Ward Lawrence M, Baumann Michael
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Am J Audiol. 2009 Dec;18(2):119-28. doi: 10.1044/1059-0889(2009/07-0033). Epub 2009 Jul 28.
We measured tinnitus loudness using a new method of psychophysical scaling with the aim of introducing a potentially useful new procedure to the literature.
Fourteen adults reporting tinnitus were trained to use a standardized loudness scale, and then they used that response scale to assess loudness of nonstandard stimuli and of their tinnitus. We also measured tinnitus loudness and pitch using a computer-based matching procedure, and we measured the impact of tinnitus on daily living using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI; C. W. Newman, G. P. Jacobson, & J. B. Spitzer, 1996) for those 14 individuals and an additional 2 participants. Results and Conclusions Our 14 trained participants judged loudness similarly to normal hearing participants for pure tones at normal hearing, nontinnitus frequencies-implying that their judgments of tinnitus loudness were valid. Constrained scaling of tinnitus loudness yielded measurements that were substantially greater than the sensation level of sounds matched to tinnitus loudness. Our total of 16 participants fell into 2 groups on the basis of hearing loss, extent of abnormal loudness growth at the tinnitus frequency, and several aspects of tinnitus experience. Finally, as previously found, there was little correlation between tinnitus loudness, no matter how measured, and the impact of tinnitus on daily life as measured by the THI.
我们使用一种新的心理物理学标度方法测量耳鸣响度，旨在向文献中引入一种可能有用的新程序。
对14名报告有耳鸣的成年人进行培训，使其使用标准化响度量表，然后他们使用该反应量表评估非标准刺激及其耳鸣的响度。我们还使用基于计算机的匹配程序测量耳鸣响度和音高，并使用耳鸣障碍问卷（THI；C.W.纽曼、G.P.雅各布森和J.B.斯皮策，1996年）对这14名个体以及另外2名参与者测量耳鸣对日常生活的影响。结果与结论 我们的14名经过培训的参与者在正常听力、无耳鸣频率下对纯音的响度判断与正常听力参与者相似，这意味着他们对耳鸣响度的判断是有效的。对耳鸣响度进行受限标度得到的测量结果明显大于与耳鸣响度匹配的声音的感觉水平。我们总共16名参与者根据听力损失、耳鸣频率下异常响度增长程度以及耳鸣体验的几个方面分为两组。最后，如先前发现的那样，无论如何测量，耳鸣响度与通过THI测量的耳鸣对日常生活的影响之间几乎没有相关性。
