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 a promising 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 & Kjær sound level meter were opposite the talker. Overall levels and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) were estimated by analyzing the intensities of segment categories over varying time periods. Results: Similar noise levels and SNRs were found for analysis windows from 5 to 15 min. For initial tests in real-world environments, noise levels varied between 61 and 86 dB(C), and SNR varied between −0.9 and +3.0 dB. Differences between the approaches may be related in part to technical parameters. Implications: Although they do not reach laboratory precision, LENA-informed measures could provide insight into individuals’ auditory ecologies.