Implementing Ecological Momentary Assessment in Audiological Research: Opportunities and Challenges.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a way to evaluate experiences in everyday life. It is a powerful research tool but can be complex and challenging for beginners. Application of EMA in audiological research brings with it opportunities and challenges that differ from other research disciplines.

Toward Sound Localization Testing in Virtual Reality to Aid in the Screening of Auditory Processing Disorders.

Sound localization testing is key for comprehensive hearing evaluations, particularly in cases of suspected auditory processing disorders. However, sound localization is not commonly assessed in clinical practice, likely due to the complexity and size of conventional measurement systems, which require semicircular loudspeaker arrays in large and acoustically treated rooms. To address this issue, we investigated the feasibility of testing sound localization in virtual reality (VR).

Bayesian analysis of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data collected in adults before and after hearing rehabilitation.

This paper presents a new Bayesian method for analyzing Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data and applies this method in a re-analysis of data from a previous EMA study. The analysis method has been implemented as a freely available Python package , RRID:SCR 022943. The analysis model can use EMA input data including nominal categories in one or more situation dimensions, and ordinal ratings of several perceptual attributes.

Individual Hearing Aid Benefit in Real Life Evaluated Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used in 24 adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who were seeking first hearing-aid (HA) fitting or HA renewal. At two stages in the aural rehabilitation process, just before HA fitting and after an average 3-month HA adjustment period, the participants used a smartphone-based EMA system for 3 to 4 days. A questionnaire app allowed for the description of the environmental context as well as assessments of various hearing-related dimensions and of well-being.

Generalized expectile regression with flexible response function.

Expectile regression, in contrast to classical linear regression, allows for heteroscedasticity and omits a parametric specification of the underlying distribution. This model class can be seen as a quantile-like generalization of least squares regression. Similarly as in quantile regression, the whole distribution can be modeled with expectiles, while still offering the same flexibility in the use of semiparametric predictors as modern mean regression.

Sensitivity and specificity of a method for diagnosis of military noise-induced hearing loss.

Moore [(2020). J. Acoust.

Ecological Momentary Assessment in Hearing Research: Current State, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Common methods to assess hearing deficits and the benefit of hearing devices include retrospective questionnaires and speech tests under controlled conditions. As typically applied, both approaches suffer from serious limitations regarding their ecological validity. An alternative approach rapidly gaining widespread use is ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which employs repeated assessments of individual everyday situations.

Gender-specific hearing loss in German adults aged 18 to 84 years compared to US-American and current European studies.

Introduction: From an epidemiological point of view, the increase of pure-tone hearing thresholds as one aspect of biological ageing is moderated by societal factors. Since health policies refer to empirical findings, it is reasonable to replicate population-based hearing surveys and to compare estimates for different birth cohorts from the same regions or, conversely, for the same birth cohorts from different regions.

Methods: We pooled data from two independent cross-sectional German studies conducted between 2008 and 2012 and including 3105 adults.

Adjusting Expectations: Hearing Abilities in a Population-Based Sample Using an SSQ Short Form.

The German short form of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) was administered in a cross-sectional study based on stratified random samples complemented by audiometric tests and a general interview. Data from 1,711 unaided adults aged 18 to 97 years were analyzed in order to determine a distribution of hearing abilities considered as normal and the main factors that impact self-assessments. An innovative mathematical approach was used to overcome the constraints of statistics based on the mean.

[Hearing Loss and Speech Recognition in the Elderly].

Elderly people often complain about poor speech understanding in noisy environments. In clinical practice, speech tests under noise conditions are used to examine hearing ability. The HÖRSTAT study, conducted on a population-based random sample consisting of 1903 adults, used the Goettingen Sentence Test (GÖSA) under noise conditions along with pure-tone audiometry.

[Hearing test results of 18- to 20-year old men preceding military conscription from 2008-2010].

Objective: High-frequency hearing loss is known to increase with age, whereas the amount and rate of increase of hearing loss in younger people is still unclear. A large proportion of young age groups is expected to preserve normal hearing. Therefore, the requirements for screening methods are particularly high and the motivation to participate is low.

Social inequalities in pure-tone hearing assessed using occupational stratification schemes.

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyse the performance of two occupational stratification approaches and the impact of social position on adult hearing.

Design: The prevalence of hearing impairment, pure-tone averages (PTA) and prevalence ratios (PR) for relative hearing loss, which focuses on the position of one's PTA in the age- and gender-specific distribution, were compared in groups defined by ISCO Skill Level and the International Socio-Economic Index (ISEI).

Study Sample: About 1571 subjects aged 30-89, including 677 highly screened adults, from the cross-sectional study HÖRSTAT.

Hearing threshold distribution and effect of screening in a population-based German sample.

Objective: To establish the status of hearing in adults in Germany and the effects of screening for noise, tinnitus, ear diseases, and general health on the distribution of hearing threshold levels (HTL) DESIGN: A cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted between 2010 and 2012 in two middle-sized cities.

Study Sample: A total of 1903 adults aged 18 to 97 years from a randomized sample drawn from the local registration offices and stratified for age and gender.

Results: Dispersion and distribution of HTL data observed in the population-based sample are well in line with international results.