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Abstract
Auditory function changes continually from birth to old age. A variety of methods to assess hearing have evolved since the invention of the audiometer. Types of measurement include: electrical response in the central nervous system, cochlear acuity and speech responses. While some of these tests correlate fairly well with each other, their ability to represent overall hearing function is questionable. Other attempts to improve the assessment of hearing have been made in the area of self-appraisal, but these, too, have significant limitations. Most self-report and peer appraisal questionnaires have been established by studies of hearing-impaired populations. Norms for these techniques in normal-hearing populations need to be established. There is still room for valid tests of everyday communication. What we have in measurement procedures does not achieve this goal. Research studies of today will hopefully produce better definition of normal auditory function.