An investigation was conducted to observe the effect of hearing aids on the ability of blind subjects to localize white noise. It was found that there was a significant difference between the subject's ability to localize sound while wearing a hearing aid and the same subject's ability to localize sound under two other conditions (unoccluded ears and occluded ears). In all cases subjects performed more poorly on a localization task while wearing a hearing aid.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BelzileM., and MarkleD.A clinical comparison of monaural and binaural hearing aids worn by patients with conductive or perceptive deafness.Laryngoscope., 1959, 69, 1317–1323.
2.
BienvenueG.R., and SiegenthalerB.M.A clinical procedure for evaluating auditory localization.Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 1974, 39(4), 469–477.
3.
CohnL.Substitute functions of the blind and the deaf blind.British Journal of Ophthalmology, 1954, 38, 680–684.
4.
DiCarloL.M., and BrownW.J.The effectiveness of binaural hearing for adults with hearing impairments.Journal of Auditory Research, 1960, 1, 35–76.
5.
GardnerM.B.Some monaural and binaural facets of median plane localization.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1973, 54, 1489–1495.
6.
GatehouseR.W., and CoxW.Localization of sound by completely monaural deaf subjects.Journal of Auditory Research, 1972, 12, 179–183.
7.
Industrial Home for the Blind.ASHA Monographs, March 1965, 12, Interstate PublishersDanville, Illinois.
8.
OrtonJ.F., and PrevesD.A.Localization ability as a function of hearing aid microphone placement.HI, 1979, 30, 18–21.
9.
RoscoeJ.T.Fundamental research for the behavior sciences.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1975.
10.
TonningF.M.Auditory localization and its clinical applications.Audiology, 1975, 14, 368–380.
11.
TremaineH.Audio Cyclopedia.New York: Howard W. Sams & Co., 1973, p. 28.