Language environment analysis precision in real-world and controlled environments

Background: Adults with hearing loss experience individual auditory ecologies, encountering unique environments and listening demands. A clinician’s subjective understanding of each patient’s auditory ecology informs clinical decision-making. As subjective interpretation is subject to error, objective measurements would improve accurate auditory ecology characterization. The Language Environment Analysis (LENA) system is apromising tool to evaluate older listeners’ environments to aid clinical decision-making. However, most LENA research has focused on adult-child conversations in quiet. This project aims to determine LENA’s accuracy in capturing real-world acoustic environments. Methods: Measurements were gathered of an adult female in real-world and controlled (sound-treated booth) speech-in-noise environments. The LENA and a Brüel & Kjaer sound level meter were placed opposite the talker. Overall levels and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) were estimated by analyzing intensities of segment categories over varying time periods. Results: Similar noise levels and SNRs were found for analysis windows from 5 to 15 min. In the real-world environments, noise levels varied between 61 to 86 dBA, and SNR varied between −0.9 to +3.0 dB. However, values were misestimated by approximately 5 dB compared to sound level meter levels. Implications: Although they do not reach laboratory precision, LENA-informed measures could provide insight into individuals’ auditory ecologies.