Averaging hearing loss across frequencies can mask serious impairment
Evidence
Consider, for example, the audiogram for damaged hearing given in Figure 2.19. Here, the average dBHL value for frequencies 250 Hz to 4 kHz would be {((10 + 5 + 5 + 15 + 60)/5) = 19 dBHL}, which indicates “no hearing handicap” (see Table 7.1), which is clearly not the case. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2360
Categorization
- XREF: Connects directly to the prior passage at location 2359 warning that one or more frequencies may be worse than the average; these two together form a single argument about the limits of summary hearing metrics. — connects to: Ear trumpets could be matched to specific hearing loss profiles.; Occupational hearing guidelines permit hearing loss rather than prevent it; Standards accept up to 25 dB of hearing loss as medically normal (+5 more)
- SEED: Angle: a short essay on how single-number health metrics (audiogram averages, A1c, BMI) systematically hide the clinically decisive outlier.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2360
Broader Connections
- Hearing loss widens critical bands and alters music perception itself
#expands(0.80) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1897 - Small amounts of hearing loss disproportionately impair speech-in-noise perception
#corroborates(0.75) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5472