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D W Downs

Publications and source records attributed to D W Downs.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Effects of hearing and use on speech discrimination and listening effort.

Effects of hearing-aid use on measures of speech discrimination and listening effort were investigated in 23 hearing-impaired adults. Speech discrimination testing was conducted with and without hearing aid use. A probe reaction time task was performed simultaneously to assess the amount of listening effort devoted to the speech discrimination task. The results indicated that hearing aid use improved speech discrimination and reduced listening effort. The probe reaction time task may have potential as an objective measure of listening effort in hearing-impaired individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The hyperactive acoustic reflex. Four case studies.

Four case studies are presented to illustrate that low acoustic reflex thresholds may have value in assessment of central auditory processing disorders. Neurologic, electronystagmographic, EEG, speech pathologic, and/or psychological evaluations suggested CNS impairment. Tests for central auditory processing disturbances were positive. For three subjects, acoustic reflex responses were elicited at unusually low hearing threshold levels. A fourth subject showed lowering of acoustic reflex thresholds following bilateral electroshock treatment. These lowered thresholds were interpreted as hyperactive acoustic reflex responses representing a decreased central inhibition on peripheral auditory function. It is proposed that presence of hyperactive acoustic reflex responses may be associated with a concomitant central auditory processing disorder.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Processing demands during auditory learning under degraded listening conditions.

This investigation employed measures of learning accuracy (performance) and learning ease (attention or psychological effort) to assess processing demands during auditory learning under degraded listening conditions. Learning accuracy was measured with a highly intelligible paired-associate learning task presented to 49 normal-hearing adults under different signal-to-competition ratios and signal presentation levels. Learning ease was assessed by a simultaneously presented probe reaction-time task. Final results indicated that (1) primary signal presentation level exerted no effect either on learning accuracy or ease, and (2) the introduction of competing speech into the listening environment exerted no effect on learning performance, but resulted in a significant increase in learning effort. These findings have important implications for listening conditions in educational settings, hearing aid selection, education of hearing-impaired and learning-disabled children, and future study of attentional demands during auditory processing.

Adult↗