Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge.
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.
Trends Hear. 2020 Jan-Dec;24:2331216520952992. doi: 10.1177/2331216520952992.
Time-efficient hearing tests are important in both clinical practice and research studies. This particularly applies to notched-noise tests, which are rarely done in clinical practice because of the time required. Auditory-filter shapes derived from notched-noise data may be useful for diagnosis of the cause of hearing loss and for fitting of hearing aids, especially if measured over a wide range of center frequencies. To reduce the testing time, we applied Bayesian active learning (BAL) to the notched-noise test, picking the most informative stimulus parameters for each trial based on nine Gaussian Processes. A total of 11 hearing-impaired subjects were tested. In 20 to 30 min, the test provided estimates of signal threshold as a continuous function of frequency from 500 to 4000 Hz for nine notch widths and for notches placed both symmetrically and asymmetrically around the signal frequency. The thresholds were found to be consistent with those obtained using a 2-up/1-down forced-choice procedure at a single center frequency. In particular, differences in threshold between the methods did not vary with notch width. An independent second run of the BAL test for one notch width showed that it is reliable. The data derived from the BAL test were used to estimate auditory-filter width and asymmetry and detection efficiency for center frequencies from 500 to 4000 Hz. The results agreed with expectations for cochlear hearing losses that were derived from the audiogram and a hearing model.
在临床实践和研究中，高效的听力测试都很重要。这尤其适用于切痕噪声测试，由于所需时间，该测试在临床实践中很少进行。源自切痕噪声数据的听觉滤波器形状对于听力损失原因的诊断和助听器的适配可能很有用，尤其是如果在广泛的中心频率范围内进行测量。为了减少测试时间，我们将贝叶斯主动学习 (BAL) 应用于切痕噪声测试，根据 9 个高斯过程为每个试验选择最具信息量的刺激参数。共有 11 名听力受损受试者接受了测试。在 20 到 30 分钟内，该测试提供了信号阈值的连续频率估计值，频率范围从 500 到 4000 Hz，用于 9 个切痕宽度和信号频率周围对称和不对称的切痕。发现阈值与在单个中心频率使用 2-up/1-down 强制选择程序获得的阈值一致。特别是，两种方法之间的阈值差异不随切痕宽度而变化。对一个切痕宽度的 BAL 测试的独立第二次运行表明其是可靠的。源自 BAL 测试的数据用于估计从 500 到 4000 Hz 的中心频率的听觉滤波器宽度和不对称性以及检测效率。结果与源自听力图和听力模型的耳蜗听力损失的预期相符。
