gms | German Medical Science

With increased complexity of hearing device algorithms a strong interaction between motion behavior of the user and hearing device benefit is likely to be found. To be able to assess this interaction experimentally more realistic evaluation methods are required that mark a transition from conventional (audio-only) lab experiments to the field.

In this presentation we describe our methodology for acquiring ecologically valid behavioral data in realistic virtual audiovisual testing environments. The methods are based on tools to present interactive audiovisual environments while recording subject behavior with gaze and motion tracking systems.

The results of a study that measured the movement behavior of young and elderly normal-hearing participants in a number of virtual audiovisual everyday-life environments (living room, lecture hall, cafeteria, train station and street) are presented.

Furthermore, preliminary results of a second study are presented, which quantifies the effect of head movement on hearing aid algorithm performance (SNR improvement) using acoustic simulations and a standard set of hearing aid algorithms from the Open Master Hearing-Aid. Both simulated head movements with a post-movement analysis and realistic head movements as measured in the first study with a during-movement analysis are used to determine the mechanisms behind the differences in performance due to head movement. Movement effects can be separated into dynamic effects of head movement (adaptation and temporal integration in a changing scene) and static effects of head movement (sub-optimal head orientation), so two experiments are needed to be able to say something about the static and dynamic mechanisms separately.