Use of Airpod Pros as Assistive Technology
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-60
SponsorThe University of Texas at Dallas
About this trial
The goal of this study is to investigate the suitability and effectiveness of the AirPod Pro 2nd and 3rd generation (AP) as hearing assistive technology for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss when listening in noisy environments. Researchers will compare four types of assistive technology: hearing aids (HAs), AP, dedicated wireless remote microphones, and Smartphone wireless remote microphone.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Which assistive technology provides the greatest benefit for speech recognition in noisy environments? * How do these devices impact listening effort, as measured by reaction time in a dual-task activity and changes in pupil size? * What are participants' preferences for each device based on how easy it is to understand speech and their overall satisfaction? Participants will visit the lab for a single 3-hour session. They will listen to sentences using each device and repeat what they hear. During this task, their reaction times for the secondary task and changes in pupil size will be measured.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Adults aged 18 to 60 years.
Fluent English speakers.
Mild-to-moderate hearing loss confirmed by a pure-tone hearing test (average hearing threshold screening 25 to 55 dB HL across octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz).
Individuals with no prior hearing aid experience for a year.
Disqualifiers
Normal hearing.
Hearing loss worse than moderate.
Neurological, psychiatric, or ophthalmological conditions that might alter the pupil response.
Non-fluent English speakers.
Trial design
Design model
Single group
Treatments tested in this trial
Airpod Pro as hearing assistive technology
DeviceAll participants will use and evaluate four types of assistive technology: hearing aids, Airpod pro 2nd and 3rd generation, dedicated wireless remote microphones, and Smartphone wireless remote microphone.
Treatment groups
24 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment groupGroup A: Treatment groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Speech recognition threshold at 70.7%
Speech recognition threshold (SRT) at 70.7% is the noise level at which a person can correctly repeat 70.7% of sentences. Determine the appropriate dB SNR to measure sentence recognition with assistive technologies. It is measured in decibels (dB). Lower values indicate better performance.
Time frame
The measurement will be conducted immediately following the intervention within the 2-hour single session.2
Reponse time of secondary working memory task
It refers to the amount of time it takes for a participant to react to and complete the secondary working memory task, performed alongside the primary task (speech recognition). This measurement reflects the participant's cognitive processing speed and listening effort. It is measured in seconds (s). Faster values indicate better performance.
Time frame
The measurement will be conducted immediately following the intervention within the 2-hour single session.3
Pupil diameter
Pupil diameter reflects the motivation to exert effort through physiological mechanisms that maintain homeostasis, making it a reliable indicator of listening effort. It is measured in millimeters (mm). Larger pupil diameters typically indicates greater exerted effort.
Time frame
The measurement will be conducted immediately following the intervention within the 2-hour single session.4
Questionnaire
Participants are asked to rate how easy it was to understand the speaker with each device. This scale ranges from "Very easy", "Easy", "Ok", "Hard", to "Very hard". They are also asked to select their most preferred device.
Time frame
The measurement will be conducted immediately following the intervention within the 2-hour single session.Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov