Auditory localisation (HEARCOM, WP2)

Researcher(s): J. Vliegen, MSc.
Supervisor(s): prof. W.A. Dreschler, PhD.

Background:
Hearing-impaired listeners often have difficulties with binaural tasks in general and the localisation of sound sources in particular. To assess the degree to which localisation cues are available for hearing-impaired listeners, it would be useful to add a localisation test to the auditory profile (developed within the HearCom project, see www.hearcom.info). This might also be an important factor in the decision to provide hearing-impaired listeners bilaterally with hearing aids.

Aim:
The objective of this research is to develop a test for sound localisation for clinical use. As this test is developed within the European project HearCom, it should be easy to implement in different clinics. Therefore, the possibility of a virtual localisation test is investigated. In a virtual localisation test the stimuli are filtered by HRTFs (Head Related Transfer Functions – the direction dependent transfer functions from loudspeaker to eardrum) of different directions. The stimuli are presented via headphones, but because of the HRTF filtering, their apparent source location will be somewhere outside the subject, with a direction that depends on the used HRTF.

Method:
Both a free-field and a virtual localisation test will be developed. The virtual test will be based on HRTFs measured in the free-field set-up. By comparing the results of both tests within subjects, we can check whether the virtual test gives consistent and reliable results.


Home Onderwijs Wetenschap Research (EN)
General Otology Prevention of hearing loss Auditory profile Sensorineural hearing loss and loudness perception Predicting the speech intelligibility under fluctuating background conditions Auditory filter measurements Auditory profile: spectral and temporal resolution (HEARCOM, WP2) Consonant confusions for filtered and consonant deteriorated nonsense VCV syllables (HEARCOM, WP2) Auditory localisation (HEARCOM, WP2) Dead Regions The perception of amplitude modulated signals Rehabilitation Hearing at work Publications Presentations	Auditory localisation (HEARCOM, WP2) Researcher(s): J. Vliegen, MSc. Supervisor(s): prof. W.A. Dreschler, PhD. Background: Hearing-impaired listeners often have difficulties with binaural tasks in general and the localisation of sound sources in particular. To assess the degree to which localisation cues are available for hearing-impaired listeners, it would be useful to add a localisation test to the auditory profile (developed within the HearCom project, see www.hearcom.info). This might also be an important factor in the decision to provide hearing-impaired listeners bilaterally with hearing aids. Aim: The objective of this research is to develop a test for sound localisation for clinical use. As this test is developed within the European project HearCom, it should be easy to implement in different clinics. Therefore, the possibility of a virtual localisation test is investigated. In a virtual localisation test the stimuli are filtered by HRTFs (Head Related Transfer Functions – the direction dependent transfer functions from loudspeaker to eardrum) of different directions. The stimuli are presented via headphones, but because of the HRTF filtering, their apparent source location will be somewhere outside the subject, with a direction that depends on the used HRTF. Method: Both a free-field and a virtual localisation test will be developed. The virtual test will be based on HRTFs measured in the free-field set-up. By comparing the results of both tests within subjects, we can check whether the virtual test gives consistent and reliable results.