Hearing loss

Predicting the effects of hearing impairment on communication is central to hearing science and clinical audiology. But predictions in these fields are often made using simple, unrepresentative speech tests. This is due to the technical challenges of measuring interactive conversation in controlled conditions. Predictions made using simple speech tests may not accord with the lived experience of people with hearing impairment.

Dr Timothy Beechey from the University of Nottingham will develop methods aimed at making accurate predictions of the impacts of hearing impairment on communication without the need for highly complex testing procedures.

The project will first investigate the effects on communication ability of natural behaviours such as asking speakers to repeat themselves or physically moving closer to a speaker.

Communication strategies found to be most effective will be incorporated into a simpler test of speech understanding to produce a measure which is representative of the demands of interactive communication while retaining many of the conveniences of standard speech tests.

The outcome of Dr Beechey’s project will be an easy-to-administer test with the potential to improve the efficiency of hearing research and the effectiveness of clinical hearing rehabilitation.