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Description
The purpose of this study was to determine if the sensitivity of a speech recognition test using a selective-attention task was better than sensitivity using a divided-attention task. Twelve normally-hearing listeners were tested using the CUNY Simultaneous Sentence Test which consists of two sentences (male and female talker) presented simultaneous to the same ear. Two different listening conditions were used. In one condition, sentences were clipped by 11 dB to simulate hearing aid distortion. In the second condition, sentences were unclipped. During the selective-attention task, listeners were asked to repeat back both sentences. It was predicted that the clipping would produce greater changes in performance for the selective-attention task than for the divided-attention task. Thus, it was hypothesized that the selective-attention task would be a more sensitive speech recognition test. Contrary to the prediction, there were similar changes in performance for the divided- and selective-attention tasks when the clipping level was increase from 0 to 11 dB. Scores were lower for the male talked than the female talker, and greater changes in performance were observed for the male talker when clipping was introduced. Results suggest that the selective-attention task is not more sensitive than the divided-attention task. The test efficiency using the selective-attention task, however, was significantly better than when using the divided-attention task. Better efficiency stemmed from shorter administration and scoring times. These finds suggest that, although sensitivity is similar, the selective-attention task may be a better choice for clinical use because of its shorter administration time
