What is it about?
In this study we explore whether the dynamics of conversations, held in quiet surroundings, between normal-hearing and hearing-impaired speakers is affected by hearing impairment and hearing-aid amplification. A special focus is put on the effect of the degree of hearing impairment experienced by the hearing-impaired speaker and the speech levels produced by both speakers.
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Why is it important?
Hearing-impaired individuals don’t often report struggling to participate in one-on-one conversations in quiet, even when not wearing a hearing aid. The result of the current study shows that when the hearing-impaired speakers are not wearing hearing aids, are affected: Conversations become less interactive and both talkers speak louder. The fact that the hearing-impaired speakers do not perceive difficulties when communicating unaided in quiet, is probably because their conversation partners make up for their inability to hear by speaking louder.
Perspectives
When individuals with impaired hearing claim that they do not have problems communicating (in quiet), it is important to note that it is most likely because their conversation partner is making up for the difficulty the hearing-impaired speaker is experiencing. This finding could be useful for an audiologist to provide to clients who argue that they can manage without hearing aids.
Eline Borch Petersen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Speak Up: How Hearing Loss and the Lack of Hearing Aids Affect Conversations in Quiet, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, July 2024, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00667.
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