User-operated speech in noise test: Implementation and comparison with a traditional test

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a user-operated speech in noise test. Design: The test is based on the Danish speech material Dantale II, which consists of five words sentences (). For each word presented the subject selected a response from ten alternative words. Two versions of the test were made: one with and one without the possibility that for each word presented the subject could answer “I do not know” (?-button). Using a listening test the two versions were evaluated against a traditional test, where the subjects orally repeated the words that were perceived. Study sample: Twenty-four normal-hearing subjects. Results: The speech intelligibility as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio can be described by logistic functions in the different user-operated tests and in the traditional test. The logistic parameters obtained from the user-operated test with the ?-button agree with the parameters obtained in a traditional test. The homogeneity of the speech material is uninfluenced when the material is used in a user-operated test. Conclusions: It is reasonable to use the Dantale II speech material for a user-operated speech in noise test, and the use of the ?-button is favourable.

Key Words::

• Dantale II
• speech intelligibly in noise
• user-operated test
• matrix test
• alternative forced choice
• ?-button
• discrimination function
• normal-hearing subjects

Note

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Carsten Daugaard and Søren L. Jørgensen from DELTA Technical Audiological Laboratory, Odense, Denmark for providing some of the equipment and for valuable discussions. The authors also thank the subjects, who participated in the tests and the reviewers for valuable comments.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes

1. The information that the “I do not know” option was included in the Spanish test is obtained from an anonymous reviewer of this paper.