Dynamic Effects in Peripheral Auditory Processing

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the origin of tinnitus (phantom sound) and how age and hearing loss affect the ability to hear simple and complex sounds, such as tones and speech, presented in isolation and in the presence of other competing sounds. Possible participants may have normal hearing or mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Participants will be seated in a sound-treated room and listen to sounds over headphones, insert earphones (earbuds), or via loudspeakers. The tasks involve making judgments about the sounds, such as discriminating which of two sounds appeared to fluctuate in intensity or reporting the words in a sentence.