Improving Spatial Perception and Speech Understanding with Hearing Aids

This study is looking at ways to improve how people with hearing loss understand speech in noisy places, especially when multiple people are talking. Researchers are testing different hearing aid approaches, including changes to how hearing aids amplify high-frequency sounds, how they enhance speech, and how they affect where sounds seem to come from (sound image externalization). The study aims to see if these changes can make it easier to hear and understand speech. You might be able to join if you are between 18 and 80 years old and have documented sensorineural hearing loss. There are also opportunities for people with normal hearing between 18 and 35 years old. The study will measure how well you understand speech before and up to 4 hours after using the hearing aid interventions. The current recruitment status is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 220 participants, including those with normal hearing and those with hearing loss.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Speech intelligibility will be measured at baseline and up to 4 hours after the intervention.

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NCT05260307

Improving Spatial Perception and Speech Understanding in Multitalker Mixtures

Recruiting
NAAges 18–80InterventionalBasic science
Boston University Charles River Campus
~220 participants
Updated 2025-09-24 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:hearing aid condition

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Speech intelligibility at baseline
Measured over Baseline
+7 more outcomes measured
Hearing Loss
1 sites across 1 states
Massachusetts1
  • Virginia A Best, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Boston University

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

18 to 35 years of age
Audiometric thresholds that do not exceed 20 dB HL at any frequency from 250 to 8000 Hz
Able to provide informed consent and understand experimental instructions
Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
18 to 80 years of age
Documented sensorineural hearing loss
Able to provide informed consent and understand experimental instructions
Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion

Non-native speakers of English
  • Speech intelligibility at baselineBaseline

    Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).

  • Speech intelligibility post-interventionUp to 4 hours

    Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).

  • Speech reception threshold at baselineBaseline

    Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).

  • Speech reception threshold post-interventionUp to 4 hours

    Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).

  • Interaural time difference discrimination at baselineBaseline

    Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.

  • Interaural time difference discrimination post-interventionUp to 4 hours

    Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.

  • Externalization rating at baselineBaseline

    Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).

  • Externalization rating post-interventionUp to 4 hours

    Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).