Loudness growth as a function of presentation method: Comparison of normal hearing children with children using cochlear implants

Abstract

The loudness of signals is altered in listening devices used by individuals with hearing loss, where soft sounds are made loud and loud sounds made soft. It is speculated that loudness growth would be affected in those using such listening devices. The study aimed to compare the effect of order of intensity presentation on loudness growth in typically developing children and children using monaural cochlear implants. Loudness growth of 3 warble-tones and 3 vowels were examined in 20 typically developing children and 17 children using cochlear implants. The intensity of the stimuli was varied randomly and sequentially. The children rated the loudness of the stimuli on a six-point rating-scale. Only 10 of the 17 children using cochlear implants gave valid loudness growth responses. These 10 children demonstrated no significant difference between the random and the sequential presentation for most of the stimuli. In general, the typically developing children exhibited a significant difference for the extremes in the loudness-growth scale (very soft and very loud). Loudness growth was similar across the methods and participant groups. Thus, a large number of children using cochlear implants are unable to give reliable loudness-growth responses. Those who have a loudness growth perform similar to the typically developing children.