Active Research

Principal Investigator: Gabrielle Saunders, PhD

Objective: To evaluate the impacts of hearing aid directional microphones on objective and subjective localization of low, mid- and high-frequency stimuli presented in the horizontal plane at angles of 0º through 360º.

Background: Good sound localization is necessary for responding appropriately to alerting signals and to make use of binaural cues when listening to speech in noise. Directional microphones in hearing aids have the potential to disrupt the binaural cues used for localization because they can artificially alter the interaural level and phase differences, both of which are critical cues used for sound localization. Hearing aids might also improve localization by providing audibility to high frequency signals that is missing among individuals with age-related or noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss.

Findings: This study is an extension of a previously funded study which evaluated and improved a system for measuring sound localization. Data collection is currently underway.