The aim of the present study was examining the relationship between a psychophysical spatial hearing test (spatial word in noise test) and Spatial Hearing Questionnaire. Sixty-six adults (18-40 years old) were divided in three groups: normal subjects, subjects with mild and moderate hearing loss. Spatial word in noise test and Persian version of the spatial hearing questionnaire were evaluated and compared among these groups. According to Pearson's test, there was a significant positive correlation between the scores of spatial word in noise test and Persian version of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire in three groups (r = 0.64-0.89). Hearing loss can deteriorate spatial hearing ability. Both objective and subjective spatial hearing tests are shown to be effective in detecting spatial hearing disorder.

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate spatial hearing in elderly with and without complaint about speech understanding in noise. Methods Persian spatial hearing questionnaire (P-SHQ) was investigated in the elderly with and without speech understanding difficulty in noise and in normal young adults. ANOVA test was used for comparing results of the eight sub-characteristics of the P-SHQ among three groups. Results Both elderly groups had lower performance in source localisation, understanding speech in noise with target and noise sources from the front, understanding speech in noise with spatially separate target and noise sources. There was a significant difference between the two elderly groups in understanding speech in noise with target and noise sources from the front. Conclusions It shows that although the elderly have lower spatial performance than young adults, they still can benefit from the spatial separation of sound sources.