This article describes the use of principal components analysis to derive a composite score from a battery of 24 audiologic tests. The composite score is being used as the primary outcome variable in a clinical trial comparing the efficacy of three cochlear implant devices for people with bilateral, profound hearing loss. The first principal component from the within-class pooled variance-covariance matrix over four time periods was chosen to establish the coefficients for the composite score. This component accounted for 61% of the total variance of the 24 audiologic tests. The first principal component had its largest coefficients associated with the most difficult audiologic tests. The mean composite score of all patients improved over time; some patients showed dramatic improvement. The changes in the composite score over time were also closely related to subjective impressions of implant performance by the patient, audiologist, and otolaryngologist.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1990

Perception of speech pattern contrasts using a multichannel cochlear implant.

The ability to perceive for suprasegmental and eight segmental speech pattern contrasts was measured on 16 adult cochlear implantees using the Nucleus multichannel prosthesis with either F0-F2 (n = 9) or F0-F1-F2 (n = 7) coding. The results of this study indicated the following: (1) The Nucleus device provided significant access to the majority of suprasegmental and segmental speech contrasts. (2) Both one- and two-format coding strategies provided good access to speech pattern contrasts. (3) Considerable intersubject differences in performance were observed, but there was no evidence to suggest that these were related to either processing scheme. (4) Although the accessibility of speech contrasts varied, the pattern of perceptual performance was interpreted in terms of an acoustic/phonetic hierarchy. (5) The Speech Pattern Contrast (SPAC) test appears to be a practical procedure for analyzing the perception of phonologically salient information about the suprasegmental and segmental components of speech.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Improvement in speech perception and production abilities in children using a multichannel cochlear implant.

Nine children received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear prosthesis. The preoperative evaluation consisted of assessments of auditory function, speech recognition, linguistic skills, and speech production. There were no surgical complications, and recovery in all patients was uneventful. The device was programmed 4 to 5 weeks following surgery, and all children were conditioned to the task. Postoperative training began immediately following device stimulation and is ongoing. Auditory skills and speech production scales were devised to monitor each child's progress. All children have shown varying degrees of improvement in auditory skills and speech production using the implant alone.

Auditory Perception↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of pulsed and continuous tone thresholds in patients with tinnitus.

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Acoustic Stimulation↗