Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark.
Int J Audiol. 2009 Nov;48(11):758-74. doi: 10.3109/14992020903079332.
To study the spatial hearing abilities of bilateral hearing-aid users in multi-talker situations, 20 subjects received fittings configured to preserve acoustic cues salient for spatial hearing. Following acclimatization, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for three competing talkers that were either co-located or spatially separated along the front-back or left-right dimension. In addition, the subjects' working memory and attentional abilities were measured. Left-right SRTs varied over more than 14 dB, while front-back SRTs varied over more than 8 dB. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between left-right SRTs, age, and low-frequency hearing loss, and also between front-back SRTs, age, and high-frequency aided thresholds. Concerning cognitive effects, left-right performance was most strongly related to attentional abilities, while front-back performance showed a relation to working memory abilities. Altogether, these results suggest that, due to raised hearing thresholds and aging, hearing-aid users have reduced access to interaural and monaural spatial cues as well as a diminished ability to 'enhance' a target signal by means of top-down processing. These deficits, in turn, lead to impaired functioning in complex listening environments.
为了研究双耳助听用户在多说话人情况下的空间听觉能力，20 名受试者接受了配置，以保留对空间听觉有重要作用的声学线索。适应后，测量了三个竞争说话者的语音接收阈值（SRT），这些说话者要么位于同一位置，要么在前后或左右方向上分开。此外，还测量了受试者的工作记忆和注意力能力。左右 SRT 变化超过 14dB，而前后 SRT 变化超过 8dB。此外，左右 SRT 与年龄和低频听力损失之间存在显著相关性，前后 SRT 与年龄和高频助听阈值之间也存在相关性。关于认知影响，左右性能与注意力能力关系最密切，而前后性能与工作记忆能力有关。总的来说，这些结果表明，由于听力阈值升高和年龄增长，助听器用户对双耳和单耳空间线索的获取能力降低，以及通过自上而下处理“增强”目标信号的能力也降低。这些缺陷反过来又导致在复杂的听力环境中功能受损。
