Introduction
People with normal hearing use tiny timing and level differences between the ears (“binaural” cues) to separate a talker of interest from background sound. In hearing impairment, the ability to use these cues can range from near normal to near zero, and therefore some people may benefit more than others from future hearing-aid strategies that preserve binaural information. This project will develop simple tests that measure an individual’s capacity to benefit from binaural cues in complex, realistic communication settings, helping to guide better-personalized hearing-aid fitting and processing. Secondly, we will develop and test a sound-processing algorithm that preserves binaural cues.
Aims
This project aims to quantify real-world binaural speech-perception benefits in NH and HI listeners and to develop a diagnostic test that identifies who can benefit. It will furthermore investigate HA effects and develop a HA strategy to provide better binaural cues for those who can use them.
Methodology
This project consists of two complementary streams of research. The first stream will use experiments to quantify the maximum benefit that NH and HI users can expect from binaural cues and to develop a headphone based diagnostic test that can help to stratify HA users into those that can or cannot benefit from those cues. The second stream will use simulations and physical measurements to investigate how HA-processing may interfere with binaural acoustic cues and to develop alternative HA processing strategies to prevent these interferences.
