Selection of Speech Levels to Obtain Maximum Recognition Score Efficiently in Speech Audiometry

By examining pure-tone and speech audiometric test results of 183 ears with sensorineural hearing loss, we investigated a simple procedure for selecting test speech levels to obtain the maximum recognition score efficiently in speech recognition test. 1. Maximum speech recognition score (within 10%) was obtained at the speech level estimated from the mean hearing threshold level (HTL) of the ear in 87.4% (160 ears) of the subjects. 2. From the analysis of speech recognition curves of the subjects, rules of selecting subsequent speech levels to be tested were determined for each of the 3 groups classified by mean HTL. 3. It was assumed that the maximum speech recognition scores is obtained in all the subjects by testing 4 speech levels at maximum if the above rules were adopted.