American Journal of Audiology最新文献

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 Live Listen feature on speech recognition and recall in noise among older adults in a controlled laboratory setting.

Method: Twenty adults aged 60-90+ years completed a modified speech-in-noise task with and without AirPods using the Live Listen feature. A Quick Speech-in-Noise Test-derived task measured recognition and recall under both conditions. Participants also completed audiometric screening, working memory assessment, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss estimation. Paired t tests and multiple regression analyses were used to assess performance differences and predictors.

Results: Participants demonstrated significantly higher speech recognition (p < .00001) and recall (p = .00023) when using Live Listen. Recognition improvements were predicted by age, SNR loss, and sex, while recall improvements showed no significant predictors.

Conclusions: The Live Listen feature of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 significantly improved speech-in-noise performance in older adults. These preliminary findings support its potential as an affordable assistive tool in noisy environments, such as hospitals, where traditional hearing aids may be unavailable.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate executive function performance in individuals with tinnitus using the Stroop and antisaccade tests, to examine whether these tasks reflect overlapping executive control mechanisms, and to explore the relationship between perceived tinnitus severity and cognitive performance.

Method: The study included 20 individuals (13 females, seven males; age range: 20-67 years; M_age ± SD = 38.95 ± 11.9) with tinnitus group and 20 individuals (11 females, nine males; age range: 21-50 years; M_age ± SD = 32.25 ± 10.8) without tinnitus (control group). Tinnitus severity was assessed using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). Executive functions were evaluated with the Stroop test and antisaccade task. The Stroop interference score, antisaccade mean latency, velocity, accuracy, directional error rate, and overall error rate were analyzed.

Results: The tinnitus group demonstrated significantly poorer performance in both the Stroop and antisaccade tests compared to the control group (independent-samples t test, Mann-Whitney U test, p < .05). In the tinnitus group, a statistically significant correlation was found between the Stroop interference score and antisaccade mean latency, directional error rate, and overall error rate (Pearson correlation analysis, p < .05). No significant correlation was observed between THI scores and executive function parameters in the tinnitus group.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that tinnitus may be associated with reduced efficiency in executive functions, particularly attentional control and inhibitory mechanisms. The combined use of Stroop and antisaccade tasks provides a more comprehensive approach for evaluating the multidimensional neurocognitive effects of tinnitus.

Purpose: Cognitive decline may affect how older listeners tolerate noise. Our purpose was to determine which cognitive variables are associated with older adults' acceptance of background noise, as measured by the acceptable noise level (ANL).

Method: Fifteen adults with hearing within normal limits, aged 50-72 years, were administered the following tests: the ANL, the digit span and letter-number sequencing subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition, the auditory attention subtest from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT), and the operation span test. We then compared data from the older adults with an earlier data set obtained from younger adults with normal hearing, aged 20-29 years.

Results: Older adults had significantly larger ANL values (were less tolerant of noise) than younger adults, and older adults scored significantly lower on auditory attention than the younger adults. There was no significant relation between scores on the HINT test and the ANL scores.

Conclusions: Older adults' reduced attention control may make them less tolerant of noise than younger adults. Older adults who are not yet hearing aid candidates may still be more adversely affected by noise and may benefit from auditory rehabilitation-related tools to address noise.

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of a classifier-based noise management algorithm (AutoSense Sky OS 3.0) on speech perception in noise in pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients and to compare the speech perception outcomes with typically hearing peers.

Method: This prospective observational study included nine children (ages 9-15 years) with bilateral CIs and nine age-matched, typically hearing peers. Speech perception outcomes were measured in noise using Pediatric AzBio sentences to compare performance in the omnidirectional microphone mode with the classifier-based automatic noise management mode at four signal-to-noise ratios. Ratings of listening ease and speech clarity were recorded to obtain subjective measures of benefit. Results from the bilateral CI recipients were compared to a group of typically hearing children. Paired t tests were used to evaluate outcomes.

Results: Classifier-based noise management improved speech perception in noise compared to listening in the omnidirectional microphone mode. CI group averages revealed a 21.4 percentage point and 47.1 percentage point improvement in speech perception when using the Sky OS 3.0 algorithm at 0 and -5 dB SNR, respectively. Listening ease and speech clarity were improved when using the classifier-based noise management algorithm.

Conclusions: Pediatric CI recipients can benefit from classifier-based noise management. Given the difficult listening environments children face, especially in typical classroom settings while listening for learning, audiologists should consider activating classifier-based noise management in this population.

Purpose: Tinnitus is the perception of sound that cannot be attributed to an external source, which can be distressing. There are several measures of tinnitus distress available; however, these measures are difficult to use in practice. The Tinnitus Severity Short Form (TS-SF) was developed to be a brief, pragmatic measure. However, it is presently unclear whether the measure may be invariant across groups.

Method: Participants (N = 277) completed the TS-SF. Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance analyses were run in Mplus.

Results: A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable relative fit indices for a bifactor model. The TS-SF demonstrated measurement invariance at the configural, metric, scalar, and residual levels between veterans and civilians. Post hoc testing indicated that a vast majority of the variance of the bifactor model can be attributed to the substantive distress score, justifying unifactorial scoring.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the TS-SF is a useful, brief measure of tinnitus distress that may be used to connect individuals to appropriate treatments.

Introduction: Effective clinical education is foundational to developing competent audiologists, yet limited research has explored which specific clinical teaching approaches students perceive as most effective. Much of the existing evidence is drawn from researcher and clinical educator perspectives, rather than student perspectives of effective clinical education approaches.

Objective: The purpose of this qualitative research project was to identify themes from clinical teaching strategies that doctor of audiology (AuD) students perceive as most effective during clinical placements with community clinical instructors.

Method: Using Braun and Clarke's six-step reflexive thematic analysis framework, open-ended survey responses from 62 AuD students at the University of Pittsburgh were analyzed. Data reflected responses to the question "What teaching strategy(s) used by your clinical instructor most positively impacted your learning this term?" These data were coded and subsequently grouped into themes.

Results: Five themes were identified: engaging student thought, independence, productive feedback, supportive approach, and teaching strategies. Many responses revealed overlapping codes across themes, indicating the interconnected nature of effective clinical instruction practices.

Conclusions: The most reported effective strategy included a clear pathway to independent learning. Students commonly noted the value of productive feedback and questioning techniques to engage their thinking. The clinical instructor's openness and support were highly valued, as was intentional explanation and modeling of clinical skills. The components of effective clinical instruction identified in this study align with durable themes that emerged in prior research on clinical education across health professions. Students felt that the most effective clinical teaching strategies incorporate aspects from the five identified themes. Although these themes may help guide better clinical teaching approaches, individual student needs and the most effective clinical education strategies will vary for each student. These findings can be incorporated into audiology clinical instructor training and practices, ensuring clinical education strategies that align with student learning needs.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31049815.

Purpose: Outcomes from an interprofessional preschool hearing health education curriculum, Love My Ears (LME), are presented. LME was developed by an audiologist, speech-language pathologist, and early childhood educator and was presented previously. The importance and efficacy of early hearing health education are discussed.

Method: LME was delivered as a 5-week pull-out program for three separate groups of six children each (total = 18) in a preschool educational setting. Three broad concept areas were taught: sound/hearing, volume/sound safety, and steps for hearing protection. Postprogram assessments were conducted and reported for 15 children (M_age = 4.9 years). The assessment evaluated knowledge of 12 concepts within the three broad concept areas. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the efficacy of the LME program. The number and percentage of children that correctly identified each of the concept items were tallied. A correct overall response of 80% or greater was considered indicative of the successful achievement of a concept item.

Results: Outcomes revealed the greatest accuracy (≥ 80%) in descriptive concepts related to sound/hearing (2/4), volume/sound safety (2/4), and hearing protection (4/4), supporting the efficacy of preschool hearing health education. Topic-specific vocabulary was less well learned.

Conclusion: These outcomes revealed that hearing health education using a specifically designed interprofessional curriculum such as LME is effective in a preschool population.

Purpose: Misophonia and hyperacusis are distinct sound sensitivity conditions that can co-occur and are linked to heightened emotional distress and impaired functioning. This study investigated the convergence between audiometric-based and self-reported indicators of hyperacusis and examined how each related to misophonia severity and psychological outcomes in adults with misophonia.

Method: Participants (N = 60) completed self-report measures and underwent loudness discomfort level (LDL) testing.

Results: Analyses revealed discrepancies between self-reported and LDL-defined hyperacusis, with no significant associations between LDL-based classifications and psychological or misophonia-related outcomes. In contrast, hyperacusis identified via a standardized self-report measure was significantly associated with heightened emotional and behavioral reactivity in misophonia, as well as greater severity and elevated internalizing symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and stress.

Conclusions: Findings raise concerns about the clinical utility of LDLs as standalone indicators in misophonia populations. They highlight the value of subjective assessments for identifying clinically relevant variables associated with hyperacusis and misophonia comorbidity. Our results support that self-report tools may better capture the lived experience and psychological features associated with co-occurring hyperacusis and misophonia. However, until more research is established, we recommend employing audiometric and self-report metrics to assess for hyperacusis in this population. Future research should focus on identifying psychometric measures that can accurately distinguish between the two conditions and on developing standardized protocols for assessing hyperacusis in individuals with misophonia.

Purpose: Children with limited usable hearing unilaterally (LUHU) often struggle in noisy and reverberant classrooms. They cannot always be positioned near the teacher, and therefore, understanding the effect of distance on their understanding of speech is critical. This study assessed the performance of children using a remote microphone system in a simulated classroom environment located at varying distances from a teacher speaking from a frontal position.

Method: Sixteen children with LUHU were fitted with a Phonak Roger Focus II ear-level receiver (Sonova AG) in the normal ear, coupled with the Phonak Roger Touchscreen Mic (Sonova AG). The children repeated AzBio sentences with and without the Roger Focus II in "quiet" and "noisy" (uncorrelated classroom noise) classroom environments, with speech at 65 dBA and noise at 55 dBA and speech at 72 dBA and noise at 65 dBA, respectively, at the various locations. A control group of 10 children with normal hearing (NH) was included.

Results: A statistically and clinically significant (p < .004) improvement in speech recognition performance relative to unaided performance was observed with the Roger Focus II in all conditions, except the quiet classroom at 1.5 m, where the difference was statistically significant only. The largest gain (60%) was observed in the noisy classroom at 5 m (-2 dB SNR). Children using the remote microphone outperformed NH children under all conditions, and this was both clinically and statistically significant at all three distances in the noisy classroom (p < .004).

Conclusions: In children with LUHU, the Roger Focus II effectively reduced the impact of background noise and allowed for a greater distance between the teacher in front of the classroom and the listener in a simulated classroom setting. Children with LUHU demonstrated superior speech recognition abilities compared with those with NH in the most challenging conditions when seated farthest from the teacher. Future studies should examine subjective feedback in real-life classrooms across a wide variety of dynamic listening scenarios.

Purpose: Hearing loss impacts 430 million individuals worldwide and is linked to negative outcomes such as social isolation and cognitive decline. While social media offers a valuable avenue for gathering insights into patient experiences with hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs), there remains a significant gap in understanding how to effectively capture and analyze these perspectives. This scoping review aims to map existing literature about online communities, providing a novel approach to exploring and analyzing patient experiences with HAs and CIs that conventional research methods may overlook.

Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across several databases to identify studies evaluating HA and CI user experiences with regard to online platforms. Studies were screened and summarized, drawing out themes for user devices studied, digital platforms utilized, and primary analysis methods.

Results: Of 1,752 original studies screened, 16 were ultimately included. Three primary modes of analysis emerged from a review of the literature: (a) manual coding of text, (b) computational text analysis, and (c) audiovisual content analysis. Each approach contributed distinct insights: Manual coding captured nuanced lived experiences and emotional narratives, computational techniques offered scalable assessments of sentiment and usage patterns, and audiovisual analyses highlighted educational quality and content dissemination trends. Findings revealed underlying trends in the utility of online communities as a space for patients with a CI or HA to share personal anecdotes and experiences, as a modality to distribute medical information and decrease barriers to health literacy, and as a unique environment to find peer support.

Conclusions: This scoping review demonstrates promise in the use of online platforms as a resource for evaluating HA and CI user experiences. Evaluating these digital platforms can help inform patients and guide providers with user perspectives, offer support systems for patients, and empower patients with a CI or HA to optimize their medical, communicative, and social engagement throughout their hearing health care journey.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31060957.