings for the Overnight Consolidation of Learned Non-native Speech Sounds

Abstract Research over the past two decades has documented the importance of sleep to language learning. Sleep has been suggested to play a role in establishing new speech representations as well; however, the neural mechanisms corresponding to sleep-mediated effects on speech perception behavior are unknown. In this study, we trained monolingual English-speaking adults to perceive differences between the Hindi dental vs. retroflex speech contrast in the evening. We examined the blood oxygen level dependent signal using functional magnetic resonance imaging during perceptual tasks on both the trained talker and on an untrained talker shortly after training, and again the next morning. We also employed diffusion tensor imaging to determine if individual differences in white matter structure could predict variability in overnight consolidation. We found greater activity in cortical regions associated with language processing (e.g., left insula) on the second day. Fractional anisotropy values in the anterior thalamic radiation and the uncinate fasciculus was associated with the magnitude of overnight change in perceptual behavior on the generalization (untrained) talker, after controlling for differences in sleep duration and initial learning. Our findings suggest that speech-perceptual information is subject to an overnight transfer of information to the cortex. Moreover, neural structure appears to be linked to individual differences in efficiency of overnight consolidation.

Community Perspectives on Psychological Assessment Reports for Autistic Young Adults.

Clinicians rarely solicit community feedback on psychological assessment reports. This study addresses this knowledge gap to: (1) improve the usefulness of reports for patients and families, (2) increase access to needed services, and (3) make reports accessible for autistic people and their families. An autistic researcher and a non-autistic researcher jointly conducted qualitative interviews with autistic young adults, caregivers, and a service provider. Participants read a de-identified psychological assessment report about an autistic young adult with intellectual disability seeking resources for his transition to adulthood. Participants provided feedback about (1) how easy the report was to read, (2) how useful the report seemed, and (3) perceptions of language (i.e., empowering/offensive/neutral). Autistic young adults, caregivers, and the service provider all expressed a desire for short and clear reports in bulleted format. Caregivers stressed the importance of (1) using simple language to describe diagnostic testing and (2) including comprehensive resources, and autistic young adults expressed the importance of (1) including information about daily routines, habits, and interests and (2) giving patients' long-term goals the same consideration as caregivers' long-term goals. We highlight that standard psychological assessment reports have not effectively met the needs of autistic people and family members. Autistic people and caregivers prefer brief reports written in plain language that include more information about the patients' interests, routines, and preferences and less detailed information about psychological tests. Our findings identify ways to improve the usefulness and readability of psychological assessment reports for autistic people.

Clinical Outcomes for Adult Single-Sided Deafness Cochlear Implantees Exceeding the 5% Candidacy Criterion

Objectives: While single-sided deafness cochlear implants (SSD-CIs) have now received regulatory approval in the United States, candidate-ear candidacy criteria (no better than 5% word-recognition score) are stricter than for traditional CI candidates (50 to 60% speech recognition, best-aided condition). SSD implantation in our center began before regulatory approval, using a criterion derived from traditional candidacy: 50% consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word-identification score in the candidate ear. A retrospective analysis investigated whether SSD patients exceeding the 5% CNC criterion nevertheless benefitted from a CI as assessed by spatial-hearing tests (speech understanding in noise [SIN] and localization) and by a patient-reported outcome measure quality-of-life instrument validated for patients with CIs. Design: A retrospective chart review assessed the clinical experience of a single CI center. Subjects consisted of 27 adult CI recipients with SSD (N = 21) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL; N = 6) implanted since September 2019 with at least 3 months of postoperative follow-up. Patients with revision surgery or simultaneous labyrinthectomy and CI surgery were excluded from the sample. Subjects were divided into 2 groups based on preoperative CNC scores measured under best-aided conditions with a behind-the-ear hearing aid in the sound field at 0.9 m from a front loudspeaker, and the better ear masked using an insert earphone with 45 dB HL speech-weighted noise. The “MEETS” group had preoperative CNC word scores &lt;5%; the “EXCEEDS” group had scores &gt;5%. The clinical protocol also included intelligibility tests using AzBio sentences in the same test conditions as CNC; binaural spatial testing (broadband-noise sound localization, and matrix-sentence speech-reception thresholds in spatially separated noise) using a custom-built 7-speaker array; and the CI Quality of Life (CIQOL) instrument. To evaluate CI benefit, preoperative unaided performance was compared with postoperative binaural (acoustic ear + CI ear) performance at a clinic visit closest to 6 months postsurgery. Results: Of 27 SSD-CI recipients, 11 subjects exceeded the 5% preoperative CNC candidacy criterion. Both the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups improved significantly on all 5 primary study outcome measures (CI-alone CNC and AzBio, binaural SIN and sound localization, and CIQOL). The only statistically significant differences observed between the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups were that preoperative CNC and AzBio scores were significantly higher for the EXCEEDS group, as expected given that the groups were defined based on preoperative speech-perception scores in quiet. There were no statistically significant differences between the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups in postoperative scores in any test or in the magnitude of the improvement from preoperative to postoperative assessment. Conclusions: SSD- and AHL-CI recipients exceeding the 5% CNC preoperative candidacy criterion significantly improved in CI-alone speech perception, spatial hearing, and subjectively reported CIQOL outcomes and the observed benefits were indistinguishable from SSD- and AHL-CI recipients who met the 5% criterion. A less-restrictive SSD-CI and AHL-CI candidacy criterion should be considered, and larger-scale clinical trials to evaluate CI efficacy using a less-stringent candidate-ear criterion are warranted.