The Effect of Age and Hearing Loss on the Identification of Synthetic /b, d, g/-Stimuli

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Abstract
A scries of speech identification tests using 15 synthetic consonant-vowel syllables with variations in second and third formant transitions were conducted in different age groups with normal hearing and a group of older subjects with a sensorineural hearing loss. Varying degree of categorical perception of three distinct phoneme categories /b, d, g/ was observed in all groups. Responses were depending on start frequency and gliding direction of second and third formant transitions. In the group of 60–80-year-old persons with a hearing loss response percentages were significantly lower and error frequency high. Furthermore, category shift boundaries changed as compared with the group of 20–40 years old. Results in a group of children age 8–15 years, were rather similar to those in the 20–40-year-old group. Both age and age-induced sensorineural hearing loss seemed to influence elderly people's ability to identity the synthetic speech stimuli.

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