Use of Airpod Pros as Assistive Technology
The University of Texas at Dallas
Summary
The goal of this study is to investigate the suitability and effectiveness of the AirPod Pro 2nd and 3rd generation (AP) as hearing assistive technology for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss when listening in noisy environments. Researchers will compare four types of assistive technology: hearing aids (HAs), AP, dedicated wireless remote microphones, and Smartphone wireless remote microphone. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Which assistive technology provides the greatest benefit for speech recognition in noisy environments? * How do these devices impact listening effort, as measured by reaction time in a dual-task activity and changes in pupil size? * What are participants' preferences for each device based on how easy it is to understand speech and their overall satisfaction? Participants will visit the lab for a single 3-hour session. They will listen to sentences using each device and repeat what they hear. During this task, their reaction times for the secondary task and changes in pupil size will be measured.
Description
A total of 24 participants will be recruited from the Callier Center, local audiology offices, support groups, and senior centers and will first undergo a pure-tone hearing test in a sound booth. The preferred ear tip for the Airpod Pro 3rd generation (AP) will be selected based on participant's comfort, ensuring it passes the ear tip fit test in the iPhone operating system. Similarly, the appropriate ear tip for the receiver-in-the canal Phonak Paradise hearing aid will be selected. The devices will be fit bilaterally and programmed for the individual's hearing loss using the smartphone or co…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 to 60 years. * Native English speakers. * Mild-to-moderate hearing loss confirmed by a pure-tone hearing test (average hearing threshold screening 25 to 55 dB HL across octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz). * Individuals with no prior hearing aid experience for a year. Exclusion Criteria: * Normal hearing. * Hearing loss worse than moderate. * Neurological, psychiatric, or ophthalmological conditions that might alter the pupil response. * Non-native English speakers. * Individuals with prior hearing aid experience more than a year.
Interventions
- DeviceAirpod Pro as hearing assistive technology
All participants will use and evaluate four types of assistive technology: hearing aids, Airpod pro 2nd and 3rd generation, dedicated wireless remote microphones, and Smartphone wireless remote microphone.
Location
- Callier Center for Communication DisordersRichardson, Texas