Abstract
Word recognition assessed as discrimination loss was analysed in 269 women ranging from 60 to 89 years of age. A clear relationship was found between the discrimination loss and the hearing loss (calculated as the average hearing thresh old level at 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz). Furthermore, it was found that a given hearing loss was associated with a much greater discrimination loss in individuals above age 70 than in individuals below that age.