Binaural performance in children with a history of otitis media

Binaural performance was measured for children ages 7 to 12 with and without a history of otitis media on three tests: binaural detection, localization, and speech intelligibility. NoSo and NoSπ thresholds were measured for pure‐tone and 1/3‐octave noise targets in narrow and wideband noise maskers as a function of frequency. Localization in the horizontal plane (nine locations from −90° to +90°) was measured using short phrases. Intelligibility of monosyllabic words was assessed with the speech at 0° in quiet and in noise. Localization and speech intelligibility were measured in anechoic and reverberant environments. Results of the detection tests show smaller masking‐level differences (MLDs) for children with a history of otitis media than children with no history. Localization and speech intelligibility are also generally poorer for the children with a history of otitis media. Localization for all children is independent of environment, but speech intelligibility is better in the anechoic environment. ...