A comparison of the speech understanding provided by acoustic models of fixed-channel and channel-picking signal processors for cochlear implants

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Vowels, consonants, and sentences were processed by two cochlear-implant signal-processing strategies-a fixed-channel strategy and a channel-picking strategy-and the resulting signals were presented to listeners with normal hearing for identification. At issue was the number of channels of stimulation needed in each strategy to achieve an equivalent level of speech recognition in quiet and in noise. In quiet, 8 fixed channels allowed a performance maximum for the most difficult stimulus material. A similar level of performance was reached with a 6-of-20 channel-picking strategy. In noise, 10 fixed channels allowed a performance maximum for the most difficult stimulus material. A similar level of performance was reached with a 9-of-20 strategy. Both strategies are capable of providing a very high level of speech recognition. Choosing between the two strategies may, ultimately, depend on issues that are independent of speech recognition-such as ease of device programming.

Medical Subject Headings

Acoustic Stimulation (instrumentation); Adult; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Cochlear Implants (standards); Equipment Design; Hearing (physiology); Humans; Phonetics; Random Allocation; Speech Acoustics; Speech Perception (physiology)

Publication Date

8-1-2002

Publication Title

Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR

ISSN

1092-4388

Volume

45

Issue

4

First Page

783

Last Page

8

PubMed ID

12199407

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1044/1092-4388(2002/063)

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