Auditory Perception
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will measure the performance of three personal amplification devices when used by middle-aged adults. Speech understanding will be assessed with two different types of background noises at three different input levels.
Detailed description
Speech understanding will be measured both unaided and aided with three different models of Personal Amplification devices (PSAPs). Sentences will be played to the participant from a loudspeaker located in front. Different types of background sounds (noise and other sentences) will be played from loudspeakers located to the right and left of the participant. Participants will be instructed to repeat back the sentence coming from the front. They also will rate subjective effort at the end of each block of trials.
Interventions
DEVICESound World Solutions CS50+
Participants will be tested using the Sound World Solutions CS 50+ hearing devices.
DEVICETweak Focus
Participants will be tested using the Tweak Focus hearing devices.
DEVICEIQ Earbuds
Participants will be tested using the IQ Earbuds hearing devices.
DEVICEBose Hearphones
Participants will be tested using the Bose Hearphones hearing devices.
Sponsors
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Each participant will be tested with one of the models of devices.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
45 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* mild high-frequency hearing loss (pure-tone thresholds of 25 decibels hearing loss - 45 decibels hearing loss between 2000 Hz and 6000 Hz)
Exclusion criteria
* history of prior hearing aid use * history of neurologic or otologic disorders * score of \< 26 on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (cognitive screening tool)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise | One 2-hour lab session | Improvement in performance on speech perception task using the Nuheara IQ Buds, Tweak Focus, Bose Hearphones, or the Sound World Solutions CS 50+ personal listening devices, measured by percentage of words accurately recalled in noise with device minus percentage recalled without device. Positive values indicate improvement in performance. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort | One 2-hour session | Effect of listening devices on subjective listening effort, measured by rating on ten-point scale (10 = greatest amount of effort) after task performed with device minus rating after task performed without device. Lower scores indicate less listening effort; negative values indicate reduction in effort with device. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Tweak Focus Speech understanding and listening effort will be assessed using the Tweak Focus personal sound amplifiers.
Tweak Focus: Participants will be tested using the Tweak Focus hearing devices. | 10 |
| IQ Earbuds Speech understanding and listening effort will be assessed using the IQEarbuds personal sound amplifiers.
IQ Earbuds: Participants will be tested using the IQ Earbuds hearing devices. | 10 |
| Sound World Solutions CS50+ Speech understanding and listening effort will be assessed using the Sound World Solutions CS50+ personal sound amplifiers.
Sound World Solutions CS50+: Participants will be tested using the Sound World Solutions CS 50+ hearing devices. | 10 |
| Bose Hearphones Speech understanding and listening effort will be assessed using the Sound World Solutions CS50+ personal sound amplifiers.
Bose Hearphones: Participants will be tested using the Bose Hearphones hearing devices. | 10 |
| Total | 40 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Tweak Focus | IQ Earbuds | Sound World Solutions CS50+ | Bose Hearphones | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 40 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 58.6 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.01 | 58.4 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.46 | 59.6 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.06 | 57 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.11 | 58.4 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.38 |
| Hearing loss (better-ear high-frequency pure tone average) | 22 Decibels Hearing Loss STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.41 | 23.5 Decibels Hearing Loss STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.57 | 23.5 Decibels Hearing Loss STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.13 | 20.13 Decibels Hearing Loss STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.83 | 22.28 Decibels Hearing Loss STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.72 |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 40 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 10 participants | 10 participants | 10 participants | 10 participants | 40 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Reported gender Female | 5 Participants | 9 Participants | 7 Participants | 6 Participants | 27 Participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Reported gender Male | 5 Participants | 0 Participants | 3 Participants | 4 Participants | 12 Participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Reported gender Other/not reported | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk | EG003 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 | 0 / 10 |
Outcome results
Primary
Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise
Improvement in performance on speech perception task using the Nuheara IQ Buds, Tweak Focus, Bose Hearphones, or the Sound World Solutions CS 50+ personal listening devices, measured by percentage of words accurately recalled in noise with device minus percentage recalled without device. Positive values indicate improvement in performance.
Time frame: One 2-hour lab session
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tweak Focus | Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise | 1.65 Percent of words recalled | Standard Deviation 6.4 |
| CS50+ | Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise | 0.85 Percent of words recalled | Standard Deviation 7.01 |
| IQ Buds | Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise | 7.35 Percent of words recalled | Standard Deviation 6.03 |
| Bose | Comparison of How Four Models of Personal Listening Devices Improve Word Understanding in Noise | 10.24 Percent of words recalled | Standard Deviation 8.23 |
Secondary
Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort
Effect of listening devices on subjective listening effort, measured by rating on ten-point scale (10 = greatest amount of effort) after task performed with device minus rating after task performed without device. Lower scores indicate less listening effort; negative values indicate reduction in effort with device.
Time frame: One 2-hour session
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tweak Focus | Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort | -1.4 Units on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.26 |
| CS50+ | Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort | -1.4 Units on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.84 |
| IQ Buds | Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort | -0.9 Units on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.29 |
| Bose | Difference in Self-rated Listening Effort | -1.8 Units on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.81 |