The Gaps-in-Noise Test: Gap Detection Thresholds in Normal-Hearing Young Adults

University of Sao Paulo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Psychoacoustics; Auditory Perception

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00593788

113/02 de 03/13/2002

113 / 02

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study was to establish parameters for the Gaps-in-Noise test in normal-hearing young adults. One hundred subjects (50 males and 50 females) received an audiological evaluation to rule out hearing loss and auditory processing disorder. The Gaps-in-Noise test was then conducted on all subjects. The mean gap detection threshold was 4.19 msec. A psychometric function by gap duration was constructed, revealing that the percentage of correct responses was less than or equal to 5% for a gap duration of 2 msec, 10-30% for a gap duration of 3 msec, 60-70% for a gap duration of 4 msec, and over 96% for gap durations of 5 msec or longer. The results suggest that the data obtained can be applied as reference values for future testing. In the subjects evaluated, the Gaps-in-Noise test proved to be consistent with low variability.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 31 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Subject inclusion criteria were:

• all of the subjects have to have auditory thresholds lower than 20 dB HL at all of the frequencies evaluated (octave frequencies between 0.25 to 8 kHz), bilaterally;
• type A tympanometric curves with presented ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflexes;
• 95% or higher correct responses for each ear in the dichotic digit test.

Subject inclusion criteria also included negative histories for audiologic, otologic, head trauma, and neurologic involvement.

Exclusion criteria

• Hearing loss;
• Auditory processing disorder;
• Histories of audiologic, otologic, head trauma, and neurologic involvement.

Trial design

100 participants in 1 patient group

1

Description:

Normal-hearing adults between 18 and 31 years of age.