Performance norms for the VA compact disc versions of CID W-22 (Hirsh) and PB-50 (Rush Hughes) word lists.

The purpose of this study was to establish normative articulation functions for the Hirsh recordings of the CID W-22 word lists and te Rush Hughes recordings of the PB-50 word lists as recorded on the VA compact disc. Twenty-four young adults with normal hearing listened to both sets of materials presented in quiet at 12 levels (0-56 dB HL). Presentation levels on average needed to be 10 dB higher for the PB-50 word lists to obtain word recognition performance scores equal to those for the W-22s. Maximum word recognition scores of 95 to 100 percent were obtained for the W-22s at lower presentation levels (> 40 dB HL), compared to 80 to 90 percent for the PB-50s at the maximum presentation level (56 dB HL). Mean slopes for the W-22 and PB-50 functions were 4.1 percent/dB and 1.9 percent/dB, respectively. Test-retest reliability was judged to be clinically appropriate for both sets of materials. Item analyses revealed a substantially skewed distribution toward easy items for the W-22 word lists compared to a more balanced distribution of item difficulty for the PB-50 lists. List equivalency was also judged to be clinically appropriate for the PB-50 word lists.