Dear List, Drs. Noble and Gatehouse:
I was wondering if the SSQ was commerically available and if you had done any research in regards to the fitting of various sizes of amplification and its effect on spatial acoustics. In a Nature Neuroscience article in Feb. 1998, normal hearing college students were fit with a free-field earmold. Result were loss of elevation and location and obviously depth perception as well, for as long as 4 to 6 weeks. After the brain had obviously re-calibrated acoustic cues to the change in the shape of the pinna, how does this information apply to the fitting of hearing aids. In my experience the fitting of CICs is preferrable simply because it perserves more of the original shape of the ear and there are reports of a restoration of some acoustic spatial perception.
Any comments?
Barbara Reynolds, M.S.
Clinical Audiologist