Rachel M. van Besouw

Fit for the frontline? A focus group exploration of auditory tasks carried out by infantry and combat support personnel

In order to preserve their operational effectiveness and ultimately their survival, military personnel must be able to detect important acoustic signals and maintain situational awareness. The possession of sufficient hearing ability to perform job-specific auditory tasks is defined as auditory fitness for duty (AFFD). Pure tone audiometry (PTA) is used to assess AFFD in the UK military; however, it is unclear whether PTA is able to accurately predict performance on job-specific auditory tasks. The aim of the current study was to gather information about auditory tasks carried out by infantry personnel on the frontline and the environment these tasks are performed in. The study consisted of 16 focus group interviews with an average of five participants per group. Eighty British army personnel were recruited from five infantry regiments. The focus group guideline included seven open-ended questions designed to elicit information about the auditory tasks performed on operational duty. Content analysis of the data resulted in two main themes: (1) the auditory tasks personnel are expected to perform and (2) situations where personnel felt their hearing ability was reduced. Auditory tasks were divided into subthemes of sound detection, speech communication and sound localization. Reasons for reduced performance included background noise, hearing protection and attention difficulties. The current study provided an important and novel insight to the complex auditory environment experienced by British infantry personnel and identified 17 auditory tasks carried out by personnel on operational duties. These auditory tasks will be used to inform the development of a functional AFFD test for infantry personnel.

Music activities and responses of young cochlear implant recipients.

Abstract Objective. The development of auditory receptive skills and spoken language is often delayed in children who use cochlear implants, which may affect their appreciation of and responses to music. This in turn may be interpreted as disinterest in music. A questionnaire was developed to determine whether differences in exposure and responses to music exist between young cochlear implant recipients and their normally hearing peers. Design. The questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team and distributed to parents of preschool children with normal hearing and to parents of preschool children who had been implanted at least one year prior. Study sample. The cochlear implant group comprised 23 children and was gender and age matched (within ±2 months) to a group of children with normal hearing. Results & Conclusions. Young cochlear implant recipients receive similar exposure to audiovisual music media, parental singing and musical instruments at home. However, the data suggest that they receive less exposure to childrens music presented without visual stimuli. Parents also reported less sophisticated responses to music for this group. The findings of this study have important implications concerning the provision of age-appropriate music habilitation materials and activities for young cochlear implant recipients. Sumario Objetivo. El desarrollo de habilidades para la recepción auditiva y para el lenguaje hablado, se retrasa frecuentemente en niños que usan implantes cocleares, lo que puede afectar su apreciación y sus respuestas hacia la música. Esto a su vez, puede ser interpretado como desinterés en la música. Se desarrolló un cuestionario para determinar si existen diferencias en la exposición y en las respuestas a la música entre usuarios pequeños de implante coclear y sus pares normo-oyentes. Diseño. Se desarrolló el cuestionario por un equipo multidisciplinario y se distribuyó a padres de preescolares normo-oyentes y a padres de preescolares implantados por lo menos un año antes. Muestra de estudio. El grupo de implantados fue de 23 niños, pareados por género y edad (rango de ±2 meses) con un grupo de niños normo-oyentes. Resultados y Conclusiones. Los niños implantados recibieron una exposición similar a la de la música por medios audiovisuales, al canto de los padres y a instrumentos musicales en el hogar. No obstante, los datos sugieren que fueron menos expuestos a la música para niños, presentada sin estímulos visuales. Los padres también reportaron respuestas menos sofisticadas a la música en este grupo. Los hallazgos de este estudio tienen importantes implicaciones que se relacionan con la provisión de materiales y actividades para la habilitación musical, apropiados para la edad, dirigidos a niños pequeños con implante coclear.

Towards an understanding of speech and song perception

The human singing voice plays an important role in music of all societies. It is an extremely flexible instrument and is capable of producing a tremendous range of sounds. As such, the human voice can be hard to classify and poses a major challenge for automatic audio discrimination and classification systems. Speech/song discrimination is an implicit goal of speech/music discrimination, where a division is sought between speech and song, such that the singing voice can be grouped together with other musical instruments in the same category. However, the division between speech and song is unclear and even human attempts at speech/song discrimination can be highly subjective and open to discussion. In this paper we present the results of a test that was designed to investigate differences in auditory perception for speech and song. Twenty-four subjects were instructed to attend to either the words or pitch, or both words and pitch of context-free spoken and sung phrases. After presentation of each phrase, subjects were asked to either type the words that they recalled, or select the correct pitch contour from a choice of four graphical representations, or do both, depending on the task specified before presentation of the phrase. The results of the experiment show a decrease in the amount of linguistic information retained by subjects for sung phrases and also a decrease in accuracy of response for the sung phrases when subjects attended to both words and pitch instead of words or pitch alone.

Fit for the frontline? Identification of mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) carried out by infantry and combat-support personnel

The ability to listen to commands in noisy environments and understand acoustic signals, while maintaining situational awareness, is an important skill for military personnel and can be critical for mission success. Seventeen auditory tasks carried out by British infantry and combat-support personnel were identified through a series of focus groups conducted by Bevis et al. For military personnel, these auditory tasks are termed mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) if they are carried in out in a military-specific environment and have a negative consequence when performed below a specified level. A questionnaire study was conducted to find out which of the auditory tasks identified by Bevis et al. satisfy the characteristics of an MCAT. Seventy-nine British infantry and combat-support personnel from four regiments across the South of England participated. For each auditory task participants indicated: 1) the consequences of poor performance on the task, 2) who performs the task, and 3) how frequently the task is carried out. The data were analysed to determine which tasks are carried out by which personnel, which have the most negative consequences when performed poorly, and which are performed the most frequently. This resulted in a list of 9 MCATs (7 speech communication tasks, 1 sound localization task, and 1 sound detection task) that should be prioritised for representation in a measure of auditory fitness for duty (AFFD) for these personnel. Incorporating MCATs in AFFD measures will help to ensure that personnel have the necessary auditory skills for safe and effective deployment on operational duties.

Participatory design of a music aural rehabilitation programme

Abstract Objectives Many cochlear implant (CI) users wish to enjoy music but are dissatisfied by its quality as perceived through their implant. Although there is evidence to suggest that training can improve CI users’ perception and appraisal of music, availability of interactive music-based aural rehabilitation for adults is limited. In response to this need, an ‘Interactive Music Awareness Programme’ (IMAP) was developed with and for adult CI users. Methods An iterative design and evaluation approach was used. The process began with identification of user needs through consultations, followed by use of mock-up applications in workshops. Feedback from these were used to develop the prototype IMAP; a programme of 24 interactive sessions, enabling users to create and manipulate music. The prototype IMAP was subsequently evaluated in a home trial with 16 adult CI users over a period of 12 weeks. Results Overall ratings for the prototype IMAP were positive and indicated that it met users’ needs. Quantitative and qualitative feedback on the sessions and software in the prototype IMAP were used to identify aspects of the programme that worked well and aspects that required improvement. The IMAP was further developed in response to users’ feedback and is freely available online. Conclusions The participatory design approach used in developing the IMAP was fundamental in ensuring its relevance, and regular feedback from end users in each phase of development proved valuable for early identification of issues. Observations and feedback from end users supported a holistic approach to music aural rehabilitation.

Effects of carrier and phase on the pitch of long-duration vibrato tones

Previous studies on the pitch of long-duration vibrato tones, where the modulator is a symmetric function (e.g. sine or triangular wave) have shown that the pitch perceived corresponds to either the arithmetic or geometric mean fundamental frequency of the vibrato tone. In one study the pitch of a vibrato tone consisting of a square wave modulated by a triangular wave was found to be inexplicably lower than that of a sine wave modulated by a triangular wave. An investigation into the pitch of short-duration vibrato tones also revealed an effect of phase on vibrato pitch. An experiment was undertaken with the aim of exploring the effects of carrier and phase on the pitch of long-duration vibrato tones. Six musically trained participants made matches between modulated and unmodulated tones using a method of adjustment and free response paradigm. The following carriers were investigated: a sinusoid, a complex tone with 4 resolved harmonics, a complex tone with 12 harmonics and a complex tone containing harmonics 10 to 15 (all of equal amplitude). Initial phases of 0 and π radians were also explored and the carrier frequency was set to 500 Hz for all conditions. A repeated measures analysis of variance with factors carrier, phase and adjustment tone starting frequency revealed a statistically significant main effect of phase (F (1, 5) = 24.747, p < 0.005), but no significant main effect of carrier. The effect of phase was found to be in opposition with previous findings for short-duration vibrato tones and possible reasons are discussed.

Impact of music on the quality of life of cochlear implant users: a focus group study

Objective: To study the aspects of the quality of life (QoL) on which music has an impact in adult cochlear implant (CI) users. Methods: Thirty adult CI users aged between 18 and 81 years old with a wide range of patient characteristics and musical backgrounds participated in the study. Six focus group discussions about music in everyday life were conducted and data were analysed using template analysis based on the QoL model of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life BREF questionnaire. Results and discussion: A theoretical framework of the impact of music on the QoL was developed. Music was reported to contribute to many aspects of physical, psychological, and social well-being in adult CI users. These positive effects of music on QoL were similar to what has been reported in the literature for normal-hearing adults. However, difficulties in music perception and enjoyment were found to have a negative impact on CI users’ QoL, especially by causing unpleasant feelings and limited participation in music-related or routine daily activities. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an improvement in music experiences of CI users may lead to improvements in QoL and therefore support the need for music rehabilitation. However, the relative importance of music overall and of specific aspects of music for each individual should be measured for an accurate assessment of the impact of music on the QoL of CI users.

A Music-Related Quality of Life Measure to Guide Music Rehabilitation for Adult Cochlear Implant Users

Purpose A music-related quality of life (MuRQoL) questionnaire was developed for the evaluation of music rehabilitation for adult cochlear implant (CI) users. The present studies were aimed at refinement and validation. Method Twenty-four experts reviewed the MuRQoL items for face validity. A refined version was completed by 147 adult CI users, and psychometric techniques were used for item selection, assessment of reliability, and definition of the factor structure. The same participants completed the Short Form Health Survey for construct validation. MuRQoL responses from 68 CI users were compared with those of a matched group of adults with normal hearing. Results Eighteen items measuring music perception and engagement and 18 items measuring their importance were selected; they grouped together into 2 domains. The final questionnaire has high internal consistency and repeatability. Significant differences between CI users and adults with normal hearing and a correlation between music engagement and quality of life support construct validity. Scores of music perception and engagement and importance for the 18 items can be combined to assess the impact of music on the quality of life. Conclusion The MuRQoL questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of self-reported music perception, engagement, and their importance for adult CI users with potential to guide music aural rehabilitation.

A ‘Music-Related Quality of Life’ (MuRQoL) measure to guide music rehabilitation for adult CI users

Purpose A music-related quality of life (MuRQoL) questionnaire was developed for the evaluation of music rehabilitation for adult cochlear implant (CI) users. The present studies were aimed at refinement and validation. Method Twenty-four experts reviewed the MuRQoL items for face validity. A refined version was completed by 147 adult CI users, and psychometric techniques were used for item selection, assessment of reliability, and definition of the factor structure. The same participants completed the Short Form Health Survey for construct validation. MuRQoL responses from 68 CI users were compared with those of a matched group of adults with normal hearing. Results Eighteen items measuring music perception and engagement and 18 items measuring their importance were selected; they grouped together into 2 domains. The final questionnaire has high internal consistency and repeatability. Significant differences between CI users and adults with normal hearing and a correlation between music engagement and quality of life support construct validity. Scores of music perception and engagement and importance for the 18 items can be combined to assess the impact of music on the quality of life. Conclusion The MuRQoL questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of self-reported music perception, engagement, and their importance for adult CI users with potential to guide music aural rehabilitation.

A Music-Related Quality of Life measure to guide music rehabilitation for adult CI users

Purpose A music-related quality of life (MuRQoL) questionnaire was developed for the evaluation of music rehabilitation for adult cochlear implant (CI) users. The present studies were aimed at refinement and validation. Method Twenty-four experts reviewed the MuRQoL items for face validity. A refined version was completed by 147 adult CI users, and psychometric techniques were used for item selection, assessment of reliability, and definition of the factor structure. The same participants completed the Short Form Health Survey for construct validation. MuRQoL responses from 68 CI users were compared with those of a matched group of adults with normal hearing. Results Eighteen items measuring music perception and engagement and 18 items measuring their importance were selected; they grouped together into 2 domains. The final questionnaire has high internal consistency and repeatability. Significant differences between CI users and adults with normal hearing and a correlation between music engagement and quality of life support construct validity. Scores of music perception and engagement and importance for the 18 items can be combined to assess the impact of music on the quality of life. Conclusion The MuRQoL questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of self-reported music perception, engagement, and their importance for adult CI users with potential to guide music aural rehabilitation.