Acceptable noise level: Repeatability with Danish and non-semantic speech materials for adults with normal hearing

作者：Olsen Steen Ostergaard^*; Nielsen Lars Holme; Lantz Johannes; Brannstrom K Jonas

来源：International Journal of Audiology, 2012, 51(7): 557-563.

DOI：10.3109/14992027.2012.666362

• Acceptable noise level
• Danish
• test-retest
• international speech test signal
• normal-hearing
• repeatability

Objective: The acceptable noise level (ANL) is used to quantify the amount of background noise that subjects can accept while listening to speech, and is suggested for prediction of individual hearing-aid use. The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability of the ANL measured in normal-hearing subjects using running Danish and non-semantic speech materials as stimuli and modulated speech-spectrum and multi-talker babble noises as competing stimuli. Design: ANL was measured in both ears at two test sessions separated by a period ranging from 12 to 77 days. At each session the measurements at the first and the second ear were separated in time by 15-30 minutes. Bland-Altman plots and calculation of the coefficient of repeatability (CR) were used to estimate the repeatability. Study sample: Thirty nine normal-hearing subjects. Results: The ANL CR was 6.0-8.9 dB for repeated tests separated by about 15-30 minutes and 7.2-10.2 dB for repeated tests separated by 12 days or more. Conclusions: The ANL test has poor repeatability when assessed with Danish and non-semantic speech materials on normal-hearing subjects. The same CR among hearing-impaired subjects would imply too poor repeatability to predict individual patterns of future hearing-aid use.

• 出版日期2012-7