Hearing Aids Reduce Self-Perceived Difficulties in Noise for Listeners With Normal Audiograms.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed hearing aid benefits for people with a normal audiogram but hearing-in-noise problems in everyday listening situations. DESIGN: Exploratory double-blinded case-control study whereby participants completed retrospective questionnaires, ecological momentary assessments, speech-in-noise testing, and mental effort testing with and without hearing aids. Twenty-seven adults reporting speech-in-noise problems but normal air conduction pure-tone audiometry took part in the study. They were randomly separated into an experimental group that trialed mild-gain hearing aids with advanced directional processing and a control group fitted with hearing aids with no gain or directionality. RESULTS: Self-reports showed mild-gain hearing aids reduce hearing-in-noise difficulties and provide a better hearing experience (i.e., improved understanding, participation, and mood). Despite the self-reported benefits, the laboratory tests did not reveal a benefit from the mild-gain hearing aids, with no group differences on speech-in-noise tests or mental effort measures. Further, participants found the elevated cost of hearing aids to be a barrier for their adoption. CONCLUSIONS: Hearing aids benefit the listening experience in some listening situations for people with normal audiogram who report hearing difficulties in noise. Decreasing the price of hearing aids may lead to greater accessibility to those seeking remediation for their communication needs.

Design and evaluation of the effectiveness of a corpus of congruent and incongruent English sentences for the study of event related potentials.

OBJECTIVE: To design and evaluate the effectiveness of a stimulus material in eliciting the N400 event related potential (ERP). DESIGN: A set of 700 semantically congruent and incongruent sentences was developed in accordance with current linguistic norms, and validated with an electroencephalography (EEG) study, in which the influence of age and gender on the N400 ERP magnitude was analysed. STUDY SAMPLE: Forty-five normal-hearing subjects (19-57 years, 21 females) participated in the EEG study. RESULTS: The stimulus material used in the EEG study elicited a robust N400 ERP, with a morphology consistent with the literature. Results also showed no statistically significant effect of age or gender on the N400 magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: The material presented in this paper constitutes the largest complete stimulus set suitable for both auditory and text-based N400 experiments. This material may help facilitate the efficient implementation of future N400 ERP studies, as well as promote standardisation and consistency across studies.

Personal Listening Devices in Australia: Patterns of Use and Levels of Risk.

Personal listening devices (PLDs) have the potential to increase the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) for users. The present study aimed to investigate the nature and extent of the risk posed, by describing the user profile of a PLD population, identifying listening habits of that population, and examining whether PLD risk status is associated with hearing damage. A sample of 4,185 Australian PLD users completed an online survey about listening behaviors and hearing health. Listeners were characterized as low, high, or very high-risk based on daily noise dose estimates calculated from self-reported listening volume and durations. Listening patterns and hearing difficulties were examined in relation to risk status. Results indicated differences in listening volumes and durations with respect to age, with higher listening volumes reported for environments with greater background noise. Fifteen percent of participants' usage was classified as posing a potential risk to hearing, with a significantly greater proportion of younger people in higher-risk categories. Forty-one percent of participants reported feeling they have a hearing loss, with ∼20% reporting difficulties with speech in noise. For 18- to 35-year-olds, higher-risk status was associated with a greater proportion of self-reported hearing difficulties, including perceived poorer speech perception. These results have implications for hearing health promotion activities and suggest that messages should focus on either volume levels or durations depending on the particular activity in which the PLD is used. In addition, the results underline the importance of placing PLD exposure in the context of individuals' wider noise exposure. Although PLD use alone is not placing the majority of users at risk, it may be increasing the likelihood that individuals' cumulative noise exposure will exceed safe levels.

In Their Own Words: Interviews with Musicians Reveal the Advantages and Disadvantages of Wearing Earplugs.

BACKGROUND: Musicians are at risk of hearing loss from sound exposure, and earplugs form part of many musicians' hearing conservation practices. Although musicians typically report a range of difficulties when wearing earplugs, there are many who have managed to successfully incorporate earplugs into their practice of music. OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to provide a detailed account of earplug usage from the perspective of the musician, including motivating factors, practical strategies, and attitudes. METHODS: In-depth interviews with 23 musicians were transcribed and content analysis was performed. Responses were coded and classified into three main themes: advantages, disadvantages, and usage patterns and strategies, together with an overlapping fourth theme, youth perspectives. RESULTS: Several positive aspects of wearing earplugs were identified, including long-term hearing protection and reduced levels of fatigue and pain. Musicians reported that earplugs present few problems for communication, improve sound clarity in ensembles, are discreet, and are easy to handle. However, earplugs also present challenges, including an overall dullness of sound, reduced immediacy, and an impaired ability to judge balance and intonation due to the occlusion effect, all of which influence usage habits and patterns. CONCLUSION: The experiences of the younger musicians and long-term users of earplugs indicate that practice, persistence, and a flexible approach are required for successful earplug usage. In time, there may be greater acceptance of earplugs, particularly amongst a new generation of musicians, some of whom regard the earplugs as a performance enhancement tool as well as a protective device.