Speech-in-noise clarity discrimination can be measured with identical masked sentences while cueing levels

Evidence

The JND for SNR was measured for adults of varying hearing ability at different reference SNRs using adaptive and fixed-level procedures based on the classic level discrimination paradigm (cf. McShefferty et al. 2015 ). The stimuli were equalised IEEE sentences uttered by a native British English speaker (Smith and Faulkner 2006 ) in same-spectrum noise, presented over headphones in a sound-attenuated booth. Noises began and ended simultaneous with the speech signal, and there was a 500-ms gap between intervals. Both intervals contained the same randomly chosen sentence, and after both intervals, participants were prompted to respond to which one was clearer. In each interval the levels of both speech and noise were adjusted to maintain a presentation level of 75 dB A; to minimize other cues, the level of each interval was roved independently by a maximum of ±2 dB. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5675

Categorization

• DEFINE: Describes the JND-for-SNR experimental paradigm: two-interval forced choice between identical sentences at different SNRs, with level roving to strip loudness cues.