Self-Adjusted Amplification Parameters Produce Large Between-Subject Variability and Preserve Speech Intelligibility

• Main Authors: Peggy B. Nelson, Trevor T. Perry, Melanie Gregan, Dianne VanTasell
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-09-01
• Series: Trends in Hearing
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2331216518798264

The current study used the self-fitting algorithm to allow listeners to self-adjust hearing-aid gain or compression parameters to select gain for speech understanding in a variety of quiet and noise conditions. Thirty listeners with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss adjusted gain parameters in quiet and in several types of noise. Outcomes from self-adjusted gain and audiologist-fit gain indicated consistent within-subject performance but a great deal of between-subject variability. Gain selection did not strongly affect intelligibility within the range of signal-to-noise ratios tested. Implications from the findings are that individual listeners have consistent preferences for gain and may prefer gain configurations that differ greatly from National Acoustic Laboratories-based prescriptions in quiet and in noise.