Acceptable noise level test: bases and theories
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Abstract
Background and Aim: Acceptable noise level (ANL) is the loudest level of background noise that human can tolerate while listening a running speech. ANL test is used for the prediction that whether a hearing aid (HA) candidate can use HA successfully by determining how well the individual tolerates background noise while listening to speech. In the current review, we reviewed the basis and theories of the ANL test and the factors that identified from the studies that have conducted on ANL and the influence of this test in increasing the quality of life of hearing aid users along with a discussion of its application in clinical audiology.
Recent Findings: Research showed that subjects with a higher tolerance for background noise are most probable to be the successful hearing aid users. Clinical trials demonstrated that ANL test provides reliable results and can predict HA successful use with 85% accuracy.
Conclusion: Acceptable noise level is a reliable and valid test that can be used as a predictive index for the successful application of HA, and it is applicable in before/after HA fitting assessments. Thus, it is suggested that ANL can be implemented in the fitting and counseling process of HAs prescription. Further studies are required to resolve biases over the employment of this test in bilinguals.
1. Nabelek AK, Tucker FM, Letowski TR. Toleration of background noises: relationship with patterns of hearing aid use by elderly persons. J Speech Hear Res. 1991;34(3):679-85. PMID: 2072693
2. Anderson S, Kraus N. Sensory-cognitive interaction in the neural encoding of speech in noise: a review. J Am Acad Audiol. 2010;21(9):575-85. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.21.9.3.
3. Nabelek AK, Freyaldenhoven MC, Tampas JW, Burchfiel SB, Muenchen RA. Acceptable noise level as a predictor of hearing aid use. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):626-39. PMID: 17039765
4. Freyaldenhoven MC, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB, Thelin JW. Acceptable noise level as a measure of directional hearing aid benefit. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(4):228-36. PMID: 16050333
5. Moore R, Gordon-Hickey S, Bryan M, Plyler P. Acceptable noise levels (ANL): a research and methodological overview. AudiologyNow. 2009; April 2.
6. Ribeiro JA, Sebastião AM. Caffeine and adenosine. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S3-15. doi: 10.3233/jad-2010-1379.
7. Snel J, Lorist MM. Effects of caffeine on sleep and cognition. Prog Brain Res. 2011;190:105-17. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53817-8.00006-2.
8. lyler PN. Acceptance of background noise: recent developments. Hear J. 2009;62(4):10,12,14-7. doi: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000350399.33921.99.
9. Brännström KJ, Lantz J, Nielsen LH, Olsen SØ. Acceptable noise level with Danish, Swedish, and non-semantic speech materials. Int J Audiol. 2012;51(3):146-56. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2011.609183.
10. Freyaldenhoven MC, Smiley DF, Muenchen RA, Konrad TN. Acceptable noise level: reliability measures and comparison to preference for background sounds. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):640-8. PMID: 17039766
11. Chen J, Zhang H, Plyler PN, Cao W, Chen J. Development and evaluation of the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(6):354-60. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2011.555735.
12. Ahmadi A, Fatahi J, Keshani A, Jalilvand H, Modarresi Y, Jalaie S. [Developing and evaluating the reliability of acceptable noise level test in Persian language]. J Rehab Med. 2015;4(2):109-17. Persian.
13. Rogers DS, Harkrider AW, Burchfield SB, Nabelek AK. The influence of listener's gender on the acceptance of background noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2003;14(7):372-82; quiz 401. PMID: 14620611
14. Moore R, Gordon-Hickey S, Jones A. Most comfortable listening levels, background noise levels, and acceptable noise levels for children and adults with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2011;22(5):286-93. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.22.5.5.
15. Adams EM, Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE, Morlas H. Effects of reverberation on acceptable noise level measurements in younger and older adults. Int J Audiol. 2010;49(11):832-8. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.491096.
16. Wu D, Chen JY, Wang S, Zhang MH, Chen J, Li YL, et al. [Relationship between the Mandarin acceptable noise level and the personality traits in normal hearing adults]. Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2013;48(3):200-3. Chinese. PMID: 23755783
17. von Hapsburg D, Bahng J. Acceptance of background noise levels in bilingual (Korean-English) listeners. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):649-58. PMID: 17039767
18. Azcona G. Acceptable noise level in bilinguals: consideration of signal and masker effects. [Dissertation]. New York : The Brooklyn Center, Long Island University; 2014.
19. Harkrider AW, Smith SB. Acceptable noise level, phoneme recognition in noise, and measures of auditory efferent activity. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(8):530-45. PMID: 16295240
20. Harkrider AW, Tampas JW. Differences in responses from the cochleae and central nervous systems of females with low versus high acceptable noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):667-76. PMID: 17039769
21. Recker KL, Edwards BW. The effect of presentation level on normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners' acceptable speech and noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(1):17-25. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.1.3.
22. Tampas JW, Harkrider AW. Auditory evoked potentials in females with high and low acceptance of background noise when listening to speech. J Acoust Soc Am. 2006;119(3):1548-61. PMID: 16583900
23. Rouhbakhsh N. Investigating the effect of spatial separation on the detection of sounds in competition, by examining electrophysiological responses from the brainstem and auditory cortex. [PhD Dissertation]. Melbourne: Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne; 2016.
24. Kooknoor V, Shetty HN. Relationship between behavioral measure of ANL and its physiological mechanism in the normal hearing participants. Indian J Otol. 2015;21(2):92-7. doi: 10.4103/0971-7749.155292.
25. Brännström KJ, Olsen SØ, Holm L, Kastberg T, Ibertsson T. The effect of repeated measurements and working memory on the most comfortable level in the ANL test. Int J Audiol. 2014;53(11):787-95. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2014.938781.
26. Plyler PN, Alworth LN, Rossini TP, Mapes KE. Effects of speech signal content and speaker gender on acceptance of noise in listeners with normal hearing. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(4):243-8. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.545082.
27. Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE. Acceptance of noise with intelligible, reversed, and unfamiliar primary discourse. Am J Audiol. 2008;17(2):129-35. doi: 10.1044/1059-0889(2008/06-0018).
28. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Hedrick MS. The effects of speech presentation level on acceptance of noise in listeners with normal and impaired hearing. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2007;50(4):878-85. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2007/062).
29. Franklin CA Jr, Thelin JW, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. The effect of speech presentation level on acceptance of background noise in listeners with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(2):141-6. PMID: 16640066
30. Recker KL, McKinney MF, Edwards BW. Loudness as a cue for acceptable noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2014;25(6):605-23. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.25.6.10.
31. Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE. Influence of music and music preference on acceptable noise levels in listeners with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2007;18(5):417-27. PMID: 17715651
32. Crowley HJ, Nabelek IV. Estimation of client-assessed hearing aid performance based upon unaided variables. J Speech Hear Res. 1996;39(1):19-27. PMID: 8820696
33. Bryan MF, Franklin C, Ware KS, Horne R. Acceptable noise levels in preschool children with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(9):823-31; quiz 891-2. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.9.6.
34. Ahlstrom JB, Horwitz AR, Dubno JR. Spatial benefit of bilateral hearing AIDS. Ear Hear. 2009;30(2):203-18. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e31819769c1.
35. Plyler PN, Bahng J, von Hapsburg D. The acceptance of background noise in adult cochlear implant users. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(2):502-15. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/036).
36. Donaldson GS, Chisolm TH, Blasco GP, Shinnick LJ, Ketter KJ, Krause JC. BKB-SIN and ANL predict perceived communication ability in cochlear implant users. Ear Hear. 2009;30(4):401-10. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e3181a16379.
37. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Muenchen RA. Acceptance of noise growth patterns in hearing aid users. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(1):126-35. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/009).
38. Taylor B. The acceptable noise level test as a predictor of real-world hearing aid benefit. Hear J. 2008;61(9): 39-40,42. doi: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000339505.97796.a9.
39. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Burchfield SB. Acceptance of noise with monaural and binaural amplification. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):659-66. PMID: 17039768
40. Freyaldenhoven MC, Thelin JW, Plyler PN, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. Effect of stimulant medication on the acceptance of background noise in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(9):677-86. PMID: 16515139
41. Mueller HG, Weber J, Hornsby BW. The effects of digital noise reduction on the acceptance of background noise. Trends Amplif. 2006;10(2):83-93. doi: 10.1177/1084713806289553.
42. Lowery KJ, Plyler PN. The effects of noise reduction technologies on the acceptance of background noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(8):649-59. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.8.2.
43. Kim JS, Bryan MF. The effects of asymmetric directional microphone fittings on acceptance of background noise. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(5):290-6. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.551786.
2. Anderson S, Kraus N. Sensory-cognitive interaction in the neural encoding of speech in noise: a review. J Am Acad Audiol. 2010;21(9):575-85. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.21.9.3.
3. Nabelek AK, Freyaldenhoven MC, Tampas JW, Burchfiel SB, Muenchen RA. Acceptable noise level as a predictor of hearing aid use. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):626-39. PMID: 17039765
4. Freyaldenhoven MC, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB, Thelin JW. Acceptable noise level as a measure of directional hearing aid benefit. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(4):228-36. PMID: 16050333
5. Moore R, Gordon-Hickey S, Bryan M, Plyler P. Acceptable noise levels (ANL): a research and methodological overview. AudiologyNow. 2009; April 2.
6. Ribeiro JA, Sebastião AM. Caffeine and adenosine. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S3-15. doi: 10.3233/jad-2010-1379.
7. Snel J, Lorist MM. Effects of caffeine on sleep and cognition. Prog Brain Res. 2011;190:105-17. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53817-8.00006-2.
8. lyler PN. Acceptance of background noise: recent developments. Hear J. 2009;62(4):10,12,14-7. doi: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000350399.33921.99.
9. Brännström KJ, Lantz J, Nielsen LH, Olsen SØ. Acceptable noise level with Danish, Swedish, and non-semantic speech materials. Int J Audiol. 2012;51(3):146-56. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2011.609183.
10. Freyaldenhoven MC, Smiley DF, Muenchen RA, Konrad TN. Acceptable noise level: reliability measures and comparison to preference for background sounds. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):640-8. PMID: 17039766
11. Chen J, Zhang H, Plyler PN, Cao W, Chen J. Development and evaluation of the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(6):354-60. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2011.555735.
12. Ahmadi A, Fatahi J, Keshani A, Jalilvand H, Modarresi Y, Jalaie S. [Developing and evaluating the reliability of acceptable noise level test in Persian language]. J Rehab Med. 2015;4(2):109-17. Persian.
13. Rogers DS, Harkrider AW, Burchfield SB, Nabelek AK. The influence of listener's gender on the acceptance of background noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2003;14(7):372-82; quiz 401. PMID: 14620611
14. Moore R, Gordon-Hickey S, Jones A. Most comfortable listening levels, background noise levels, and acceptable noise levels for children and adults with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2011;22(5):286-93. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.22.5.5.
15. Adams EM, Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE, Morlas H. Effects of reverberation on acceptable noise level measurements in younger and older adults. Int J Audiol. 2010;49(11):832-8. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.491096.
16. Wu D, Chen JY, Wang S, Zhang MH, Chen J, Li YL, et al. [Relationship between the Mandarin acceptable noise level and the personality traits in normal hearing adults]. Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2013;48(3):200-3. Chinese. PMID: 23755783
17. von Hapsburg D, Bahng J. Acceptance of background noise levels in bilingual (Korean-English) listeners. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):649-58. PMID: 17039767
18. Azcona G. Acceptable noise level in bilinguals: consideration of signal and masker effects. [Dissertation]. New York : The Brooklyn Center, Long Island University; 2014.
19. Harkrider AW, Smith SB. Acceptable noise level, phoneme recognition in noise, and measures of auditory efferent activity. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(8):530-45. PMID: 16295240
20. Harkrider AW, Tampas JW. Differences in responses from the cochleae and central nervous systems of females with low versus high acceptable noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):667-76. PMID: 17039769
21. Recker KL, Edwards BW. The effect of presentation level on normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners' acceptable speech and noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(1):17-25. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.1.3.
22. Tampas JW, Harkrider AW. Auditory evoked potentials in females with high and low acceptance of background noise when listening to speech. J Acoust Soc Am. 2006;119(3):1548-61. PMID: 16583900
23. Rouhbakhsh N. Investigating the effect of spatial separation on the detection of sounds in competition, by examining electrophysiological responses from the brainstem and auditory cortex. [PhD Dissertation]. Melbourne: Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne; 2016.
24. Kooknoor V, Shetty HN. Relationship between behavioral measure of ANL and its physiological mechanism in the normal hearing participants. Indian J Otol. 2015;21(2):92-7. doi: 10.4103/0971-7749.155292.
25. Brännström KJ, Olsen SØ, Holm L, Kastberg T, Ibertsson T. The effect of repeated measurements and working memory on the most comfortable level in the ANL test. Int J Audiol. 2014;53(11):787-95. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2014.938781.
26. Plyler PN, Alworth LN, Rossini TP, Mapes KE. Effects of speech signal content and speaker gender on acceptance of noise in listeners with normal hearing. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(4):243-8. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.545082.
27. Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE. Acceptance of noise with intelligible, reversed, and unfamiliar primary discourse. Am J Audiol. 2008;17(2):129-35. doi: 10.1044/1059-0889(2008/06-0018).
28. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Hedrick MS. The effects of speech presentation level on acceptance of noise in listeners with normal and impaired hearing. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2007;50(4):878-85. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2007/062).
29. Franklin CA Jr, Thelin JW, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. The effect of speech presentation level on acceptance of background noise in listeners with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(2):141-6. PMID: 16640066
30. Recker KL, McKinney MF, Edwards BW. Loudness as a cue for acceptable noise levels. J Am Acad Audiol. 2014;25(6):605-23. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.25.6.10.
31. Gordon-Hickey S, Moore RE. Influence of music and music preference on acceptable noise levels in listeners with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2007;18(5):417-27. PMID: 17715651
32. Crowley HJ, Nabelek IV. Estimation of client-assessed hearing aid performance based upon unaided variables. J Speech Hear Res. 1996;39(1):19-27. PMID: 8820696
33. Bryan MF, Franklin C, Ware KS, Horne R. Acceptable noise levels in preschool children with normal hearing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(9):823-31; quiz 891-2. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.9.6.
34. Ahlstrom JB, Horwitz AR, Dubno JR. Spatial benefit of bilateral hearing AIDS. Ear Hear. 2009;30(2):203-18. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e31819769c1.
35. Plyler PN, Bahng J, von Hapsburg D. The acceptance of background noise in adult cochlear implant users. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(2):502-15. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/036).
36. Donaldson GS, Chisolm TH, Blasco GP, Shinnick LJ, Ketter KJ, Krause JC. BKB-SIN and ANL predict perceived communication ability in cochlear implant users. Ear Hear. 2009;30(4):401-10. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e3181a16379.
37. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Muenchen RA. Acceptance of noise growth patterns in hearing aid users. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(1):126-35. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/009).
38. Taylor B. The acceptable noise level test as a predictor of real-world hearing aid benefit. Hear J. 2008;61(9): 39-40,42. doi: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000339505.97796.a9.
39. Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Burchfield SB. Acceptance of noise with monaural and binaural amplification. J Am Acad Audiol. 2006;17(9):659-66. PMID: 17039768
40. Freyaldenhoven MC, Thelin JW, Plyler PN, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. Effect of stimulant medication on the acceptance of background noise in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Audiol. 2005;16(9):677-86. PMID: 16515139
41. Mueller HG, Weber J, Hornsby BW. The effects of digital noise reduction on the acceptance of background noise. Trends Amplif. 2006;10(2):83-93. doi: 10.1177/1084713806289553.
42. Lowery KJ, Plyler PN. The effects of noise reduction technologies on the acceptance of background noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013;24(8):649-59. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.24.8.2.
43. Kim JS, Bryan MF. The effects of asymmetric directional microphone fittings on acceptance of background noise. Int J Audiol. 2011;50(5):290-6. doi: 10.3109/14992027.2010.551786.
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| Issue | Vol 26 No 4 (2017) | |
| Section | Review Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Acceptable noise level level of background noise using hearing aid | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Taghavi SMR, Geshani A, Rouhbakhsh N, Habibzadeh Mardani S. Acceptable noise level test: bases and theories. Aud Vestib Res. 2017;26(4):184-194.
