Methodological aspects of auditory threshold measurements.

Abstract

The authors found that the precision of measurements of auditory thresholds may be increased by using repeated measures on the same Ss. Practice effects accumulating over the first 5 trials of a testing session may significantly decrease the absolute threshold, but the shift is probably too small to be of practical significance in clinical audiometry. 17 references.

Intra- and Intersubject Variability in Audiometric Measures and Loudness Judgments in Older Listeners with Normal Hearing

“…During the 1940s to 1960s, several investigators studied the reliability of auditory threshold measurements. [1][2][3][4][5] The two most popular indices used for assessing the reliability of audiometric thresholds in these early studies were intra-and intersubject standard deviation (SD) values. However, other measures, such as correlation analyses, have also been employed.…”

“…Corso and Cohen investigated both the inter-and intrasubject variability associated with auditory threshold measurements. 2 They tested 38 subjects (age 18 to 24 years), who had a negative otologic history and minimal exposure to noise. Pure tone thresholds were assessed from 250 to 8,000 Hz, using the method of limits, with 2-dB steps used near threshold.…”

“…Three important questions arise in applying these behavioral measures to a hearingimpaired clinical population: (1) How do the measures change over time? (2) How variable are these measures across multiple sessions for an individual subject, the intrasubject variability? (3) How variable are these measures across a group of subjects with similar audiometric characteristics, the intersubject variability?…”

The Association of Auditory High Frequency Weakness With Verbal and Written Comprehension and Expression

“…In the same way very little has been reported about the variation in threshold to be expected by the use of different methods, although this has been a preoccupation in psychology. Such little as has been carried out in audiometry has often been the work of psychologists, such as Corso and Cohen (1958). Nor has sufficient attention been paid to re-test reliability, as regards either standardization groups or clinical subjects.…”

“…But it. is in the upper frequencies that the audiometric task becomes perceptually difficult (Corso and Cohen, 1958) so that the effects discussed above will be shown more readily.…”