The Auditory Signal Processing (ASP) Lab has three primary goals:
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Understanding the scientific basis of signal processing in the human peripheral auditory system
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Develop innovative methods for the clinical assessment of hearing loss
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Develop signal-processing strategies inspired by the auditory system for the remediation of hearing deficits
Specific Areas of Research
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Develop an empirical basis for clinical interpretation of otoacoustic emission measurements used to assess hearing loss
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Understand suprathreshold hearing deficits that may escape detection by conventional audiometric methods
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Understand the normal growth of loudness, the abnormal growth in ears with hearing loss
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Develop efficient methods for the clinical measurement of loudness growth at multiple frequencies
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Develop and validate signal-processing methods for the restoration of normal loudness growth
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Understanding the measurement and clinical interpretation of cochlear reflectance and development of measurement techniques
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Understanding the impact of sound delivery devices and stimulus calibration on ear-canal measurements
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Understanding the origin and functional importance of level-dependence cochlear delays in human ears
Facilities
The ASP Lab is located on the 3rd floor of the Boys Town National Research Hospital – Medical Campus Downtown, in Omaha, NE (555 North 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131).This laboratory has two sound-treated booths, each with a clinical audiometer and tympanometer. The lab is equipped with specialized hardware used for the measurement of electrophysiological responses, otoacoustic emissions, acoustic reflectance, speech perception, and psychoacoustic procedures, run by custom-designed software.
Staff
The Auditory Signal Processing Lab is directed by Stephen Neely, D.Sc., and is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Sara Harris, Au.D. manages laboratory operations. The lab benefits from internal collaborations with Lori Leibold Ph.D. and Gabrielle Merchant Au.D., Ph.D.
If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to come to the lab for one appointment lasting 1-2 hours. During the appointment, you will be asked to do some of the following tasks.
Standard Hearing Test:
- This test measures how well you hear soft sounds.
- You will hear sounds presented through earphones and click a button when you hear the sounds.
- This test takes 10-30 minutes.
Questionnaires:
- You will be asked questions about your ears and hearing history.
- You will be asked about your experience hearing and listening in different situations.
- These tasks take about 10 minutes.
Speech Understanding Task:
- You will listen to speech sounds that are mixed with background noise
- You will identify the sounds you hear on a display screen
- You may be asked to repeat this task wearing a hearing aid provided by the lab and/or your personal hearing aid if you have one
- This task takes about 10-20 minutes.
Loudness Judgment Task:
- You will rate the loudness of different sounds that you hear using a scale on a display screen
- This task takes about 30-45 minutes
Listening Task:
- A small tip will be placed in your ear canal that plays a chirping sound
- You will sit quietly and relax while your ear responds on its own
- This is similar to a kind of hearing test given to newborns and infants
- This task takes about 10-30 minutes
You will be compensated $20.00/hour in cash at the end of the appointment.
If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to come in for one appointment lasting 1-2 hours.
We are located at Boys Town National Research Hospital at 555 N. 30th St., Omaha, NE 68131 on the 3rd Floor.
We schedule most of our visits Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Alternate times may be arranged individually if necessary.
Schedule an appointment to participate:
https://quickhearingtests.timetap.com/Contact the ASP Lab by email (Auditory.Processing@boystown.org) or phone (531) 355-6373.