A framework for computational modelling of interaural time difference discrimination of normal and hearing-impaired listeners

Abstract

Different computational models have been developed to study the interaural time difference (ITD) perception. However, only few have used a physiologically inspired architecture to study ITD discrimination. Furthermore, they do not include aspects of hearing impairment. In this work, a framework was developed to predict ITD thresholds in listeners with normal and impaired hearing. It combines the physiologically inspired model of the auditory periphery proposed by Zilany, Bruce, Nelson, and Carney [(2009). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (5), 2390-2412] as a front end with a coincidence detection stage and a neurometric decision device as a back end. It was validated by comparing its predictions against behavioral data for narrowband stimuli from literature. The framework is able to model ITD discrimination of normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners at a group level. Additionally, it was used to explore the effect of different proportions of outer- and inner-hair cell impairment on ITD discrimination.

Impaired Binaural Hearing in Adults: A Selected Review of the Literature

“…The modeling approaches that have been most successful in predicting the binaural abilities of individual listeners (rather than group differences) have combined pure-tone detection thresholds with metrics unrelated to spatial cues such as age, measures of speech understanding (Kubiak et al, 2020), and/or measures of cognitive function (Gallun and Jakien, 2019). In addition, there are computational modeling approaches that show great promise in helping identify the specific mechanisms responsible for binaural impairment (Le Goff et al, 2013;Mao et al, 2015;Moncada-Torres et al, 2018). The most promising opportunities for future research are those that involve a process of informational feedback between human patient research and targeted animal and computational models.…”