The Relationship Between Speech Recognition in Noise and Reading Abilities

Abstract

The primary goal of the current study was to determine the relationship between speech recognition in noise ability and reading ability. A secondary goal of the study was to determine whether the binaural advantage (listening to speech-in-noise with two ears versus one) and the binocular advantage (reading with two eyes versus one) were related. Thirty-nine native English-speaking young adults with normal pure-tone thresholds from 250-4000 Hz participated in the study. The Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) was used to evaluate speech recognition in noise ability. The Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency (TOSCRF-2) was used to evaluate reading ability. No significant relationships were found between speech-in-noise thresholds and reading scores. Additionally, no significant relationships were found between the binaural advantage and the binocular advantage.