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Trends in Amplification, Vol. 10, No. 2, 95-104 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1084713806289554

Amplification With Digital Noise Reduction and the Perception of Annoying and Aversive Sounds

Catherine V. Palmer, PhD

Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania palmercv{at}upmc.edu

Ruth Bentler, PhD

Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

H. Gustav Mueller, PhD

Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

Hearing aid users report difficulties using their hearing aids in noisy environments. Problems include understanding speech, loudness discomfort, and annoyance with background noise. Digital noise reduction algorithms have been promoted as a method to solve speech understanding and comfort in noise problems. Research has failed to find improved speech understanding in noise. Little is known about how digital noise reduction affects noise annoyance and aversiveness. The goals of this investigation were to determine how a specific digital noise reduction system affects hearing aid users’ perception of noise annoyance and aversiveness and to compare their perceptions to those of normal-hearing listeners. Ratings of noise annoyance and of aversiveness were obtained from 49 participants with moderate sensorineural hearing loss before fitting and after 3 weeks of hearing aid use. Findings were compared to measures obtained from normal-hearing listeners. Perceived annoyance and aversiveness increased with amplification. Annoyance and aversiveness with the hearing aid approximated normal perception. The results of this investigation suggest the need for counseling patients about realistic expectations related to annoyance and aversiveness of sounds at the time of hearing aid fitting.

Key Words: annoyance • amplification • digital noise reduction • aversiveness


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This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 TRENDS AMPLIFHome page
A. C. Neuman
From the Editor
Trends in Amplification, March 1, 2007; 11(1): 5 - 6.
[PDF]

Home page
 TRENDS AMPLIFHome page
R. Bentler and L.-K. Chiou
Digital noise reduction: an overview.
Trends in Amplification, June 1, 2006; 10(2): 67 - 82.
[Abstract] [PDF]