Date of Award

5-2020

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Department

Speech and Hearing Sciences

First Advisor

Jennifer Goshorn, Au.D

Second Advisor

Edward Goshorn, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Speech and Hearing Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible alternative method of scoring for word recognition testing. The current whole word scoring method is inefficient and often inconsistent with a client’s pure tone average scores, and previous research has suggested that phoneme error scoring may be a more effective and accurate scoring method. This project analyzed the audiogram and word recognition test scores of seventeen adult clients. The test used was the standard twenty-five-word list NU-6 test. The researchers analyzed the results from whole word scoring and phoneme error scoring of the same tests and compared the results to the clients’ pure tone average scores to look for statistical significance. A significant relationship was found between the phoneme error results of the clients’ word recognition tests and the audiograms of their pure tone average tests. Because of this relationship, the research team concluded that the proposed phoneme error scoring model shows promise of being more effective and accurate in showing the extent and type of hearing loss in an individual. In addition, there may be ways this phoneme error scoring could be further developed to show more details of a client’s impairment through analysis of distinctive features or other linguistic or acoustic factors.

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