Within-listener comparisons of vowel confusions in pediatric, bilateral cochlear implantees

Tremendous variability in speech perception abilities exists in children and adults who wear cochlear implants (CIs). Preliminary data in adults suggests that variability in the interface between CI channels and auditory neurons can influence spectral resolution and thus vowel perception. One method for assessing the electrode-neuron interface is by using focused electrical fields to measure thresholds. A quick method for measuring thresholds across the array has recently been validated in adults. Here, the findings are extended to children who were bilaterally implanted sequentially. These children have different etiologies than the typically studied adults and different durations of auditory deprivation and implant use between their two ears. By comparing within listeners, the role of cognitive or linguistic factors is minimized. Within ears, the confusions listeners made were consistent between conditions of quiet and 4-talker babble background noise at a + 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio. For individual c...