• Journal of Audiology & Otology
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.180-190
• /
• 2020

Background and Objectives: Although many studies have evaluated the effect of the digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithm of hearing aids (HAs) on speech recognition, there are few studies on the effect of DNR on music perception. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DNR on music, in addition to speech perception, using objective and subjective measurements. Subjects and Methods: Sixteen HA users participated in this study (58.00±10.44 years; 3 males and 13 females). The objective assessment of speech and music perception was based on the Korean version of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception test and word and sentence recognition scores. Meanwhile, for the subjective assessment, the quality rating of speech and music as well as self-reported HA benefits were evaluated. Results: There was no improvement conferred with DNR of HAs on the objective assessment tests of speech and music perception. The pitch discrimination at 262 Hz in the DNR-off condition was better than that in the unaided condition (p=0.024); however, the unaided condition and the DNR-on conditions did not differ. In the Korean music background questionnaire, responses regarding ease of communication were better in the DNR-on condition than in the DNR-off condition (p=0.029). Conclusions: Speech and music perception or sound quality did not improve with the activation of DNR. However, DNR positively influenced the listener's subjective listening comfort. The DNR-off condition in HAs may be beneficial for pitch discrimination at some frequencies.

• 대한청각학회지
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.180-190
• /
• 2020

Background and Objectives: Although many studies have evaluated the effect of the digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithm of hearing aids (HAs) on speech recognition, there are few studies on the effect of DNR on music perception. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DNR on music, in addition to speech perception, using objective and subjective measurements. Subjects and Methods: Sixteen HA users participated in this study (58.00±10.44 years; 3 males and 13 females). The objective assessment of speech and music perception was based on the Korean version of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception test and word and sentence recognition scores. Meanwhile, for the subjective assessment, the quality rating of speech and music as well as self-reported HA benefits were evaluated. Results: There was no improvement conferred with DNR of HAs on the objective assessment tests of speech and music perception. The pitch discrimination at 262 Hz in the DNR-off condition was better than that in the unaided condition (p=0.024); however, the unaided condition and the DNR-on conditions did not differ. In the Korean music background questionnaire, responses regarding ease of communication were better in the DNR-on condition than in the DNR-off condition (p=0.029). Conclusions: Speech and music perception or sound quality did not improve with the activation of DNR. However, DNR positively influenced the listener's subjective listening comfort. The DNR-off condition in HAs may be beneficial for pitch discrimination at some frequencies.

• 음성과학
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.7-16
• /
• 2002

This study tested normal hearing adults' auditory perception of rhythm and intonation patterns, with low-frequency speech energy. The results showed that the narrow-band low-frequency zones of 125, 250, or 500 Hz provided the same important rhythm and intonation cues as did the wide-band condition. This suggested that an auditory training strategy that uses low-frequency filters would be effective for structuring or re-structuring the perception of rhythm and intonation patterns. These filters force the client to focus on these patterns, because the speech intelligibility is drastically reduced. This strategy can be used with both normal-hearing and hearing impaired children and adults with poor listening skills, and possibly poor speech intelligibility.

• 대한음성학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한음성학회 1996년도 10월 학술대회지
• /
• pp.399-403
• /
• 1996

This paper addresses issues of perceptual constancy in speech perception through the use of a spatial metaphor for speech sound identity as opposed to a more conventional characterisation with multiple interacting acoustic cues. This spatial representation leads to a correlation between phonetic, acoustic and auditory analyses of speech sounds which can serve as the basis for a model of speech perception based on the general auditory characteristics of sounds. The correlations between the phonetic, perceptual and auditory spaces of the set of English voiceless fricatives /f $\theta$ s $\int$ h / are investigated. The results show that the perception of fricative segments may be explained in terms of 2-dimensional auditory space in which each segment occupies a region. The dimensions of the space were found to be the frequency of the main spectral peak and the 'peakiness' of spectra. These results support the view that perception of a segment is based on its occupancy of a multi-dimensional parameter space. In this way, final perceptual decisions on segments can be postponed until higher level constraints can also be met.

• 음성과학
• /
• 제13권3호
• /
• pp.107-117
• /
• 2006

This study examined how well Korean undergraduate students perceived linked or clear English speech and attempted to find areas of difficulty in their English listening caused by phonological variations. Thirty nine undergraduate students participated in listening sessions. They were divided into high and low groups by their TOEIC listening scores. Samples of linked speech included such phonological processes as linking, palatalization, flapping, and deletion. Results showed that the students had more problem perceiving linked speech than perceiving clear speech. Secondly, both the higher and the lower groups scored low on the linked speech. The lower group had more score difference between linked and clear speech. Thirdly, the students' scores increased from the speech with flapping, through deletion, palatalization, to linking. Finally, there was a strong positive correlation between their TOEIC listening scores and the perception scores. Further studies would be desirable on the level of improvement of TOEIC scores by training the students' listening ability using the linked speech.

• 말소리와 음성과학
• /
• 제7권1호
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2015

This study aimed to identify the development pattern of final stop consonant perception using the gating task. Sixty-four subjects participated in the study: 16 children aged 4 years, 16 children aged 5 years, 17 children aged 6 years, and 15 adults. One-syllable words with consonant-vowel-consonant(CVC) structure, mokㄱ-motㄱ and papㄱ-patㄱ were used as stimuli in order to remove the redundancy of acoustic cues in stimulus words, 40ms-length (-40ms) and 60ms-length (-60ms) from the entire duration of the final consonant were deleted. Three conditions (the whole word segment, -40ms, -60ms) were used for this speech perception experiment. 48 tokens (4 stimuli ${\times}3$ conditions ${\times}4$ trials) in total were provided for participants. The results indicated that 5 and 6 year olds showed final consonant perception similar to adults in stimuli, papㄱ-patㄱ and only the 6-year-old children showed perception similar to adults in stimuli, 'mokㄱ-motㄱ. The results suggested that younger typically developing children require more acoustic information to accurately perceive final consonants than older children and adults. Final consonant perception ability may become adult-like around 6 years old. The study provides fundamental data on the development pattern of speech perception in normal developing children, which can be used to compare to those of children with communication disorders.

• 대한청각학회지
• /
• 제25권2호
• /
• pp.80-88
• /
• 2021

Background and Objectives: Non-linear frequency compression (NLFC) technology compresses and shifts higher frequencies into a lower frequency area that has better residual hearing. Because consonants are uttered in the high-frequency area, NLFC could provide better speech understanding. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness of NLFC technology on the perception of speech and music in patients with high-frequency hearing loss. Subjects and Methods: Twelve participants with high-frequency hearing loss were tested in a counter-balanced order, and had two weeks of daily experience with NLFC set on/off prior to testing. Performance was repeatedly evaluated with consonant tests in quiet and noise environments, speech perception in noise, music perception and acceptableness of sound quality rating tasks. Additionally, two questionnaires (the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and the Korean version of the International Outcome Inventory-Hearing Aids) were administered. Results: Consonant and speech perception improved with hearing aids (NLFC on/off conditions), but there was no significant difference between NLFC on and off states. Music perception performances revealed no notable difference among unaided and NLFC on and off states. The benefits and satisfaction ratings between NLFC on and off conditions were also not significantly different, based on questionnaires, however great individual variability preferences were noted. Conclusions: Speech perception as well as music perception both in quiet and noise environments was similar between NLFC on and off states, indicating that real world benefits from NLFC technology may be limited in Korean adult hearing aid users.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
• /
• 제25권2호
• /
• pp.80-88
• /
• 2021

Background and Objectives: Non-linear frequency compression (NLFC) technology compresses and shifts higher frequencies into a lower frequency area that has better residual hearing. Because consonants are uttered in the high-frequency area, NLFC could provide better speech understanding. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness of NLFC technology on the perception of speech and music in patients with high-frequency hearing loss. Subjects and Methods: Twelve participants with high-frequency hearing loss were tested in a counter-balanced order, and had two weeks of daily experience with NLFC set on/off prior to testing. Performance was repeatedly evaluated with consonant tests in quiet and noise environments, speech perception in noise, music perception and acceptableness of sound quality rating tasks. Additionally, two questionnaires (the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and the Korean version of the International Outcome Inventory-Hearing Aids) were administered. Results: Consonant and speech perception improved with hearing aids (NLFC on/off conditions), but there was no significant difference between NLFC on and off states. Music perception performances revealed no notable difference among unaided and NLFC on and off states. The benefits and satisfaction ratings between NLFC on and off conditions were also not significantly different, based on questionnaires, however great individual variability preferences were noted. Conclusions: Speech perception as well as music perception both in quiet and noise environments was similar between NLFC on and off states, indicating that real world benefits from NLFC technology may be limited in Korean adult hearing aid users.

• 한국음향학회지
• /
• 제31권5호
• /
• pp.298-308
• /
• 2012

This study was designed to examine the phoneme recognition errors of hearing-impaired (HI) listeners on a consonant-by-consonant basis, to show (1) how each HI ear perceives individual consonants differently and (2) how standard clinical measurements (i.e., using a tone and word) fail to predict these differences. Sixteen English consonant-vowel (CV) syllables of six signal-to-noise ratios in speech-weighted noise were presented at the most comfortable level for ears with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. The findings were as follows: (1) individual HI listeners with a symmetrical pure-tone threshold showed different consonant-loss profiles (CLPs) (i.e., over a set of the 16 English consonants, the likelihood of misperceiving each consonant) in right and left ears. (2) A similar result was found across subjects. Paired ears of different HI individuals with identical pure-tone threshold presented different CLPs in one ear to the other. (3) Paired HI ears having the same averaged consonant score demonstrated completely different CLPs. We conclude that the standard clinical measurements are limited in their ability to predict the extent to which speech perception is degraded in HI ears, and thus they are a necessary, but not a sufficient measurement for HI speech perception. This suggests that the CV measurement would be a useful clinical tool.

• 음성과학
• /
• 제2권
• /
• pp.125-134
• /
• 1997

Human beings can perceive various aspects of sound including loudness, pitch, length, and timber. Recently many studies were conducted to clarify complex auditory scales of the human ear. This study critically reviews some of these scales (decibel, sone, phon for loudness perception; mel and bark for pitch) and proposes to apply the scales to normalize acoustic correlates of human speech. One of the most important aspects of human auditory perception is the nonlinearity which should be incorporated into the linear speech analysis and synthesis system. Further studies using more sophisticated equipment are desirable to refine these scales, through the analysis of human auditory perception of complex tones or speech. This will lead scientists to develop better speech recognition and synthesis devices.