Article
Evaluating Models for the Simulation of Cochlear Hearing Loss (en)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Hearing loss constitutes a widespread problem in our society and in a majority of cases, the origin of the hearing loss are deteriorations or other deficiencies of the cochlea. The realistic or at least plausible simulation of the respective sensory impairments may be considered desirable for a number of reasons. Among these are the enablement of normal-hearing people to comprehend the difficulties and impairments associated with hearing loss and the conduct of listening experiments in which the hearing abilities of normal-hearing participants are impaired intentionally. For this contribution, a number of existing models for the simulation of hearing loss were gathered. The performance of these simulators was subsequently evaluated and compared by means of measurements and listening experiments. Implementations were adjusted where necessary, in order to facilitate comparability of the models. The possibility to specify a target audiogram was defined as a necessary common feature. We present our findings in terms of the metrological and perceptive evaluation of these models and expand on suitable methods, such as the measurement of non-linear input-output characteristics and the implemented filters, as well as the design of further listening experiments. Implications of the results and possible future applications of the evaluated models are discussed.