Reliability of categorical loudness scaling and its relation to threshold.

نویسندگان

  • Sarah C Al-Salim
  • Judy G Kopun
  • Stephen T Neely
  • Walt Jesteadt
  • Bettina Stiegemann
  • Michael P Gorga
چکیده

OBJECTIVE To further examine the reliability of categorical loudness scaling (CLS) for individual loudness categories and for the slope of the CLS functions. And, to evaluate the relationship between CLS and audiometric threshold. DESIGN CLS functions were obtained in 74 subjects, 58 with hearing loss and 16 with normal hearing. CLS functions were measured at three frequencies (1, 2, and 4 kHz) in two separate sessions separated by as little as 1 wk and as much as 6 mo. Reliability of mean and median levels within each loudness category was assessed using SDs and correlation coefficients. Lines were fit to the CLS functions, and slopes of the lines were used to assess reliability and the relation between CLS and audiometric threshold. RESULTS Similar reliability for CLS measurements was observed in both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects at all frequencies. Across both groups of subjects, correlations describing the reliability of mean stimulus level within category exceeded 0.92 at all frequencies. In addition, SDs of the mean stimulus-level difference between visits ranged from 6.6 to 7.8 dB, depending on frequency. The correlation between the slope of a straight line fitted to the entire CLS function and audiometric threshold collapsed across frequencies was 0.72. Two line segments were then fit to the CLS function: one segment was fit to the soft portion of the CLS function (categorical units < or =20) and the other segment to the loud portion (categorical unit >20). Slopes of the line fit to the entire CLS function and of the line fit to the soft portion of the CLS function were both reliable across sessions. The slope of the line fit to the soft portion increased as audiometric threshold increased, with the correlations greater than 0.86 at all frequencies. No relationship was observed between slope of the line fit to the loud portion of the CLS function and audiometric threshold. Iso-loudness contours were constructed from the CLS data and used to determine the gain that would be needed to produce "normal" loudness percepts for hearing-impaired individuals. CONCLUSIONS Within-subject CLS measurements were reliable across sessions both for individual loudness categories and for slope of the CLS functions. In addition, the slope of the low-level portion of the CLS function varied in a predictable manner with audiometric threshold, with slope increasing as audiometric threshold increased. Finally, gain as a function of input level needed to provide loudness percepts for individuals with hearing loss equal to the loudness percepts of normal-hearing individuals can be estimated from audiometric threshold. This finding supports the assumption that audiometric threshold and response growth (loudness) are both determined by the same underlying cochlear mechanisms.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Estimates of loudness, loudness discomfort, and the auditory dynamic range: normative estimates, comparison of procedures, and test-retest reliability.

The purpose of this series of experiments was to establish normative reference values for absolute and relative judgements of loudness discomfort and for the auditory dynamic range (DR), and to evaluate intersubject variability and intra-subject test-retest reliability for the respective measures of loudness discomfort. To establish the normal auditory DR, audiometric thresholds and loudness di...

متن کامل

Loudness scaling revisited.

The present work was undertaken in an attempt to evaluate whether it is reasonable to expect that categorical loudness scaling can provide useful information for nonlinear hearing aid fitting. Normative data from seven scaling procedures show that the individual procedures relate the perceptual categories differently to sound level and with a substantial between-subject variance. Hearing-impair...

متن کامل

Loudness functions with air and bone conduction stimulation in normal-hearing subjects using a categorical loudness scaling procedure.

In a previous study (Stenfelt and Håkansson, 2002) a loudness balance test between bone conducted (BC) sound and air conducted (AC) sound was performed at frequencies between 0.25 and 4 kHz and at levels corresponding to 30-80 dB HL. The main outcome of that study was that for maintaining equal loudness, the level increase of sound with BC stimulation was less than that of AC stimulation with a...

متن کامل

Auditory fMRI correlates of loudness perception for monaural and diotic stimulation

Loudness as the perceptual correlate of sound intensity is formed by some neural processing along the auditory pathway from the cochlea to the cortex. The loudness of a sound is largely determined by its level. Still, there are several other acoustical factors like stimulus bandwidth, duration, modulations, as well as personal factors like, e.g., the individual hearing status, that may affect p...

متن کامل

Simulation of hearing impairment based on the Fourier time transformation

A signal processing system was designed to simulate hearing impairment for normal hearing listeners. Typical consequences of sensorineural hearing loss are an elevated threshold in quiet, abnormal growth of loudness ('recruitment') and reduced spectral and temporal resolution. However, the just noticable difference (jnd) in intensity is unaffected. Based on an aurally adequate time-frequency re...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Ear and hearing

دوره 31 4  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2010