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Audiometry
Audiometry () is a branch of audiology and the science of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and pitch and for tonal purity, involving thresholds and differing frequencies. Typically, audiometric tests determine a subject's hearing levels with the help of an audiometer, but may also measure ability to discriminate between different sound intensities, recognize pitch, or distinguish speech from background noise. Acoustic reflex and otoacoustic emissions may also be measured. Results of audiometric tests are used to diagnose hearing loss or diseases of the ear, and often make use of an audiogram. History The basic requirements of the field were to be able to produce a repeating sound, some way to attenuate the amplitude, a way to transmit the sound to the subject, and a means to record and interpret the subject's responses to the test. Mechanical "acuity meters" and tuning forks For many years there was desultory use of various devices capable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pure Tone Audiometry
Pure-tone audiometry is the main hearing test used to identify Hearing (sense), hearing threshold levels of an individual, enabling determination of the degree, type and configuration of a hearing loss and thus providing a basis for diagnosis and management. Pure-tone audiometry is a subjective, behavioural measurement of a hearing threshold, as it relies on patient responses to ''pure tone'' stimuli. Therefore, pure-tone audiometry is only used on adults and children old enough to cooperate with the test procedure. As with most clinical tests, standardized calibration of the test environment, the equipment and the stimuli is needed before testing proceeds (in reference to ISO, ANSI, or other standardization body). Pure-tone audiometry only measures audibility thresholds, rather than other aspects of hearing such as sound localization and speech recognition. However, there are benefits to using pure-tone audiometry over other forms of hearing test, such as click auditory brainst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hearing (sense)
Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory science. Sound may be heard through solid Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ..., liquid, or gaseous matter. It is one of the traditional five senses. Partial or total inability to hear is called hearing loss. In humans and other vertebrates, hearing is performed primarily by the auditory system: mechanical waves, known as vibrations, are detected by the ear and transduction (physiology), transduced into nerve impulses that are perceived by the brain (primarily in the temporal lobe). Like touch, audition requires sensitivity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acoustic Reflex
The acoustic reflex (also known as the stapedius reflex, stapedial reflex, auditory reflex, middle-ear-muscle reflex (MEM reflex, MEMR), attenuation reflex, cochleostapedial reflex or intra-aural reflex) is an involuntary muscle contraction that occurs in the middle ear in response to loud sound Stimulus (physiology), stimuli or when the person starts to vocalize. When presented with an intense sound stimulus, the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles of the ossicles contract. The stapedius stiffens the ossicular chain by pulling the stapes (stirrup) of the middle ear away from the oval window of the cochlea and the tensor tympani muscle stiffens the ossicular chain by loading the tympanic membrane when it pulls the malleus (hammer) in toward the middle ear. The reflex decreases the transmission of vibrational energy to the cochlea, where it is converted into electrical impulses to be processed by the brain. Acoustic reflex threshold The acoustic reflex threshold (ART) is the soun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conditioned Play Audiometry
Conditioned play audiometry (CPA) is a type of audiometry done in children from ages 2 to 5 years old, in developmental age. It is the test that directly follows visual reinforcement audiometry when the child becomes able to focus on a task. It is a type of behavioral hearing test, of which there are many. Conditioned play audiometry uses toys to direct the child's attention on the listening task and turns it into a game. Instead of raising one's hand in response to the sound, as an adult would, the child might drop a toy into a bucket every time he or she hears a sound. This keeps the child interested in the listening task for longer. Common games include dropping balls in buckets, placing rings on a stick, feeding coins in a play pig, among many others. The first part of CPA involves conditioning the child. The audiologist presents a loud sound that the child can comfortably hear, while encouraging the child to "drop the ball in the bucket every time you hear the sound," or whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auditory Brainstem Response
The auditory brainstem response (ABR), also called brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) or brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) or brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) is an auditory evoked potential extracted from ongoing electrical activity in the brain and recorded via electrodes placed on the scalp. The recording is a series of six to seven vertex positive waves of which I through V are evaluated. These waves, labeled with Roman numerals in Jewett/Williston convention, occur in the first 10 milliseconds after onset of an auditory stimulus. The ABR is termed an exogenous response because it is dependent upon external factors. The auditory structures that generate the auditory brainstem response are believed to be as follows: *Wave I through III – generated by the auditory branch of cranial nerve VIII and lower *Wave IV and V – generated by the upper brainstem Waves I and II originate from the distal and proximal auditory nerve fibers, wave III f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Audiogram
An audiogram is a graph that shows the audible threshold for standardized frequencies as measured by an audiometer. The Y axis represents intensity measured in decibels (dB) and the X axis represents frequency measured in hertz (Hz). The threshold of hearing is plotted relative to a standardised curve that represents 'normal' hearing, in dB(HL) (hearing level). They are not the same as equal-loudness contours, which are a set of curves representing equal loudness at different levels, as well as at the threshold of hearing, in absolute terms measured in dB(SPL) (sound pressure level). The frequencies displayed on the audiogram are octaves, which represent a doubling in frequency (e.g., 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, wtc). Commonly tested "inter-octave" frequencies (e.g., 3000 Hz) may also be displayed. The intensities displayed on the audiogram appear as linear 10 dBHL steps. However, decibels are a logarithmic scale, so that successive 10 dB increments represent greater increases i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Audiometer
An audiometer is a machine used for evaluating hearing acuity. They usually consist of an embedded hardware unit connected to a pair of headphones and a test subject feedback button, sometimes controlled by a standard PC. Such systems can also be used with bone vibrators to test conductive hearing mechanisms. Audiometers are standard equipment at ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics and in audiology centers. An alternative to hardware audiometers are software audiometers, which are available in many different configurations. Screening PC-based audiometers use a standard computer. Clinical PC-based audiometers are generally more expensive than software audiometers, but are much more accurate and efficient. They are most commonly used in hospitals, audiology centers and research communities. These audiometers are also used to conduct industrial audiometric testing. Some audiometers even provide a software developer's kit that provides researchers with the capability to create their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Audiology
Audiology (from Latin 'to hear'; and from Ancient Greek, Greek branch of learning , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various testing strategies (e.g. behavioral hearing tests, otoacoustic emission measurements, and electrophysiologic tests), audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds. If hearing loss is identified, audiologists determine which portions of hearing (high, middle, or low frequencies) are affected, to what degree (severity of loss), and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found (outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, auditory nerve and/or central nervous system). If an audiologist determines that a hearing loss or vestibular abnormality is present, they will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation (e.g. hearing aids, cochlear implants, appropria ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human Echolocation
Human echolocation is the ability of humans to detect objects in their environment by sensing echoes from those objects, by actively creating sounds: for example, by tapping their canes, lightly stomping their foot, clapping their hands, snapping their fingers, or making clicking noises with their mouths. People trained to orient by echolocation can interpret the sound waves reflected by nearby objects, accurately identifying their location, size and density. That is, the echoes allow detailed information about the object's location (where it is), dimension (size and shape), and density (solidity) to be identified. For example, they provide information about the location and nature of objects and their environment, such as walls, doorways, recesses, overhangs, pillars, ascending curbs and steps, fire hydrants, pedestrians, parked or moving vehicles, trees and other foliage. Some of them can perform tricks such as running, basketball, rollerblading, football and skateboarding, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suprathreshold
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Speech Recognition
Speech recognition is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science and computational linguistics that develops methodologies and technologies that enable the recognition and translation of spoken language into text by computers. It is also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), computer speech recognition or speech-to-text (STT). It incorporates knowledge and research in the computer science, linguistics and computer engineering fields. The reverse process is speech synthesis. Some speech recognition systems require "training" (also called "enrollment") where an individual speaker reads text or isolated vocabulary into the system. The system analyzes the person's specific voice and uses it to fine-tune the recognition of that person's speech, resulting in increased accuracy. Systems that do not use training are called "speaker-independent" systems. Systems that use training are called "speaker dependent". Speech recognition applications include voice user interfaces ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
