Reliability and Validity of the Korean Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process

OBJECTIVE: To develop the Korean version of the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP), which enables a more functional assessment of unilateral spatial neglect, by first translating it into Korean and then statistically standardizing it. METHODS: Two rehabilitation specialists translated the KF-NAP into Korean. The entire process of administering the Korean KF-NAP to 30 patients with brain disease was video-recorded. Five occupational therapists from 4 university hospitals nationwide evaluated the 30 video-recorded examination cases. We analyzed inter- and intra-reliabilities of the Korean KF-NAP using the intraclass coefficient and Pearson correlation coefficient. Internal consistency reliability of the assessment categories was also examined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: For the construct validation study, the Korean KF-NAP was strongly correlated with the Albert's test and letter cancellation test (r ≥ 0.8; p < 0.05). The intraclass correlation coefficients for the first and second assessments of the Korean KF-NAP were 0.973 and 0.982, respectively, showing high reliability (p < 0.05). The intra-rater reliabilities exceeded 0.9 (p < 0.05), and Cronbach's alpha coefficient exceeded 0.8, showing internal consistency reliability. CONCLUSION: The Korean KF-NAP is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing hemispatial neglect symptoms in patients with brain diseases.

Speech Recognition in Real-Life Background Noise by Young and Middle-Aged Adults with Normal Hearing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: People usually converse in real-life background noise. They experience more difficulty understanding speech in noise than in a quiet environment. The present study investigated how speech recognition in real-life background noise is affected by the type of noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and age. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighteen young adults and fifteen middle-aged adults with normal hearing participated in the present study. Three types of noise [subway noise, vacuum noise, and multi-talker babble (MTB)] were presented via a loudspeaker at three SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, and -5 dB. Speech recognition was analyzed using the word recognition score. RESULTS: 1) Speech recognition in subway noise was the greatest in comparison to vacuum noise and MTB, 2) at the SNR of -5 dB, speech recognition was greater in subway noise than vacuum noise and in vacuum noise than MTB while at the SNRs of 0 and 5 dB, it was greater in subway noise than both vacuum noise and MTB and there was no difference between vacuum noise and MTB, 3) speech recognition decreased as the SNR decreased, and 4) young adults showed better speech recognition performance in all types of noises at all SNRs than middle-aged adults. CONCLUSIONS: Speech recognition in real-life background noise was affected by the type of noise, SNR, and age. The results suggest that the frequency distribution, amplitude fluctuation, informational masking, and cognition may be important underlying factors determining speech recognition performance in noise.