Effect of A Hearing Loss
A number of studies have looked into the effect of hearing loss on interaural time differences. In their review of localisation and lateralisation studies, Durlach, Thompson, and Colburn (1981),cited in Moore (1996) found a “clear trend for poor localization and lateralization in people with unilateral or asymmetrical cochlear damage.” This is due to the difference in performance between the two ears. In support of this, they did not find significant localisation problems in individuals with symmetrical cochlear losses. In addition to this, studies have been conducted into the effect of hearing loss on the threshold for interaural time differences. The normal human threshold for detection of an ITD is up to a time difference of 10μs (microseconds). Studies by Gabriel, Koehnke, & Colburn (1992), Häusler, Colburn, & Marr (1983) and Kinkel, Kollmeier, & Holube (1991)(cited by Moore, 1996) have shown that there can be great differences between individuals regarding binaural performance. It was found that unilateral or asymmetric hearing losses can increase the threshold of ITD detection in patients. This was also found to apply to individuals with symmetrical hearing losses when detecting ITDs in narrowband signals. However, ITD thresholds seem to be normal for those with symmetrical losses when listening to broadband sounds.
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