A comparison of response time and word recognition measures using a word-monitoring and closed-set identification task.

OBJECTIVES The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of improving speech recognition testing sensitivity by incorporating response time measures as a metric. Two different techniques for obtaining response time were compared: a word-monitoring task and a closed-set identification task. DESIGN Recordings of the Modified Rhyme Test were used to test 12 listeners with normal hearing. Data were collected using a word-monitoring and a closed-set identification task. Response times and percent correct scores were obtained for each task using signal to noise ratios (SNRs) of -3, 0, +3, +6, +9, and +12 dB. RESULTS Both response time and percent correct measures were sensitive to changes in SNR, but greater sensitivity was found with the percent correct measures. Individual subject data showed that combining response time measures with percent correct scores improved test sensitivity for the monitoring task, but not for the closed-set identification task. CONCLUSIONS The best test sensitivity was obtained by combining percent correct and response time measures for the monitoring task. Such an approach may hold promise for future clinical applications.