Psychometric function slope for speech-in-noise and speech-in-speech: Effects of development and aging.

Abstract

Masked sentence recognition was evaluated in normal-hearing children (8.8-10.5\u2009years), young adults (18-28\u2009years), and older adults (60-71\u2009years). Consistent with published data, speech recognition thresholds were poorer for young children and older adults than for young adults, particularly when the masker was composed of speech. Psychometric function slopes were steeper for young children and older adults than for young adults when the masker was two-talker speech, but not when it was speech-shaped noise. Multiple factors are implicated in the age effects observed for speech-in-speech recognition at low signal-to-noise ratios.