Hearing loss reduces the effect of inherent noise fluctuations on speech masking.

Evidence

The aim of this experiment was to test the resulting prediction that hearing loss leads to less effect of inherent noise fluctuations on speech masking. We compared the results of listeners with cochlear hearing loss with the performance of young NH listeners and age-matched NH listeners. Performance was compared for roughly equal sensation levels (SL), and for equal sound pressure levels (SPL) to test for the effect of overall level on performance in NH listeners. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2173

Poor binaural abilities in listeners with hearing loss have clear implications for the perception of sounds in noisy environments. Binaural release from masking (in terms of the MLD and binaural squelch) is degraded by SNHL. The consequence of these factors is straightforward: Listeners will experience more masking and more deterioration of speech perception in noisy environments. As we know, communicating in noisy environments can be particularly problematic for listeners with hearing loss, and the loss of binaural mechanisms for noise reduction has been implicated in these difficulties (Humes, Kidd, & Lentz, 2013). Listeners can still rely on the better-ear advantage, as it is an acoustic effect, but listeners will not gain great benefits from binaural listening. Deficits in the precedence effect are also associated with greater susceptibility to masking in reverberant environments. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1704

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes SL (sensation level) vs SPL (sound pressure level) as distinct comparison methods controlling for overall level effects.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2173; Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1704