ASA 124th Meeting New Orleans 1992 October

3pPP6. A fully automated response time test of speech recognition.

Gabrielle H. Saunders

Dept. of Speech and Hear., Graduate Ctr. of the City Univ. of New York, 33 W. 42 St., New York, NY 10036

A fully automated computer-controlled word recognition test was developed to investigate both speech recognition and central processing capacity (ability to focus versus divide attention appropriately). The test consists of word lists that can be presented either diotically in the presence of a noise masker---for investigation of peripheral function; or dichotically---for investigation of central auditory function. Subjects monitor the word lists for words in prespecified categories. The percentage of correctly identified words is noted and the time taken to respond is measured and stored automatically on computer for later analysis. Three advantages of this test over conventional measures are: (1) its flexibility for use as a peripheral and/or a central test; (2) the measurement of response time, which appears to be more sensitive than the percent correct measure; and (3) the need for the subject to understand as well as to hear the test stimuli. [Work supported by a grant from the Veterans Administration.]