Work

Binaural fusion and mis-identification of spatially separated concurrent vowels by cochlear implant users

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Excess binaural fusion can be problematic for listeners in noisy environments, leading to fusion of speech from multiple talkers. Previous research found that hearing aid users experience broad binaural fusion, fusing concurrent dichotic vowels with voice pitch differences of up to an octave [Reiss and Molis (2021) J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 22(4), 443-461]. This study examined whether cochlear implant (CI) users, compared to normal-hearing listeners, also exhibit abnormal fusion of concurrent double vowels in free-field conditions. The results revealed that CI users often fuse and mis-identify vowels even with large pitch differences, suggesting that they face additional challenges in noisy environments due to excessive binaural fusion.

Source: JASA Express Letters

DOI: 10.1121/10.0044921

Authors: Kayla Pierre, Nicole Dean, Holden Sanders, Michelle R. Molis, Lina A. J. Reiss

Institutions: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland VA Medical Center, VA Portland Health Care System

Language: English

Topic: Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders