Influence of noise on the equivalence of word-lists in a phonemically balanced word test: comparison in young and older adults

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of the study was to determine the influence of noise on the equivalency of word-lists in a speech-in-noise test. Additionally, the performance of young and older adults was compared.Method: Thirty-four young adults with normal hearing, aged 18–36 years, were compared with 49 older adults, aged 55–75 years having hearing sensitivity ?20?dB HL till 2000?Hz. The young adults were evaluated using a speech-in-noise test having four word-lists that were equivalent in quiet, with half being tested in the right ear and half in the left ear. The older adults were tested with two of the lists, one in each ear.Results: In the presence of speech-babble, the younger adults obtained no significant difference between the two ears as well as between gender. Their scores on all four lists of the test were equivalent. In contrast, in the older adults the females performed significantly better than the males on one of the two lists that they were evaluated on, but no ear difference was observed. There was a significant difference between the lists in the older adults. Additionally, the older adults performed significantly poorer when compared to the younger group.Conclusions: In the presence of noise, the lists were found to be equivalent in the young adults but was not in the older adults. A gender difference was absent in the younger adults but was present in the older listeners. The performance of the older listeners was consistently poorer compared to that of the younger listeners.