Why is masking of the non-test ear recommended and used in speech audiometric assessment using supra-aural headphones, especially when the client being tested has normal hearing sensitivity? (Hint: What is inter-aural attenuation, and how does this affect the testing paradigm?)
Why is masking of the non-test ear recommended and used in speech audiometric assessment using supra-aural headphones, especially when the client being tested has normal hearing sensitivity? (Hint: What is inter-aural attenuation, and how does this affect the testing paradigm?)
Masking is defined as the phenomenon by which the threshold of hearing for a single sound is being raised by using the presence of other sounds.
In the case of a person with unsymmetrical hearing loss, audiometric testing using supra-aural headphones with masking is used because the person being tested is not certain or sure that the intended ear is doing the sound detection or not.
To prevent this phenomenon that will result in the wrong measurement, masking the noise can be used to occupy the good or non-test ear while the other is being tested. The need for masking the good hearing ear can be linked to the interaural attenuation, which is equal to the amount of attenuation to which the sound is exposed to during its way through the skull. As interaural attenuation is taking place, it is assumed that crossing over of sound takes place every time, and thus, masking is necessary. Masking will thus, prevent the sound from the testing side to go to the good side and thus, prevents cross-over issue.
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