Understanding how older adults recognize speech in noisy environments
Individualized Assessment and Prediction of Speech-Recognition Performance In Adults with Age-related Hearing Loss
This study is looking to help older adults with hearing loss understand speech better, especially when there's background noise, by creating personalized hearing aid settings based on their individual hearing and thinking abilities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10663916 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research focuses on the challenges faced by older adults with age-related hearing loss, particularly their difficulty in understanding speech amidst background noise. It aims to develop personalized models that account for individual auditory and cognitive factors affecting speech recognition. By utilizing a Bayesian adaptive procedure, the study will create efficient diagnostic tests that can tailor hearing aid settings to each user's specific needs, potentially improving their communication abilities. Participants will engage in a speech recognition task that helps estimate their unique speech intelligibility parameters.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are adults aged 21 and older who experience age-related hearing loss.
Not a fit: Patients with normal hearing or those whose hearing loss is not age-related may not benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective and personalized hearing aids that significantly improve speech understanding for older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown promise in using adaptive procedures for speech intelligibility, indicating that this approach could be effective.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shen, Yi — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Shen, Yi
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.