Comparing Loudness Tolerance and Acceptable Noise Level in Listeners With Hearing Loss

The present study was a follow-up investigation to a previous study exploring the relationship between listeners’ loudness tolerance and listeners’ acceptable noise level among normally hearing adults. The present study compared the same two measures, but data were obtained from listeners with hearing loss; 12 adults with sensorineural hearing loss participated in a loudness tolerance measure using a scaling technique initially established for setting hearing aid output limits, in addition to an acceptable noise level measure. The acceptable noise level procedure used in this study quantified the listeners’ acceptance of background noise while listening to speech. As with the research involving listeners with normal hearing, the Pearson correlation procedure indicated a lack of any statistically significant correlation between the two measures.