Relationship between self-perceived and formal assessment of speech intelligibility, and association to noise exposure history

Over a lifetime, the effects of noise exposure can be additive, contributing to impaired performance on speech-in-noise assessments and raised hearing thresholds. However, in some cases, such as the early stages of cochlear synaptopathy, the effects of noise exposure may not be so evident in formal auditory assessments. In such cases, perceived speech difficulties in noise may not always correlate with the formal evaluation of speech difficulties. A structured interview approach to eliciting noise exposure history may provide a more reliable estimate of an individual’s difficulties in perceiving speech in noise. The current study investigated the relationship between individuals’ self-reported difficulties with speech perception in noise, performance on a formal speech-in-noise test (Matrix test), and past noise exposure using a structured interview approach. The Matrix test data was fitted with psychometric functions denoting speech intelligibility in noise. Intelligibility parameters (threshold, and slope) were compared to self-reported evaluation of speech listening in noise and noise-exposure history. Results indicate a complex relationship between self-reported difficulties with speech perception in noise, recall of historical noise exposure, and speech in noise intelligibility parameters. The findings are discussed with reference to procedures for estimating historical noise exposure, adaptive speech testing, and key speech intelligibility parameters.