The effect of fundamental frequency contour similarity on multi-talker listening in older and younger adults

Abstract

Older adults with hearing loss have greater difficulty recognizing target speech in multi-talker environments than young adults with normal hearing, especially when target and masker speech streams are perceptually similar. A difference in fundamental frequency (f0) contour depth is an effective stream segregation cue for young adults with normal hearing. This study examined whether older adults with varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss are able to utilize differences in target/masker f0 contour depth to improve speech recognition in multi-talker listening. Speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) were measured for speech mixtures composed of target/masker streams with flat, normal, and exaggerated speaking styles, in which f0 contour depth systematically varied. Computational modeling estimated differences in energetic masking across listening conditions. Young adults had lower SRTs than older adults; a result that was partially explained by differences in audibility predicted by the model. However, audibility differences did not explain why young adults experienced a benefit from mismatched target/masker f0 contour depth, while in most conditions, older adults did not. Reduced ability to use segregation cues (differences in target/masker f0 contour depth), and deficits grouping speech with variable f0 contours likely contribute to difficulties experienced by older adults in challenging acoustic environments.

A series of SNR-based speech intelligibility models in the Auditory Modeling Toolbox

“…This fifth model vicente2020 extends the predictions of vicente2020nh to HI listeners, and is otherwise relevant in the same conditions: a near-field/anechoic target speech in the presence of multiple non-stationary noise sources in rooms (the detrimental effect of temporal smearing of the target by reverberation is not accounted for as it is by leclere2015). The model has been validated considering such conditions [60] and further used to evaluate (energetic) masking in speech-in-speech conditions [64]. It is worth noting that the backward compatibility of vicente2020 was verified [60], where vicente2020 provided similar results as lavandier2022 and vicente2020nh when tested with the same data.…”

“…On the other hand, models can be used to predict the contribution of energetic masking in speech-in-speech conditions, so that the contribution of informational masking can be quantified a posteriori as the remaining source of variations in the data once predicted energetic masking effects have been factored out. This has been done previously for NH listeners with vicente2020nh [37,78] and for NH and HI listeners with vicente2020 [64].…”