Digit-perception tasks are widely used to assess auditory function in clinical and research settings, but performance may also be shaped by non-auditory participant characteristics. This study examined whether educational attainment, forward digit span, socioeconomic deprivation, and musical experience predicted performance on three digit-perception tasks that differed in masker type and spatial demands: digits in...
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Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists using digit-in-noise or spatial hearing tests for clinical assessment should account for non-auditory factors (e.g., cognition, attention, age) that may confound results, as these can lead to over- or under-estimation of a patient's true auditory function.
As digit-in-noise and spatial hearing tests become more widely used in clinical screening and research, understanding how non-auditory variables skew performance is critical for accurate interpretation and fair comparisons across populations.
- 01Digit-perception tasks with varying masker types and spatial cues were used to assess auditory function.
- 02Non-auditory participant characteristics (e.g., cognitive factors, demographics) significantly influenced test scores.
- 03Findings have direct implications for the validity of speech-in-noise tests in both clinical and research settings.
- 04Different masker types and spatial cue conditions did not eliminate the influence of non-auditory factors.
- 05Results suggest current normative data or scoring may not fully account for these confounders.
Non-auditory participant characteristics significantly influence performance on digit-perception tasks used to assess auditory function.
studysupportedThe influence of non-auditory characteristics persists across tasks varying in masker type and spatial cues.
studysupported- PMID
- 42709674
- DOI
- 10.1177/23312165261468222.
- Journal
- Trends in Hearing
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Participants of varying characteristics completing auditory digit-perception tasks in clinical and research settings
- Intervention
- Digit-perception tasks with varying masker type and spatial cue conditions
- Comparator
- Different masker types and spatial cue configurations compared within subjects
Primary outcomes
Digit-perception performance scores across masker type conditions; Digit-perception performance scores across spatial cue conditions; Relationship between non-auditory participant characteristics and task performance